Orvis Battenkill Lrg. Arbor II or III

[froghair5]

I think I'm ready to buy my self a new Orvis reel for my 9 ft. 5 wt. and I'm looking for a little advice. I've narrowed it down to the Orvis Battenkill large arbor. My question is, should I go with the II or III? Is the only difference the amt. of line they hold?

 

[gfen]

Take it in, and see which one balances better on the rod?

 

[FishOnCamp]

I have the previous version of the BLA in a size III. The reel seems too large for my 9' 5wt, I am using it on a 9' 6wt for smallmouth. As mentioned earlier, if possible take your rod to the shop and try them both.

 

[crs5942]

You should figure out which one balances the best; however, I believe they are only 0.3 ounces difference in weight. You also may want to consider what other rods you have in case you decide to buy spare spools down the road. I currently have a Battenkill LA II on my 8'6" 5wt. It balances fairly well, but the rod is slightly too heavy for the real. I am thinking about switching the LA II for use on my 4wts and buying a Lamson konic or something slightly heavier for the 5wt. My 5wt rod weighs about 3.5 oz and if I had a 9' in the same make and model I would need the LA III to balance it. These reels are very light compared to most in this price range.

 

[Raff]

A lot of it depends on what range of rods you want to cover. If you only have a 5wt, either one would hold the right line. If you have a 3 or 4wt, the go with the II and you can buy spools to cover those lines.

I'm of the opinion that rarely do you need a larger line/backing capacity for a trout rod. For salt and for other species, sure. But for trout? When was the last time you got spooled on a trout? So it comes down to balance. Which one balances your rod best. That you have to check out at the shop.

That all being said, I had the BLA II, and traded it in for a reel that is sexy as hell, silky smooth, and is in the same price range......The Lamson Guru. Blows my BLA out of the water.

My .02. (may be all it's worth)

 

[troutslammer]

my large arbor battenkill is rated for 5,6,7 weight line so it can be used for steelhead also if i need it . it is a awesome reel

 

[nimrod]

Just throwing it out there but if you're not married to the idea of an Orvis reel, Ross Reels has some really nice ones in the same price range. I'm really happy with the ones I have.

 

[FishOnCamp]

Nimrod is right about taking a look at other reels. The main reason that I bought the BLA was because I found it for 1/2 price when they were bringing out the new models. The reel is decent but also take a look at Ross or Lamson.

 

[skiltonian]

Raff has a sweet orvis reel at a pretty good price in the classifieds
- maybe you can catch him before it goes to ebay...

 

[whheff]

I have the large arbor too and I also feel it is too big. I bought the mid arbor and really like that a lot. Like the others are saying, take the rod to the Orvis shop and try both. I think you will be surprised at how nice the mid arbor is.

 

[PatrickG]

i've got the mid arbor that i use for my orvis tls power matrix and loop aeg rods, both 5 wts. love the thing, has a great drag for the price. best of all i got it for free when i bought the power matrix.

 

[bam]

I have the III for my 6 wt but it'd do just fine paired with a 5. They're very light reels so going large probably won't hurt you.