Orvis Clearwater Cast Fly Reel & Spool 3-Pack

The Orvis Clearwater Cast Fly Reel & Spool 3-Pack answers the question this page has to answer first: you get one reel, not three. Orvis calls it a 3-spool multipack, and the three refers to spools. The box holds one Clearwater Cast reel with its spool already fitted, two additional spare spools in the same size and the same color as the reel, and a padded soft case with a zipper closure that keeps the frame and both spares together in a pack or a truck. Orvis sells the pack as item 3LFS, and at every one of the three sizes it costs less than the same reel plus two spare spools bought individually, so the pack is the cheaper way in for anyone who already knows they want a second and third line.

That is the case for buying it this way. Three spools on one frame means a floating line, a sink tip and a third line of your choosing all stay rigged, leadered and ready, and switching between them is a matter of seconds because the spool release is a lock lever in the middle of the spool. The spares are the factory spools for this exact frame, which Orvis specifies as a perfect fit to the corresponding Clearwater reel frame, so there is no fitment guesswork and no color mismatch. The pack comes in three sizes: the II for 3wt through 5wt, the III for 5wt through 7wt and the IV for 7wt through 9wt. The word Cast in the name is the construction: Orvis describes this generation as a full cast reel design rather than a machined one, and that is exactly where the price advantage over a bar stock reel comes from.

Design

The Clearwater Cast is a full cast, large arbor reel with a ported frame and spool, and every design decision on it is aimed at the same thing, which is getting machined reel behavior out of a cast reel. The reel foot carries a curved radius, so a leader wrapped around it for storage between outings does not take a kink from a sharp edge. The drag knob is a positive click design, which means the adjustment indexes audibly and by feel, so you can return to yesterday's setting instead of guessing at knob position, and the adjustment underneath it is infinitely variable rather than stepped. The spool release is a lock lever in the center of the spool: depress it and lift the spool straight out of the reel body, which is the mechanism that makes a three spool system worth owning. The spool carries a counterweight so it runs true at speed, and the exposed rim is available for palming when a fish asks for more pressure than the knob is set for. Retrieve direction converts without tools.

Finish

Both the reel and the two spare spools are protected by a durable powder coat that Orvis says is built to withstand hard use. Powder coat is the right call on a cast frame: it goes on thicker than an anodized layer and takes bench rash and boat rail contact without showing bright metal underneath. This pack is offered in two colors, Charcoal and Dark Pine, and because the spares ship in the reel's color you end up with a matched set rather than a frame wearing a spool that clearly came from somewhere else. On corrosion, Orvis states that the improved sealed drag system resists corrosion. The care Orvis does ask for is straightforward: do not put the reel away wet or into a wet reel case, clean and lubricate it after heavy use or after contact with dirt or sand, give it routine cleaning at least twice a year, and for extended storage remove the line and backing and back the drag off.

Materials

Frame and spools are cast and then powder coated, which is the trade this reel series is built around: casting gives up a little of the tolerance and weight advantage of machining from bar stock and gives back a reel that costs a fraction of one. Where Orvis did not economize is inside. The drag runs carbon against stainless steel, the compression stack is sealed by O-rings at the knob, the frame cap and the spindle, and retrieve direction is set by a clutch bearing rather than a reversible pawl. Routine lubrication is aimed at the handle, the center spindle and the gear shaft, not at the drag stack. The reel is made in Korea.

Drag

Type - An inline stacked disc drag acting on the center line of the spool, which Orvis describes on the product page as a sealed disc drag and in its specs as an improved sealed drag system that resists corrosion. Orvis positions it as a drag that holds its own with high performance machined reels, which is an unusual claim at this level and the main reason the Clearwater series has held its position for so long. Adjustment is infinitely variable through the positive click knob, and Orvis advises that the minimum setting should never be lighter than the pressure required to stop the spool over-running on a fast run. Additional pressure comes from palming the spool rim.

Materials - A stacked carbon-to-stainless disc set running between pressure plates, driven by a push plate and push pins off the knob. Carbon against stainless is the pairing that keeps startup inertia low, so the spool begins to turn at close to the pressure that keeps it turning, which is what protects light tippet at the instant a fish bolts. Stacking the discs rather than relying on a single surface spreads the work across more area, so the setting holds through a long run instead of fading. The same drag serves all three spools, since the drag lives in the frame and not on the spool.

Arbor Size

Large arbor across all three sizes. On a reel bought specifically to carry three lines, the large arbor earns its keep twice over. It picks line up faster per turn, which matters when a fish runs at you, and it stores fly line in wider coils, so a line that has sat on a spare spool in a pack all season comes off with less memory and straightens out in a cast or two instead of fishing like a slinky. The wider coils are also easier on a sink tip, which is the line most likely to be living on one of the spares.

Warranty

The Clearwater reel is unconditionally guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship, and Orvis states that its reels are guaranteed for life on that basis. Anything a repair specialist judges to be a defect is fixed free of charge. Damage that is not a defect is handled as a paid repair on an individual basis: as of August 2026, Orvis charges a 30 dollar handling fee plus the cost of parts, capped at 50 dollars total without prior approval from you, and takes a credit card before starting work. Orvis also offers a separate cleaning and reconditioning service that checks and lubricates the reel and inspects the line, backing, knots and splices. Repairs are arranged through orvis.com/reelrepair.

More Info

• In the Box: one Clearwater Cast reel, two spare Clearwater Cast spools matched to the reel in size and color, and a padded soft case with zipper closure. Fly lines are not included
• Best for: Freshwater anglers who fish more than one line on one rod, and anyone building a travel setup that has to cover a floating and a sinking option without a second reel
• Arbor Size: Large
• Sizes: II for 3-5wt at 5.6 oz and 3.4 in, III for 5-7wt at 6.1 oz and 3.7 in, IV for 7-9wt at 6.5 oz and 4 in
• Capacity on 20 lb Dacron: II holds WF3 plus 150 yd, WF4 plus 125 yd or WF5 plus 100 yd. III holds WF5 plus 150 yd, WF6 plus 125 yd or WF7 plus 100 yd. IV holds WF7 plus 225 yd, WF8 plus 200 yd or WF9 plus 175 yd
• Colors: Charcoal and Dark Pine, with the spare spools supplied in the reel's color
• Drag: Inline stacked carbon-to-stainless disc drag, infinitely variable, positive click knob, palming rim
• Retrieve: Convertible left or right hand, factory set for left hand wind, toolless conversion
• Spool Change: Lock lever in the center of the spool, no tools
• Construction: Full cast frame and spools with a powder coat finish
• Made in: Korea
• Spare Spools: Also sold separately if you want a fourth