FAQ

The Free-Flex System for our fly rods helps the fly caster to intuitively improve his fly casting technique. This leads to the fly caster using less force in his casting, putting less strain on his body.

And when you got "fish-on" the Free-Flex System transforms the fight directly into the palm of your hand. You just have to experience the difference yourself: "Whohoooooo"!

• The "damping" effect

When good fly casters stop their fly casting strokes to create effective loops, these stops are neither sudden nor abrupt. They continue moving – through the stop – to “dampen” the inevitable oscillations of their fly rod as these oscillations lead to waves in the line, affecting the loop negatively.

• The"smooth transition"effect

Fly casting is “filled with” crucial transitions. Lifting the line off the water, changing the direction of the line between back- and forward casting strokes and going from a spey-casting D-loop cast to the forward stroke.

To time and “capture” these transitions effectively, good fly casters use a careful and controlled “false start”. Just before the line has turned over after a back-cast, they will “false start” their forward stroke in a careful and controlled way to “smoothen” this transition and to gain contact between a straight line and a slightly bent rod as early as possible. They can SENSE the fly rod flexing, sense the “heaviness” gradually materializing when the rod bends towards the weight and direction of the line going the opposite way.

Because the Free-Flex-System let`s you literally feel the flex of your fly rod in your hand, you are able to sense all of this earlier and better than if you are casting a traditional cork fly rod.

• The"looser grip"effect

Far too many fly fishers are using too strong of a grip on the handle. A lot of beginners are unknowingly trying to “kill” their fly rods, but even experienced fly-fishers tend to grip harder than necessary.

Too strong grips will inhibit your ability to use your fly rod effectively, often resulting in negative drifting (“creeping”), that will reduce the potential pathways of the tip of your fly rod. Shorter pathways mean that you must increase force to cast the same distance and too much force will lower the chances of good presentations.

The combination of the “Free-Flex-System” and the shape of the handle, will gradually help you relax your grip and contribute to a fly casting style where you use less force to cast longer and more precise. Win, win!

• The"Whoohoo"effect

The blank of a Free-Flex fly rod is attached to the handle just under your hand. 

Every time you fight a fish, the energy from the fish frantically trying to get away from you, will be transferred through the blank, directly into the palm of your hand.

​There are no words to explain this feeling! You just have to experience it yourself! It will put a smile on you face! WhooHoo!

• The"lose less fish"effect

Even without significant data from scientific experiments, we believe that the deep flex of the “Free-Flex-System” will help you hook a higher percentage of the fish attacking your flies AND help you lose less of them.

Especially when you have to use thin and delicate tippets to make suspicious fish take.

• The"cool guy"effect

If you fish an ArcticSilver fly rod you are probably aware of all the benefits the Free-Flex System provides you with!

 You know your stuff! 

 AND you are not afraid of "sticking out" in a crowd.

 Welcome to the ArcticSilver family of "cool guys and girls"!

No, you don’t need to change your casting style to cast with a Free-Flex rod. The rods can be cast effectively no matter what casting style you prefer, and they provide great feedback. You will, however, improve your overall casting experience by slowing down your casting rhythm a little bit, by ‘listening’ to the rod and relaxing. You will feel how deep the rod bends and how well it performs with minimum amounts of energy applied.

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The guides on our Free-Flex rods are anodized for saltwater conditions. All the rod components we use are anodized. We have done the ultimate test in Belize where the rods have been fished daily for more than six months.

During the developmental phase, we tested more than 100 different top-brand reels, and they all fit snugly on our Free-Flex rods. Up until now, we have only received reports that a couple of custom-made reel feet – and certain Backwinder and Einarsson reels – don’t fit in the Quick-Lock system.

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Being made from advanced carbon composite material, the Free-Flex handles are moulded/cast. This means that we have been able to design handles differently than traditional cork handles. What you’ll realize when casting a Free-Flex rod is that the handle provides a superb and firm grip – and great ergonomics. The rectangular shape helps you cast in straight lines and it gives the blank great directional stability. This not only helps optimize the energy flow in your cast – for improved casting distance, it also helps you cast with greater precision.

We’ve all experienced how a hammer has been developed to work with the human hand. The elliptical formed handle/shaft helps us swing the hammer in a straight line and hit the nail with precision. The ‘Free-Flex’ handle is based on the same hammer-shaft principles. It is elliptically formed, and has led to many experiencing a feeling of casting with precision. Due to its form, the ‘Free-Flex’ innovation intuitively provides a cast that follows a bettered linear line and therefore optimizes not only the loop speed, but also the direction, balance and stability of the loop. This means that one can create a cast of greater energy efficiency.