The employees of the Orvis Rod Shop stand outside the factory in the sunshine

The Orvis Fly Rod Shop

Seven Trout Streams, 166 Years of Rodbuilding History, and Still Only Two Traffic Lights

We may hail from a small Vermont town, but in the Orvis Rod Shop, we've always been big thinkers beholden to a high bar: to build and fish the world's finest fly rods, right here at home. For over 16 decades and counting, that's exactly what our team of 60 rodsmiths has done. Welcome to our town, and where your rods are born.

A close-up of a worker's hands as they inspect a fly rod

Built In Manchester, Vermont

Helios™ F Fly Rod

Helios™ F Fly Rod

$1,098 - $1,198
Helios™ D Fly Rod

Helios™ D Fly Rod

$1,098 - $1,198
Superfine® Glass Fly Rod

Superfine® Glass Fly Rod

$598
Superfine Graphite Fly Rods

Superfine Graphite Fly Rods

$598
Recon® Fly Rod

Recon® Fly Rod

$598
Adirondack Full-Flex Bamboo Fly Rod

Adirondack Full-Flex Bamboo Fly Rod

$3498
Penn’s Creek Full-Flex Bamboo Fly Rod

Penn’s Creek Full-Flex Bamboo Fly Rod

$3498
1856 Bamboo Fly Rod

1856 Bamboo Fly Rod

$4498
A rod shop builder tests the flexibility of a rod.
A rod shop builder gestures while explaining to the photographer
A rod shop builder works on a new fly rod.

From initial concept to engineering to prototype to testing, testing, and more testing, our fly rods pass through a myriad of skilled hands and are examined by scores of expert eyes before they ever make it to you.

The interior of the Rod Shop filled with machinery and employees building rods


The Faces Behind The Fly Rods

A woman smiling in front of large, cylindrical fly rod-dryers

Quality Lead

Sujata Almy

In her role as Quality Lead, Sujata is responsible for ensuring that every Helios™, Recon®, Mission, Superfine® Glass, and bamboo rod that leaves the shop is perfect. After 11 years, she remains passionate about ensuring that customers receive a rod that they are excited about and proud of. “To me, we make more than rods,” she says. “We make memories.”

A smiling young man with an orange beard sits at a work desk

Rod Repair

Connor Berry

A lifelong angler, Rod Repair Specialist Connor Berry commutes 45 minutes to the rod shop, arriving by 6 a.m. When he isn’t working, he’s chasing trout on rivers near his home with his beloved 3-weight Helios 3. His favorite task is restoring older rods, bringing them back to life, so they can perform on the water for many more years.

A man in a black shirts standing in a brightly lit workshop

Plant Manager

Frank Hoard

A fourth-generation Manchester native, Frank grew up ¾ of a mile from the shop. Right after receiving his degree in Mechanical Engineering, nearly 20 years ago, he started rolling blanks as a summer job. He never left. Frank now serves a Plant Manager, Rod Designer, and a vital member of the R&D Team.

Orvis Rod Shop Facts

1880 – Orvis bamboo rod named “Best of Its Weight in the World” by leading outdoor writer Ned Buntline


1942 – Orvis joins the World War II effort, producing split bamboo ski poles for U.S. troops


1989 – Orvis fly rods are named “No. 1 Best-Made Product of the U.S.” by Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence



2018 – An enhanced manufacturing process allows Orvis to introduce interchangeable parts to decrease time for rod repairs

A rod shop builder adds a coating to a fly rod tip.
A rod shop builder working on a new fly rod.
A rod shop builder at work.

Building them to last a lifetime is the name of the game at the Orvis Rod Shop. Our master fly-rod builders attend to every detail to ensure that no fly rod leaves the Shop until it's ready. That focus and attention is just as critical whether it's a Helios or one of our handcrafted Orvis Bamboo Fly Rods.

A collection of tools wait for use on a workbench