Just yesterday, I had the pleasure to meet up with Katharina and Vebjoern from ArticSilver in Norway. I got to try a great deal of the different rods in the Zense series and also a couple in the Fonna series. I must say it was a pleasantly "strange" experience! And yes, it is everything you said. You do get a lot more feeling with the line and that helps your timing a lot. We had quite windy conditions and it wqas still much easier to feel the connection with the line especially against the wind. And it was easy to notice that you actually use less energy in your casting, so much less fatigue! So, i can easily see longer sessions fishing compared to my regular rods. I tried the Zense rods from the #4 and up to the beefy #10 rod. You will easily identify the same qualities on all weight classes. I think most of the ones i tried was fast action but the Fonna rods i think was medium fast action. My friend, who is quite new to fly fishing and casting, felt it was much easier to cast the Fonna #6 compared to the Zense #7. However, i do also need to mention the fishing lines from ArticSilver! I don't know, but i think you were using the Compact Int., am i right? If so, what are your thoughts on that? I also tried the GreenVelvet in the Zence #4 rod. I found them extremely smooth and very easy to cast and it finishes in a very controlled and soft presentation, even in windy conditions. Sadly I don't think I can budget a Zence this year, but I'm definitely picking up a line or two! (#5 GreenVelvet (Float) and the #7 Compact Int.) ;) Great video and a nice review! You have my subscription, Sir!
Hi Andy. Bit of an update. Got the 9ft for a 7 Zense. Great rod. The handle and reel seat are definitely great innovations. Handle is very comfortable and the hand moulds well around it. Grip is very good, even with wet hands. You also don't have to worry about cork quality or filler falling out. The reel seat is very efficient, easy to use and secure. Onto the blank and casting. It's a very hard feeling to describe. It's like casting a medium action rod with a lot of power. That's the best description I could come up with. The tip recovery is very good and you can cast the rod at different angles, with no detriment to the cast. I can't actually see the rod bend at the handle when casting, but you can feel extra power coming in somewhere. I tried it with the 16g compact line, which was good, but possibly not the best line for it. I'm going to try a few more tapers, to see what works best. It just feels nice to cast. I like the matt finish and the build quality is very good. The designers definitely thought out of the box with the design. Playing a fish, you get a good bend in the rod and I reckon that would protect lighter tippets. All in all, i'm pleased with it and it has a pleasant feel when you're casting and handling it.
Wow I can't believe all the negativity in the comments below. Andy I thought you did a good job with the review and it was great to see something a little different. I'm a product designer myself so I can appreciate what they were trying to achieve. I applaud innovation and your willingness to give something a little unconventional a go. Who knows, maybe 20 years from now all fly rods will look like this (or an evolution of the idea).
Well I guess everybody is allowed their opinion, and this is why the aesthetic of fly rods hasn't changed in 40 years. I'd be frustrated if I was a rod designer as it appears to be an industry resistant to change!
Love the flex on that rod. As a river fisher that uses a 1wt full flex rod most of the time and who’s been fishing some still water lately on a mid flex Orvis 5wt, I watch most stillwater anglers using 7wt or more rods that bend about a foot at the tip, they have the subtlety of a line prop, and when hauling a fish in look like it’s on the end of a scaffold tube. I love a rod that flexes all the way to cast and even more to play a fish. Just bought a £55 Shakespeare 10ft 5 wt Agility 2, for exactly the reason of issues with hand, wrist and shoulder and it has a great flex profile let down only by the size of the handle, but a lovely rod to cast and play big fish. Love the large grippy and non round handle on that rod but couldn’t justify the cost. What really annoys me is the confusion between a fast rod and a stiff rod. A stiff rod is horrible to fish with, you can have a fast soft rod, the so-called speed is show the rod recovers not the stiffness. Good rods flex all the way down but have fast tips that recover rapidly, such a rod has the backbone to cast but is a delight to fish with.
I have tryed these rods out at å demo at my local shop in Norway, and they are good rods. Could not feel that mutch of a diffrence, but they are quality rods. As a seatrout fisher, i was actually more impressed by they'r short head lines made for windy weather on the coast. Nice shooting, and more of an aggressive taper. You should test them out for a review if your going for some pike.
