I received the above email yesterday. I'm not sure if you do but I get a lot of them. Usually I just hit the delete button when I go to purge my Inbox but this was different, as I wanted to see what Orvis was up to. So I clicked on and saw "Mirage Now at 50% Off". Now that's a big deal.
I'm not sure if I'm 100% on this but I'll go with it. The Orvis Mirage line of reels came to be around 2012 with development and prototypes (below) starting a few years earlier.
I first learned of the Mirage reels and Helios rods when I attended my first Orvis Guide Rendevouz up in Vermont in 2011. They use to run it annually up in Vermont before moving it out west and then south to places like Missoula, Asheville, and then east to Roscoe. When they first ventured away from Vermont it was called the Orvis Guide Renedevouz and Down the Hatch Orvis Film Festival. Needless to say the Down the Hatch part came just about Orvis moved to target a new audience, hard working and hard drinking guides wearing trucker style hats. It was around that time we started to see pics of guides and customers in their catalogues with PBR's in their hands. It was the start of the move to get away from "Not your Grandfather's Orvis anymore".
In my opinion now, and it was then, was it should have just remained at the Mother Ship in Vermont. It was not only a great time but a chance to see all the workings of what happened at Orvis. Mixed in with the fun was working sessions where the business end of things was discussed as in attendance were the store and fly fishing mangers. And then the hands on part of the few days event would happen as they had rods, reels, and new products attendees could try right before they went to the open market. It also gave us a chance to buy stuff at a deep discount.
So I ordered my first Mirage reel and received it in 2012. It was a gold 12 wt which has served me well over the years, and still does to this day. That's 13 years. And there's no reason for me to replace it. What it was time for me to replace was my fly tying skills as that yak hair fly surely wouldn't look more then a straight line of hair in the water.
In 2017 Orvis came out with a redesigned Mirage line of reels. Like everything else in fly fishing the price tags started to crop up to where we are now. Fly reels approaching $1,000 and fly rods over it. Before the new launch and new price tag I added more Mirage reels to my arsenal, mostly for my 10 wts. Those are now totally beat to shit. They look like hell and are all out of true, especially the spare spools which I've dropped more times then I can count. We know I'm cheap but why didn't I replace them?
One reason is I always felt like, when it came to reels, was to purchase a few bodies with several spare spools. Get rid of the old and in with the new. But remember, each change in the Mirage and Hydros line of reels meant they were different. So if you, or I, didn't buy the spare spools then you would be left to Ebay or a fly fishing show trying to locate one, in the same color. I also didn't fall prey to the next line coming will be the best ever. Ho hum with that guys.
And just so you know when it comes to companies. We've looked at flys before. At least the ones you can order online. Most come from fly tying mills located overseas. Same tyers, well some of them, cranking out flies sold under various companies names. The same is true for fly reels. Orvis tells us the Mirage reels are made in the United States and the Hydros reels made in China. But do you think the folks at the rod shop up at the Mother Ship are turning metal into reels? Of course not.
Companies like Orvis develop product lines and then send them out to be manufactured. Below is from a pressor sent out from G.S. Precision, the company that actually made the Mirage Reels, in addition to all kind of things aerospace and defense, located in New England.
GSP was involved in the Mirage Reel manufacturing which was done by Headwaters Precision located in New Hampshire. In October of 2025 GSP acquired Headwaters, which has
since closed it's doors in New Hampshire, just about the time Orvis started circling the drain. I guess that's how companies start and evolve and then move on. Joint venture with a company with a product and then move on as things go in a different direction, or south. To me, it seems, and I may be wrong, but Orvis knew it was getting out of the fly reel business, or at least Made in America, and let Headwaters know, and they then went and closed up shop.
At the end of the day it just opens my eyes to big business and manufacturing, and in a way holding companies. Who owns and does what happens vs what we really think is going on. Was Headwaters, or other aerospace type manufacturing companies, turning out products for multiple companies each under a different label? Of course, all were sworn to secrecy under those NDA's, or non-disclosure agreements.
I've been a loyal Orvis customer for as long as I can remember. The only time I strayed was when I ventured over to Simms for their Guide series of waders, which, in the end wasn't a good move. One thing I can say is my current Orvis PRO series of waders are the best I've ever worn, and it's time to by another set of boot foots before Orvis blows them out and doesn't replace them with a new line. One of the perks of being a guide, and I guess some kind of industry personality, is I'm part of the Orvis Pro Program. Not Pro Staff, which is a term I've always hated. That became oversaturated and just a way for average anglers to just get a deal on stuff. The goofiest ones wear embroidered patches on their vets and jackets for you to know who they are.
So I clicked on the link in the email to see what a new Mirage reel would cost the average Joe with the 50% off price tag. Surprisingly they come in at $399 which is a very, very appealing price.
