Vote In Our “Best of 2017” Contest—and Get a Chance to Win a Battenkill Disc Reel!


Alhtough it certainly wouldn’t have made the finals, here’s my best photo from 2017, featuring a mountain brookie.
Photo by Phil Monahan

Last week, we decided to soften the blow of of the end of Vermont’s trout season by getting everyone to post their favorite photos from the past year on Instagram. Almost 2,000 photos were entered–you can check them all out here–and there were hundreds of great images. From those we’ve chosen our ten finalists, and now you get to help pick the winner.

Take a gander at the top 10 photos in the widget below (click on each image for a larger version), and then choose your three favorites. The photographer whose image receives the most total votes will win a new 6-weight Helios 3 fly rod.


The 9-foot 6-weight is the latest addition to the lineup, and it’s available in both D (distance) and F (feel) models.

We’ll also give away one Battenkill Disc reel to a randomly selected voter at the end of the contest.To be eligible to win the reel, you MUST leave a comment about the photos in the comments section below. (That’s the only way we’ll know who you are, since the poll widget doesn’t collect data on voters.)

We will announce the winners on Monday, November 20th. So choose our three winners, and then leave a comment!


Don’t forget to leave your comment!

376 thoughts on “Vote In Our “Best of 2017” Contest—and Get a Chance to Win a Battenkill Disc Reel!”

  1. All the photos where great,. I especially like the photos showing someone fishing. Makes me wish I was there.

  2. Thx for the opportunity to share these wonderful experiences through the photographic records. Tight Lines.

  3. The picture of the fish breaking the water was so unique, challenging, technically superior so it is my favorite. The underwater release was also technically challenging. The fall colors and serenity was also very nice. Several nice river and landscape scenes.

  4. when you have a person – in the river – and with sense of action – and potential
    there is your winner.

  5. Love the wide-angle shots to show the landscape and scale of the beautiful places fly fishing takes us. All 10 are worthy!

  6. Love seeing these photo contests. If I’m not already fishing, it makes me want to get out on the water even more.

  7. I really like the cast by the bridge photo! Also like the opportunity Orvis gives for winners to come from commenting, fingers crossed!

  8. Great photos!!! They all appear to be artistically well thought out and really makes the viewers want to be there taking part!!!

  9. While I really liked the dual environment (above and below the waters surface) I had to go with the photos that show anglers in the grandeur of the rivers. We may not always come away with a fish to write home about, but we can always say the river/lake/ocean was amazing.

  10. What a great contest! I loved all the photos that were shared- I hope to see more contests like this, Orvis! Thanks for a good time.

  11. Awesome pictures!! Love the atmosphere and feeling you get, makes you feel like your there with them. Fish on tight lines!!! #CatchAndRelease

  12. As much as I love pictures of fish, I’m a sucker for landscape shots, but it was kind of hard not voting for some of them

  13. Owen ward gets my vote. All these pictures make me wanna grab my fly rob an hit the water. Gotta love fishing these beautiful fish.

  14. Just had to vote for a personal friend, but all of these pictures are outstanding. Makes it easy to explain why I love the sport.

  15. I particularly liked Arian Stevens’ black & white river photo. The only thing that could have improved it would be for the angler to be in motion, either fighting a fish or in the act of casting.

  16. Fantastic photos – I like the ones with a beautiful background best. They are there to remind us to enjoy being outside, even on the days we (whisper it) blank!

  17. I love the tailing redfish because that’s the moment my heart starts racing and I begin to cast my Helios, praying I have a chance!

  18. All the photos are beautiful.. it was extremely hard to only choose 3. What a great company to do things like this! Im a 3rd generation orvis fly guy. I’m currently teaching my wife, she wants a battenkill so bad!

  19. My favorite photograph submission is of Tyler Coleman and her little boy crossing the river with gear. ❤️ Good Mother…..teaching the future! It captures the joy of flyfishing so beautifully!

  20. Seeing these photos just makes me wish I was out somewhere fishing right now. All these photos are awesome but you gotta love redfish!

  21. Wish I had found out about this sooner…Amazing shots! Just drove passed an Orvis this morning before I found out about this contest. I just started fly fishing within the last 6 months…my newest obsession!

  22. Terrific group of photos, difficult to pick my favorite 3 but managed to cast my vote; amplifies my already strong desires to be on a stream right now!

  23. The Esopus Creel pic! We’ve all been there…reminds me of morning skunk and a hope for redemption. Just north of a perfect lie in fast water, you work to get in position through hot currents, get on boulder for height and distance and load that rod for all it’s wt.

    @McFly714

  24. The three photos I have voted for look like some of the places I regularly fish. Like the photos of fishermen/women out fishing in rivers or streams.

  25. In Remembrances of Rivers Past, the late Ernest Schwiebert, wrote about hooking big wild Esopus Creek rainbows in the shadows near that bridge in his Song of the Catskills chapter. Great stuff, great photo.

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