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Top Rated Product
Clearwater® Large Arbor
Finally a cast aluminum large arbor fly fishing reel that's lightweight enough to balance properly with your favorite fly rod and truly the best value fly reel around. Two years in design and development and with a powerful inline, Rulon® to stainless, stacked disc drag that can hold its own with high-performance machined reels, the all new Clearwater Large Arbor costs significantly less than its machined cousins, but has not only the looks, but the guts of a higher-priced version. Easily converted to either left- or right-hand retrieve, the Clearwater fly reel has a positive click drag knob for consistent settings every time. Whether you're looking for your first large arbor, fishing on a budget, or want a spare or two in the bag, the new Clearwater Large Arbor can handle anything a machined reel can and completely changes the game in die cast reels.
Average Customer Rating:
Rating Snapshot (53 reviews)
5 stars
41
4 stars
9
3 stars
3
2 stars
0
1 star
0
53 of 53(100%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Review 1 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
Clearwater Rocks!,
October 8, 2012
By: bigsur
from Great Smokies TN
"This is my second recent purchase of an Orvis Reel. I purchased an Encounter for my back up reel and was impressed by the the smothness of the action and drag. I thought the Clearwater being machined would be a bigger improvment over my existing primary reel so orderd online and received shortly after. New line and backing the next morning after I received and on the stream in the Great Smokies that afternoon. Fished a small stream and a larger one and the Clearwater rocked on both, line fed clean and smooth and cranked on the retrieve smooth and quiet. Great reel for the money could probably charge more but don't tell Orvis I said that!"
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Review 2 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
Great reel for the money!,
June 4, 2013
By: Ts47
from MD suburbs of DC
"Really, the headline says it all. Orvis has a great reel here for the money! I use it on a Clearwater 7' 4 wt. rod with the Hydors 3D fly line. It's a very fun little setup for small water and tight quarters (reel, rod & line together I mean). Very happy to own such a good quality reel at such a bargain price!"
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Review 3 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
Quality Reel,
May 24, 2013
By: dirthawk
from Oklahoma
"Good drag system and plenty of line capacity for those big fish that rip line."
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Review 4 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
BIG BANK FOR THE BUCK,
May 7, 2013
By: highball
from Idaho
"Much much more than I expected for the price. Took only a few casts to acclimate to the larger size, but cast as I hoped it would. Love the drag!"
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Review 5 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
Great Fly Reels!,
May 2, 2013
By: bowhuntpa1
from Pittsburgh PA
"I purchased the Clearwater II and IV after doing much research. I am completely satisfied with these reels. I am new to flyfishing and these reels made the learning process so much easier. Orvis knew what they were doing with this reel."
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Review 6 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
Good bang for your buck,
April 16, 2013
By: mthole
from British Columbia Canada
"Great reel for its price. Quiet and subtle. The drag system is great and allows for very fine adjustment."
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Review 7 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
salt water fishing,
April 13, 2013
By: madmonkey
from UK
"Had this reel for 2 years but only used it for salt water fishing. always washed it through with clean fresh water after each outing. Even so I have noticed that corrosion is evident on the spool on the inner face. I would recommend stripping the line from the reel inc. the backing, give it a good clean and a coat of vasaline out of season or when not in use for an exteneded periods. Plus side, drag feature excelant."
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Review 8 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
Great Reel,
March 31, 2013
By: DJS12354
from Northeast PA
"Purchased the Clearwater reel to match up with the 4 wt, 10' Clearwater Rod i received for Christmas.
Took it out fishing and tied into a nice sized Lackawanna River Brown. The drag was smooth and reel functioned beautifully with a large fish in high water. I'll be purchasing another one soon.
Now, if only Orvis would make an 11' Clearwater 5 wt......."
Took it out fishing and tied into a nice sized Lackawanna River Brown. The drag was smooth and reel functioned beautifully with a large fish in high water. I'll be purchasing another one soon.
Now, if only Orvis would make an 11' Clearwater 5 wt......."
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Review 9 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
Large Arbor,
March 27, 2013
By: Sevenweight
"Lightweight and tough. Best value of any large arbor available. Only comlaint is it makes a clicking sound when line is paying out."
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Review 10 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
superb wee reel,
January 24, 2013
By: celticjon
from ayrshire,scotland
"this is my second orvis fly reel, the 1st being the mid arbour battenkill reel,which was first class, this little reel which i have been using for grayling, is a class act,excellent reel ideal for my river fishing,its nice and light,smooth,compact,and such an easy reel to work with, drag system is excellent, and as with any other orvis product i have bought, very good value for money.even comes with a lovely little reel bag for protection. a first class reel at a very competitive price. if you are looking for a fly reel,this is the one, superb value for money and with the orvis gaurantee you just cant go wrong."