When I went to the Orvis website and entered into my account and the price posted in almost $200 more. That does happen from time to time when Orvis is blowing out stuff. So my cost
would be $558. What's funny about being a "Pro" is I could order stuff cheaper then say a Orvis employee could. That always seemed wrong to me. But back to this deal.
Checking further into this deal I see that only size III, V, and VI are still available. I never thought you would need a high performance reel for say 5 or 6 weight rods so if you're looking for a reel to accompany your 10, 11, or 12 weight rods then this might be appealing to you. But
know the spare spools aren't available at this time, which may be a deal killer if you're like me. But if you're just looking for a high performance reel then head over to Orvis, HERE, before they are gone.
I've shared my opinion on where Orvis is headed these days and that's based solely on my opinion, with no industry insider intel. I could be dead wrong, and hopefully I am. But when I see a fire sale happening with their top of the line products I worry. They're not blowing out the infamous Orvis dog beds here. Now, truth be told, this happens when there's a new line about to be introduced to the industry. They do this to make way, on the shelves and in the stores, for the new line that's about to be put out to market. But the way things are going these days I have little consumer confidence.
With Shawn Coombs starting his new career over at Scott Rods this past week it's not like there's a big reveal coming. What will replace the Mirage reel line? And further what is going on with the Helios rod line? I think you're going to see a big shift in what Orvis will have to offer in the future, and that may not include rods and reels. That would leave Orvis customers sticking to what they already have in their arsenal or having to jump ship over to one of the other manufacturers of fly fishing gear.
I've opined on the idea of Orvis being bought by Fulling Mill or Bass Pro Shops but there's other options out there as well. Just like we saw with the sale of Simms to Vista Outdoors in 2022 and then to Strategic Value Partners this past year, it would make sense Orvis would be bought by some holding company. Holding companies are the death of the companies we have come to love and be loyal to.
One such holding company is Mayfly Outdoors. This Colorado-based company owns several brands we know of. They own Abel Reels, Ross Reels, which Orvis owned until 2014, Airflow fly lines, Airlite Fly Rods, and Dyna King vices. They "acquired" Dyna King in 2023 and then bought Renzetti in 2024. Same companies owning competing brands. Huh what?
Holding companies aren't new to fly fishing. For years Far Bank has owned several brands under their title. Currently they own Sage, Redington, RIO, and Flywater Travel. I remember early on trying to become a Pro member and having to be vetted by Far Bank, which is the parent holding company. Orvis was kind of a holding company after they purchased Scientific Anglers, which they still own, and Ross Reels, both 3M companies. Now Ross Reels is owned by Mayfly Outdoors.
These companies are bought and sold without most of us even knowing, or caring. Let's look at Lamson Reels. Lamson was owned by Sage Manufacturing until Waterworks, a company founded in 1996, purchased them in 1998. They ran as Waterworks-Lamson until 2023 when the company was re-branded as Lamson Fly Fishing. Currently Lamson offers fly rods and reels with their rods about 3/4ths of what a fly reel goes for, $499 and $829 respectfully.
So what does this all mean? Nothing for most people. These days things are tough for most of us and disposable monies for things like fly fishing aren't available. Now I have to be honest I thought about asking Mommy what it would do to us if I picked up one of those blow-out Mirage reels, but I let it go. Why? Because I just don't know what direction Orvis and their product lines are headed. The unknowns in a company lead to consumer indifference and reduced confidence. Is it time to find another one-stop-shop company where a fly rodder can get a solid fly rod and reel under the same roof? One with a good reputation and solid customer service?
Maybe the days of the big companies are coming to an end, well not ending, but changing. Truth be told there's only a small part of the 1%'s who actually go out and but new fly rods every year, or every other year. Don't include those guides and anglers who get products gifted to them or offered at a reduced Pro-Staff rate. Just regular guys and gals that write a check for the full $800- $1200. I don't know them and definitely don't fish with them. Coming soon to a booth at The Fly Fishing Show you'll see the who's who's manning the booths of the various manufacturers who are trying to get you on board with their products and in some way their "community". But, truthfully, you'll never really be in that group, so just grab a sticker and be happy and go home and pull out that 10 year old scratched fly rod you've been using.
For a bit there I tried to align myself with Colton Fly Rods. Colton is owned and operated by Bob Filger based in Dingman's Ferry, Pa. It was when I was thinking of going from a big company to a small owner-operated one. He offers fly rods and reels and has extensive engineering experience. While we went back and forth via email I never got the chance to visit his place in Pa and it didn't go anywhere. But, with the chaos that Orvis is going through it might be time to revisit the possibility of being a Colton "guy".
Anyway, that's what I got for today. In a few weeks it'll be time for The Fly Fishing Show (Jan 23, 24, 25) in Edison and a week earlier in Marlborough, Massachusetts. If you're in the market for a new fly rod or reel maybe this will be an opportunity to learn more and maybe make a purchase. Since this post is about reels maybe you'll head over to the Orvis website and take advantage of their offer on a Mirage reel, before they are gone, maybe forever.