Here in Scandinavia it has really made its mark - very rare to see a used one on the market. Used a lot for sea trout fly fishing here in DK. Good review. BR Torben, DK
Hi Andy. How are you? I really enjoyed your detailed review of this Arctic Silver Zense Fly Rod. It does look like a great rod. I only came across your IB and Andy Fishing channel last week and have only seen 7 or 8 of your fly fishing and pike fishing videos. I enjoyed them all. Especially your reviews of the Lidl fly fishing kit, the Wish fly reel and the Poundland pike lures. I haven't had a chance to scroll back through your entire play list to find all the other reviews you've done, so I apologise if I'm asking you to do reviews that you've done already. It would just be great to see you review loads of other fly rods, reels, fly lines and other kit for fly fishing, pike fishing and any other fishing you do. I'm talking about reviews of all the different price ranges, from low budget through to top end. Just to give people a good idea what tackle is like before they commit to buying it. Especially for someone like me who is relatively new to fly fishing. I enjoyed the first video you did on Euro Nymphing and will watch part 2 shortly. When I watched part 1 it reminded me about a RUclips video I saw on Tenkara fly fishing last week. Have you tried doing that? Videos of you doing that and any other fishing techniques would be good too.
Hi Dave, thanks for watching some vlogs and for the comment, we really appreciate! We've only recently really got in to the reviews, I was previously attached to a brand so couldn't really go out and review lots of kit. We'll review whatever the brands want us to, we're an open book as far as that goes - we've done £17 reels to £600 rods so far - hopefully with plenty more to come! We do both have jobs etc though, so one review a week is about as much as we can do. Also, as with this review, I want us to really get to know a product before we put a review out there. We'll do our best for you!
@@IBandAndyFishing Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I really appreciate it. I appreciate that you and IB work full time and can only do one review a week. So the timescale for reviews I suggested is up to you. Like I said, I'm pretty new to fly fishing, although I did it for a while when I was a teenager in Newcastle. I've never had any proper tuition, apart from a free half hour session with an Orvis instructor in Ludlow 2 years ago. I will at some point have more lessons but in the meantime I'm looking for a software engineering job and having occasional breaks to watch fishing videos on RUclips. Have fun doing more videos.
Let's build a cushion of air around the blank, so you can feel more 😉 there's very little epoxy under the cork on a normal handle, and they bend just fine all the way down. Love the reelseat!
I do like the reel seat , how much effort did it take to move the spring back? , handle?, sorry I enjoy the look of a quality hardwood spacer, a nicely turned cork handle and a gunmetal reel seat, blank looks interesting put it in a normal handle and re-test. I suffer a bit with arthritis in my fingers a testimony to 22 years warehouse work, if it gets uncomfortable I just get out, take five and appreciate my surroundings. Price, now I have bought expensive rods, middle price rods and now I get the Maxcatch stuff for pennies, just as good as any of the midrange stuff IMO. Still if you have spare cash, then certainly give it a whirl, but you probably won't see many on UK waters.
I used to have an old glass fly rod that bent through the cork handle, but it was a horror to cast. Spring loaded reel seats have been around for years, used to be popular on baitcasting rods. Not as well engineered mind you. The handle looks a lot thicker than most modern handles, which to me is a good thing as a lot have got far to thin and not just on fly rods. The sort of square cross section of the handle does make sense as that sort of shape is easier to grip than something round. There was an attempt in the past to promote triangular handles and I remember them been quite nice to hold .
Yeah I feel you on the old glass rods, they sure weren't designed to flex there 🙈😂 Good call on the spring loaded seats too, though I must admit I've not seen one in a while, where did they go?! I didn't see the triangular handles, I've seen a few attempts to form composite cork in the past and often they were shaped like the arctic silver. Thank you for the constructive comment too!
@@IBandAndyFishing As I said the spring loaded reel seats were not well engineered, often using plastic which wore and the springs weren't very rust proof. Just had a quick natty with my Nordic friend Who confirmed that I had seen one in use, by his friend, a double hander though. Apparently they're very highly rated in that area of the world.
Pretty sure loop brought a generation out with hexagonal composite grips but it was phased out and back to normal shaped full wells on the next gen models
@@mscustomlures They did. Never got to try one though. TBH I think most rod handles on fly rods are not quite right. Too thin, too short, not quite the right profile, etc., but we adapt to them quite quickly.
I really like the look of that and it seems to have some real innovation designed to improve the feel and function. Good stuff and if I hadn't have already spent a king's ransom on fishing gear I'd buy one for sure.
An interesting product, for sure. I take your points on how it may benefit those with dexterity issues. Other than that, I don't think I'm sold... I'd like to try one, I think, to see what difference that handle really makes. I'm generally using modern glass for a lot of my fishing, these blanks are pretty parabolic and flex right into the grip.The handle concept feels a bit more like a means to introduce the spring loaded reel seat as opposed to being of any great benefit to the action of the rod. I don't know how much you know about rod building but you may be surprised at how little there is in terms of epoxy/glue in the handle. The blank will remain flexible through the handle on a conventional rod. Obviously, having never cast one, I'm limited in my take-away, just as you are for having not cast that blank with a 'standard' handle on it. It's always good to see the latest innovations and experiments for the development of the sport - not sure this one hits the mark but time will tell! Interesting video, though - plenty of discussion points and food for thought. Keep them coming.
