Where did Orvis sell its rods in the past?

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

From another link, I learned that Dan Bailey's Fly shop sold Orvis rods and even had a custom 8'3" rod made specifically for them. This got me wondering what other outlets they used.

I know that Orvis also sold through the legendary Abercrombie & Fitch as I have a rod that was sold through them and also have a 1964 A&F catalog. Again, Orvis made the 4'4" Banty rod specifically for A&F.

Of course they sold them out of the Manchester store and more recently through their other Orvis (owned or franchises) branded stores and their catalogs. Did they sell them anywhere else such as Kerr's, VL&A or D? Where there other models made and sold only through a specific outlet?

Thanks in advance for filling in this blank.

Cheers,
Joe

[Greg Reynolds]

Hi Joe,

Orvis sold bamboo rods through an extensive dealer network consisting of mostly small independent fly shops. The annual catalogs listed their location.

L.L. Bean contracted with Orvis to make blond impregnated rods in a few Battenkill tapers in the late-1960s for sale in Freeport and through their catalogs. From the 1969 production records:



Orvis sold the "Yamame Special" 10/64-staggered-ferrule model through their Japanese dealers in 1976. The "Caenis" U.S. market equivalent was never cataloged, and apparently sold through The Orvis News.

Regards,
Greg

[fisherman911]

In the 1960's and 70's and early 80's" Rays Sporting Goods" in Plainfield NJ and " Efingers" in Bound brook NJ were Orvis Dealers. This is were I grew up. They generally stocked a good selection of rods, reels and lines plus various other stuff. My Mom and Dad bought my graduation present from College in 1975 from Efingers. A 7.5' Golden Eagle and a CFO III reel. As I seem to recall toward the end of 1990 these relationships ended . I think that was when Orvis started to prioritize their own stores/outlets.

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

Thank you both for the answers. I didn't realize that Orvis sold their rods through other retail outlets, but it does make good business sense since there isn't exactly an Orvis store in every city. I also had not realized that they made a blonde Impregnated rod for L.L. Bean.

Tight lines,
Joe

[pmcroberts]

When I was quite a bit younger, I worked at a shop in California that was an Orvis dealer, then I moved to Indiana to manage a store that carried the full line of Orvis goods (Clothing, luggage, fly fishing, hunting etc) that was just North of Indianapolis. I recall back then how they were extremely customer service oriented.....probably why I have a soft spot for the company!! It was an enjoyable venture!!

Paul

[Cross Creek]

I bought a CFO III and 8ft graphite “Trout” from Great Outdoor Provision Company in Chapel Hill, NC in 1977. I recall the dealer list in Orvis catalogs back then. Seems like there were some international dealers as well as a number of places in the US that sold Orvis.

[jeffkn1]

My Mom and Dad bought my graduation present from College in 1975 from Efingers. A 7.5' Golden Eagle and a CFO III reel. As I seem to recall toward the end of 1990 these relationships ended . I think that was when Orvis started to prioritize their own stores/outlets.

I was assistant manager of Efinger's tackle department in the early and mid Eighties and there was no Orvis when I arrived. By the time I left there ('87) we'd brought them back on a very small scale. I did put an Orvis Madison in the showcase by the store entrance, more to take orders from than anything. I have no idea how long the relationship lasted after that. I haven't been down there in 30 years and I know the store's gone, as is Ray's.
Ray had a good stock of Orvis even though they were better known as a gun store. Ray's buyer was Roger Mistove, an avid fly fisherman. Roger had kept Orvis on hand from the Sixties when Ray was in Scotch Plains. I worked for Ray from '73-80 and you could buy a Flea, Nymph , Madison, Battenkill, Limestone, S/S/S, 7/3, Pace Changer, or 8 1/2 Light Salmon from stock, with anything in the catalog available on special order. We stocked Walker reels and added the Leonard line in '74. It was the best fly tackle selection for miles back then.

[jeffkn1]

Philip Morris & Co. (presumed no connection to the cigarettes) carried Orvis after the war. This page is from their 1948 72ppg catalog, and the catalog numbers are likely PM's. There was also a big selection of Montague, UH, and H-I. Orvis was their top of the line.

A PM 1942 catalog page is shown here for comparison, when they had maybe 10 assorted bamboo rods and three Granger models were their best. The wartime PM catalog was 30ppg, less than half the size of the 1948 and it included all kinds of freshwater tackle and boats.

[Fanwing]

There was Zimmerman's shop in Keene, NH.
He used to do the Boston show.
I have his # 031.
The show booth stuff was classic 1970's. stuff.

[henkverhaar]

They also sold through dealers internationally. In the Netherlands, Peeters Hengelsport in Amsterdam carried Orvis at least from the 1970s onwards.

[ibookje]

Don't make me remember my youth frustrations Henk...

[Eperous]

I purchased my first Orvis cane rod--- a 6 1/2' Superfine--- in 1969 at Huff's Sporting Goods on Stuyvesant Ave. in Union, NJ... it cost $99 and came with two tips and my name written on it back then.... that was the last $99 I had as I just purchased an engagement ring and would be married in June of 1970... my future mother-in-law was furious that I spent that much on a "fishing pole"... but 50+ years later we're still married so I guess it all worked out... sadly though I sold the Superfine for a tidy profit a few years after that when kids that started coming along...

In the early 70s we moved to upstate NY and eventually the Catskills, where i purchased a 3/2 Battenkill and one tip Madison from Ralph's in Germantown, NY... I'd eventually sell both of these also, after having an extra tip made for the Madison...

Ed