What color fishing sunglasses should I buy?

Answer: The best color for all-around fly fishing sunglasses is amber. These glasses work well on both shallow saltwater flats, and rocky trout streams, as well as for driving. The amber color, combined with the polarization in the lenses, removes glare and enhances contrast so you can see the edges of objects (like the fins of a fish or the edges of a rock) in better definition. Amber lenses are also great for everyday wear, and are good driving glasses; they will remove reflections from glass and from the road, and actually cut through glare in fog.

Gray lenses are not as good for fishing, except in open-ocean fishing where there is tremendous glare under a bright sun. Gray lenses, because they are neutral density, preserve true color relationships if that is important. (back to top)

Learn more about sunglasses and other optic choices.

Should I order my normal shoe size when buying wading shoes? Are they sized to accommodate the neoprene bootie and heavy socks?

Answer: Our wading shoes are designed to accommodate a pair of heavy wading socks plus the neoprene foot of a stocking-foot wader. It’s always better to have wading shoes that are slightly oversized rather than undersized, so if you wear a half-size street shoe, go to the next larger whole size in wading shoes (wading shoes are not made in half sizes). (back to top)

I just bought a rod last year. Why should I buy the new improved model this year?

Answer: In general, when you pay more for a rod you get better technology, a lighter rod, a nicer rod case, better-looking hardware, and in some instances a better warranty. The performance you get from a better rod will be slightly improved, but if you fish in an area where you don’t need long casts, winds are light, and presentation is not critical, you may not feel the need to upgrade. (back to top)

Do rods bought on EBay or those marked with an "R" on the cork grip carry the 25-Year Warranty?

Answer: Rods marked with the letter R on the cork grip are reconditioned rods that are sold at discount events. When these rods are sold, the purchaser understands that they do not carry the Orvis unconditional 25-Year Guarantee, nor do they carry the lifetime warranty against defects in material and workmanship.

The Orvis 25-Year Guarantee is also valid only for the original owner of a rod. Rods sold on E-Bay or any other online auction, no matter what condition, are considered used rods and do not carry this guarantee. (back to top)

What is your rod warranty, and how much does rod repair cost?

Answer: All our fly rods carry a lifetime warranty against defects in material and workmanship. However, our premium rods carry that guarantee even further. Our 25-Year Unconditional Guarantee states if your rod breaks, for any reason, even if you slam it in a car door (and this would be beyond anyone’s expectations for a graphite fly rod), we will repair or replace it for 25 years. Rods that carry this special guarantee include our Helios, Zero Gravity, T-3, TLS Power Matrix, Superfine, and Clearwater II fly rods.

For repairing or replacing rods covered under our 25-Year Guarantee, you pay only a $30 handling fee. For rods not covered under this guarantee (Frequent Flyer, Bamboo, Streamline), you will be contacted with a repair estimate before we proceed. Repair costs range from $50 for a Frequent Flyer rod to $300 for an Orvis Bamboo rod. (back to top)

Instructions are provided for returning a rod for repair.

What weight line do I use for my rod?

Answer: Each Orvis fly rod is designed to cast a specific fly fishing line size, also called line weight. This is the fly line that will optimize the performance of your rod at the normal casting distances of 20 to 60 feet for a trout rod and 30 to 80 feet for a rods designed for saltwater, salmon, or steelhead fishing. Regardless of whether you purchase a floating, sinking, or sink-tip line, the correct line size is the one your rod is rated for. In an Orvis rod designation, the first two numbers are the length in feet, the last number before the dash is the line size the rod is rated for, and the number after the dash is how many pieces the rod breaks down into: 904-4 is a 4-piece, 9-foot rod for a 4-weight line; 865-2 is an 8 ½-foot rod for a 5-weight line that breaks down into two pieces. (back to top)

How do I choose the right fly fishing line?

Answer:First you need find the correct fly line size (also called line weight) for your rod (see #7 above). Next you should decide how the line will be used. For freshwater fishing, 90% of the time people use floating lines.

Even when nymph or streamer fishing, most people use floating lines. However, if you’ll be trout fishing in deep lakes or in fast, deep rivers, a sink-tip line for most rivers or a full-sinking line for very large rivers might be helpful when fishing streamers.

In trout fishing, you also have to decide what taper to buy. Double-taper lines (DT) are great for casting under 50 feet, especially where you do a lot of roll casting or mending line. They can also be reversed when one end wears out, because the taper is the same at either end. Weight-forward lines (WF) are best for longer casts, especially in the wind, because they have a smaller-diameter running line, which shoots line better. A special Orvis Taper is the Long-Belly Weight Forward, which offers the distance capabilities of a weight forward with a slightly longer belly section for easier line mending. This line is best for long-distance dry-fly and nymph fishing in bigger rivers, as well as long-distance steelhead and salmon fishing.

For saltwater fishing, where you often encounter a riffled surface, many anglers use floating lines, especially for bonefish.

For tarpon and striped bass in shallow water an even more popular line is the intermediate (I) line, which sinks just below the surface and gets you under the waves for better control of your fly. In addition, anyone who fishes saltwater from a boat or in heavy surf should have a sinking line on an extra spool, because saltwater fish aren’t always close to the surface.

Full-sinking lines are popular, but an especially useful line is our Depth Charge line, which has a very fast sinking tip combined with a small diameter intermediate running line for great distance casts, even in the wind. (back to top)

What is the warranty on waders?

Answer:Orvis fly fishing waders are guaranteed to be free from defects in materials and workmanship or we will repair or replace your waders free of charge. The guarantee does not cover abuse, improper care, accidents, or the normal breakdown of materials over time.

No one expects fly fishing waders to last forever, any more than you should expect a pair of pants or shoes to last forever. Waders will wear out over time, and how long depends on how often and how hard you use them. In other words, if a seam on your waders gives out after a year we will repair or replace them. If you tear your waders on barbed wire after two years, or if your waders leak after five years, we can repair most waders for a $30 repair charge. (back to top)

How do I order the correct size in waders?

Answer:Although wader fit is not as critical as a pair of pants you’ll wear to a formal event, we have more wader sizes available than any other brand, so you’ll get an excellent fit. Fly fishing waders are designed to be worn over other clothing, but the sizes we build take that into account.

Once you’ve decided which style of waders you want, underneath the photograph of the waders you’ll see a green button that says “Sizing Chart”. Simply click on this button and a pop-up box will display, showing the sizes available in that style of waders. All measurements should be taken with clothes on, and for inseam measurement the best approach is to measure the inseam of a pair of pants that fit you comfortably. If for some reason you don’t fit exactly into the specs we offer, the most critical measurements are your inseam and foot size, as the upper part of the waders can be adjusted with your wader belt and suspenders. (back to top)