Thanks bud! I used a Rio perception in touch floater 5, a scierra aerial floater 5, an arctic silver ghost intermediate 5 and a very old sinker which I think might be a 6 but to be honest I'm not sure!
Loving the reel seat, seems like a genuine innovation to me which is rare in the fishing trade! I know that 6061 Aluminium is fairly light (my push bike is made from it...) but I wonder if it's as light as a regular rod? Just thinking of how it balances in the hand. Haha! Just as I posted this you demonstrated the balance...
Like it Andy, it’s a bit like when Chris Boardman started to win races on a wierd looking carbon bike, now they are the norm. We need to move away from cork as it’s unsustainable. One question for IB, the size of the handle looks much larger than a traditional cork one, how did you find it with smaller hands? Could you grip it as well as a thinner cork handle?
Nice review Andy, good to explore innovative kit. I have no objection to the look of the blank or handle and would definitely opt for something other than cork if available in my budget. I would be concerned about grit in the reel clip with it so highly engineered, grit in a thread is usually simple to clean. Keep up the great work with reviews, I'm looking forward to some budget rod reviews when you get time. Best wishes to you and IB
I really liked it Nic, the line was flying out which in fairness I have been really struggling with especially when casting into the wind as I'm not the greatest caster! One other thing I will say, it's very comfortable for smaller hands, some of the bigger rods tend to feel way too big & heavy for me, with this one, a whole different story. Most impressive thing for me was me and Andy did a silly game in the house as soon as we unpacked it, one held the rod as you would normally with eyes closed, and the other would do the slightest touches on the tip, and I mean touches, they weren't taps, they were literally just brushing with fingertips, and we both shouted out that it's a tap. It's unbelievable sensitive, you literally feel everything, would love something like that lighter and longer for as a nymphing rod, would be total game changer Ib x
They should have use carbon frame guide system as like Daiwa AGS guide and carbon yarn as guide thread wrapping to push the lightness even further to match the technology already embedded into the rod.... NICE rod...!!!
Interesting Andy! My concern is around the 'feel' of the rod when casting or playing a fish. With traditional handles the cork is in direct contact with the blank and transmits any movement through to the hand. With this handle the flex is happening at the reel seat, behind my hand, so how can this give better 'feel'? I guess I'll just have to try one out..
I think you really ought to, in mi opinion I think you get more feel during fish playing as the blank flexes more deeply. It's hard to describe, feel is so subjective!
Can appreciate a rod aint about looks but its capability in the right hands but i just couldnt use the rod with the handle looking like that.... thanks for the review. Love the vids guys. Have helped the sanity throughout lockdown. Hopefully will get to see you fish somewhere in ireland when it is finally safe to travel.
Thanks Carl! Yeah I see where folks are coming from, for me it's just a tool to use so it doesn't really bother me. Totally understand that some folks prefer the traditional look though!
Seems like a gimmick to me, I can't see how having the handle inside a piece of plastic would make any difference. It's not like you hold a cork handle bonded to your hand, your hand flexes just like the plastic handle would. Did you get it free? If you did you should say so!
I possibly haven't explained it properly then, it isn't the handle which flexes, it's the rod blank inside that handle which would otherwise be covered in cork, epoxy, and often tape. This blank is more free to flex further down than an ordinary rod 👍
I'd love to see some actually analysis on the dampening effects of a cork handle, vs. that handle. I suspect negligible, trouble with reviews, if it was 'donated' free there is a pressure to put in a good review? Not sure. In my opinion, the concept will disappear, its frankly laughable and will separate a few fools from their money. Some (not saying this one) reviews are naive at best and possibly disingenuous.
We don't keep any of the kit we review Michael, so no need to worry about 'donations' 👍 In terms of the handle, all I can say is that I felt like there was more flex lower down a rod blank than I've felt with a conventional handled rod. Did you not feel any difference between the free-flex and an ordinary handle?
Yet another great review Andy but out of my price range I'm afraid. shame a real great looking piece of kit. I would be afraid of grit getting into the real seat mechanism though.
2 things that strike about theses, is, what if grit and small stones get down between the rod and handle. This would act like sand paper on the rod itself. This would also be a problem with the reel catch, seeing you move this to put the reel in place, if grit gets in there where it is covered by the catch. Just my opinion!!!
