Orvis Encounter II Reel from Nick Gates on Vimeo.

For the first Gear Geek Out we will be reviewing the Orvis Encounter II Large Arbor Reel. At $49 this firmly puts this reel in the economy bracket of reels, with extra spools available for $25. Even though it has a respectfully low price tag, Orvis spent their time designing a dead simple and durable reel. (Its counterpart, the Clearwater reel ($79), is exactly the same design just made from cast aluminum.)

The first thing that I noticed though is that it does not feel cheap at all. This thing is tough! It’s made of a “composite material”, a.k.a. plastic, and weighs less than 4.5 ounces, but this thing takes a beating and keeps going.

I bought this reel because I was putting together a 4 weight outfit and wanted to save a bit. I mainly fish for steelhead but wanted a light and mobile trouting rod. In their encounter series you can use the Encounter II for line weights: 4, 5 and 6. While the Encounter IV takes care of the 7, 8 and 9 weights.

As you can tell from the video, this reel isn’t cheap or flimsy in any respect other than price. The other great feature of this reel system is that you can afford extra spools. Currently I have two spools for this reel: one with a floating WF 4 and the other with a intermediate sinking line. Perfect for lake trout. At $25 a piece you can go crazy with different line setups, even change line weights in a pinch.

With all the inherent features the affordability brings along with the surprising durability of this reel, I give it a 4 out of 5 star rating. No doubt that a well machined, expensive reel will out perform this reel in the long run, I still have 100% confidence in this reel. At the end of the day if you don’t have confidence in your tackle you won’t be confident when you fish.

Be Rogue. Fish Rogue.