Well as I go through things, well stuff, well shit, I've come across things that I should have taken care of sooner. One of those things was sending back my Helios 2 9ft 11 wt. I had become one of my favorite rods over the years especially when fly fishing for big fish or fish in big currents. I've had work done on this before either getting sent back to Orvis or having Leif replace the tips after I snapped them in the doors of my Jeep or truck, which I've done more than once. So really my 9 footer is probably an 8'6".
While registering the rod on the Orvis website I saw they have launched their new Ratio Reel. I knew something was coming because they were blowing out the Mirage reels and spare spools starting last fall. That usually means one of two things, something's being discontinued or a new line is coming out, here we have both.
I first saw the Ratio at this years Fly Fishing Show and it was introduced with little fanfare. Online it's listed as "..your go-to when big fish enter the ring, and the winner takes all". Okay, whatever that means.
I read the specs and saw the most interesting thing on the last line.....Imported. It's made in Asia and shipped over here for market. Gone are the days of Made in the USA when it comes to high end reels from Orvis. It retails at $598 for a size V, or 9-11 weight lines. I've seen online it being pimped out on every big fly shop and magazine website in articles that introduce new gear. Basically it's just regurgitating what Orvis is saying online. But they are missing something big, there's no mention of spare spools. That could be a deal killer for a lot of anglers out there. I'm a reel and spare spool(s) kind of guy. If you're one, and fish in waters with a big tidal range or in waters of varying depths you should be as well. It also comes into play if you have to go from throwing topwater flies to dredging in short order. We'll see if they move to offer the spares, but the whole Made in Asia thing may not permit that. Permit it in like a tool and die production thing.
I also got a kick out of their latest hat offering. "Support Your Local Fly Shop", which I did, in Orvis Princeton, but they closed it. So much for supporting your local fly shop. I hope Andrew, Bruce, and the other Orvis peeps have landed on their feet.
In other striped bass news Dave Showell was finally able to give away the bounty on the first two legal sized striped bass that came through the door at the Absecon Bay Sportsmen's Center.
These two lads got 1st and 2nd to ring in the new season. I would bet they were caught on some bloodworms soaked in the mid-30 degree waters in South Jersey.
And as far as my plug and lure lot I threw up on Facebook Marketplace..... well it sold in less than 15 minutes. While reluctant to ship I wound up selling them to a guy I've been in and around on social media with who hails from Maine.
He threw in an extra $20 bucks for the box and the ride up so that's another thing out of my way. Hopefully he enjoys them and there's a good one or two in the lot. If I was a spin guy I would think this was a pretty good get.