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Review 11 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
Very nice reel!,
January 2, 2013
By: Bannock
from Burley, ID
"I have purchased four of these in the last year. The first three were for myself and my two sons and the last one was for my daughter. We are all very happy with the quality and appearance of these reels."
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Review 12 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
oh what a deal,
December 28, 2012
By: flyrod47
from Most of my fishing is done in Colo.
"I was suspecious of a large arbor reel for $79.00. But hey it is backed by Orvis. Well I was surprised. Great product for the price and better quality than reels costing much more. Smooth drag, good drag and great finish. I could not be happier. Would tell all my friends that want to start fly fishing to buy this reel."
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Review 13 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
Great action...,
December 12, 2012
By: ganeyl
from Sierra Vista, AZ
"The Clearwater Large Arbor Reel is a work horse. It has good, smooth action.
The testimony is a trip to Alaska and catching 40-50 tout per day...tis a work horse reel!"
The testimony is a trip to Alaska and catching 40-50 tout per day...tis a work horse reel!"
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Review 14 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
Great value,
November 6, 2012
By: Huntwave72
from Norfolk
"Bought this as a second reel, first rate. Good quality as you would expect from orvis"
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Review 15 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
Saltwater torture test,
November 2, 2012
By: Surfside
from Texas Gulf Coast
"I bought this reel this season and have now fished over 50 days with it in the salt. I've left it in the the trunk and given it only a quick rinse with a water bottle most days and a full wash about every 5 days or so.
So how has the reel held up? It still has all the inherant qualities that I bought it for. It picks up line quickly, It's very light for its size, and the adjustable drag still works great. I've had numerous fish run into the backing and it's still as smooth as the day it came out of the box.
There are a few signs of wear. The reel foot shows a few marks from the reel seat, and the line gaurd (or area where one would be) shows marks from the line, since I strip the line down off of the reel instead of straight out.
As far a corrosion, I've got a bit of discoloration around the screws attaching the reel foot and the spindle cover on the spool. Nothing major, and I've added a bit of Boeshield to nip that in the bud, which I probably should have done initially.
In all, I've been pleasantly surprised with this reel. It's very nice for its price point and has held up extremely well to all I've thrown at it. It's landed redfish, speckled trout, and many other surprise species that will take a Clouser.
So, to sum it up, this reel isn't the top of the line, in the same way a Lotus Elise isn't a Ferrari, but it's unique in the under $100 class. I've had other reels that I've tried from name brands in the price range which have actually severed my lines due to poor manufacuring. I've read many reviews stating that you cant get a decent saltwater reel for under $200 but I really think that this will handle any fish that you'd want to tackle with an 8 weight.
If you're looking to get into fishing saltwater without taking out another morgage, or looking for a capable backup to make sure that your trip isnt ruined if you drop your Hydros or Mirage off the bow, I think that the Clearwater warrants consideration. I'll be fishing mine."
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Review 16 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
I think it's a winner,
October 29, 2012
By: Windslow
from Cape Cod
"My Clearwater Reel appears to be everything I hoped it would be. Although I haven't tried it on the stream yet ( probably next spring ), I think it will be a smart choice. And a great reel for the price."
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Review 17 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
Great Value,
October 24, 2012
By: vtaflyboy
from Ventura, CA
"Bought this on sale last week to get started in the saltwater for surf fishing; didn't want to mess up my Battenkills. I'm using this w/8wt sinktip line and it's great- smooth action and adjustable drag, no overruns. Having a blast with it and have surf perch and leopard shark landings so far- get one now- you won't regret it."
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Review 18 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
excellent buy!!,
October 23, 2012
By: muchastruchas
from Inverness, California
"I was very impressed with this reel. Used it on the East Carson, CA and it was a delight, comparable to other expensive reels in function but at a very reasonable price."
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Review 19 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
Reel Great Deal!,
October 23, 2012
By: Timber2
from Monroe, CT
"Bought this on sale two weeks ago, loaded it with sink-tip 8W line and went salmon fishing two days ago. Reel was great! Kept up with 20 - 40 lb. salmon no problem. Bought a spare spool to load with saltwater line and plan on hitting the stripers in the Sound next week. Buy it - you won't be sorry."
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Review 20 for Clearwater® Large Arbor
Overall Rating:
all orvis products are #1,
October 22, 2012
By: myrodman
from new boston ill
"this is my 4th orvis reel my 2nd clearwater reel it preforms as well as the expensive reels smooth operation and the drag is easily adjustable dont let the price scare you away"
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