Home Forums Fishing Flyfishing Orvis rod markings?

On an Oris Clearwater II it is marked "865-2", "mid 6.5".
What does this mean?
And whst is the difference between the Clearwater and the Clearwater II?
I sent an email to Orvis but they have not responded...

865-2 is a 8’6”, 5 weight , 2 piece rod.

Mid flex means the rod bends in the middle. Tip flex, mid flex and full flex are the flex options. Faster to slower.

Orvis used a flex index back in the day. Flex rating was 2.5-12.5. Basically was a rating of how much force it took to bend the rod.
6.5 mid flex would take less force to make bend than say a 7.5 mid flex.

I dont have an answer for the upgrade to Clearwater 2.

Thank you. I am re-entering the flyfishing end of things. So many choices. I think I would do better with a soft tip and stiffer butt section for strike sets?

You also don’t need an Orvis rod just saying as plenty of other great rods out there cheaper. Also with a soft tip can miss a lot of hookup’s just a thought.

I am actually 20 minutes from Sierra Trading Post in York, PA. They have a few TFO Signature 2 rods for sale. I see that the Signature 3 is out now, so that may explain the good price. Info on them is hard to find, other than made in RoK.

I own a TFO not the signature. It’s very good rod it’s in a 8wt more for steelhead fishing. Soft enough I used a couple times for stockies. Turned it into a carp rod.

A soft tip can also protect a light tippet. It can certainly be a factor on the limestone spring creeks in PA with small flies - It's all personal tastes though.

I don't see that as a negative being Korean, unless you want to buy American made. Sage and some of Hardy reels are made in Korea as well as all Loop fly rods. Even the Loop 7X top of the line is Korean made. I think South Korea aligns closer to Japan than to China in quality of manufacture. I have nine Sage reels, all Korean made, and I can't fault any of them.