You can remove the reel by just pushing the reel in. You don't have to press that locker. The same with removing just move the reel till the end of rod and it will pop out.
Love your videos but can I say say no where can I spend that money on a fishing rod do you agree with me it is not all about the rod or tackle it is the way you fish sorry I'm just an old time Guy my that loves old-time fishing with my budget I think it is more about out doing the job right your videos really appeal to me because I used to go fishing with my ex and she used to give me lots of luck especially fishing fly why is it something to do with the hormones in the water when my good lady used to use to catch lots of fish with good anglers at the side of those asking what are we doing one of them said it is because you have got you in the water and then I think he said thermals sorry if I am wrong but it definitely worked that day the guys could not believe how many fish we were pulling in respect to you wish you both a Happy Christmas👍
I think it's great that there's innovative and quality tackle to suit all attitudes and budgets Andrew, and that we can all enjoy fishing and the kit at whatever cost we choose 👍
Im like you. Andrew I doubt i spent £600 on all my gear. And i have lure rods float rods ledger rods and even carp rods. Most stuff is designed to catch fishermen not fish 😉 @ib an andy ... with the majority of fly men all tweed clad ex majors ... do you think they will part with their Hardy rods? I bet a fair few still haven’t moved on to fibreglass 😋
I get your point about tweed clad majors, but as stillwater fishing is by far the most popular form of fly fishing these days it might not be true any more! Also agree that the aesthetic of this rod will be a hard sell to many in the UK, we're often the last to catch up with innovation. The nation which invented Spey casting and we had to be shown Skagit/Scandi styles.... needless to say the tweed brigade took notice in the end!
@@IBandAndyFishing tbf it was a tongue in cheek comment. It never amazes me what people spend on tackle ... that said i have two other hobbies ... photography - there a few quid in my camera bag as you can imagine., and amateur radio not cheap either so I understand
@@IBandAndyFishing Where is the innovation? I'd love to see some quantitative analysis on the impact, something I could review, if it has some huge positive re: dampening or action, then I'd say its innovative. At the moment thought, its pig ugly marketing. The comment "last to catch up with innovation" I find something of a stretch ..... as if we're missing some magical property of the rod .. you bought or were given ?
Enjoy your videos; keep them coming! There is an enjoyable aesthetic about a nice fly rod but, I'm sorry, this might be a great rod to use but this is the Gemma Collins of fly fishing rods. Not funky and not for me.
The fish don’t know what rod you are using and how much you paid for it, However your review makes it sound like a great bit of kit 👌 especially for the grip after a day on the water . Out of my budget but pass it on 😂 Tight lines 🎣
Great review Andy.Sorry, i just cant get excited about that handle though.lol .Probably because im an old fart but give me cork anyday.Just being honest.
Lovely, well made video; but ... ah ...lol ... something to add to the { Tenkara, Trout Spey ,...} set of BS ... that handle .... just looks so cheap and tacky. I get the aesthetics are personal, but thanks, I hate it. Not for me. I can imagine lots of people will hate it. In terms of action, Gary Marshall as my dry fly, SLT9ft 5 wt & Marryat 10ft 3 weight for Spiders - and I've not bought a new rod in about 10 years, very much doubt it will cast as good as any of those I have, I'd try - but never buy that with a cheap looking handle.
If someone is having physical pain casting fly rod - either they should invest in some lessons and/or just use a medium-ish action rod and slow down. I can fish all day with a Sage SLT and never feel a thing.
I saw and cast one of “ Arctic Silver” earlier models some years ago at a fishing show, might have been BFFI or the Burton on Trent show. That rod was made up with a different blank than the model that you have just been testing, but the philosophy behind the design was the same, and my immediate reaction was that it was ugly and inelegant, and on my brief time casting it offered nothing memorable at all, in fact until this review I’d forgotten all about these rods. I’m sure that the more modern blank has improved on those first rods but I’m sorry Andy to my eyes they are still ugly, eye of the beholder and all that I suppose, certainly nothing that would tempt me to part with hard cash but a nice review as usual. Regards Tony.
Looks like an expensive gimmick to me. If you want a rod which flexes through the butt, just get one with the appropriate taper. I've had a Daiwa 9' 4-6wt that certainly flexed though the handle, the line weights give a clue and my present Anglers Roost 11' 2-3 wt is the same.
Would expect that handle on a spin rod or bait caster - highly doubt fly fishing crowd will embrace it in any significant numbers. Put that against how we are seeing the rise of retro click-only drag fly reels in the last year or two after decades of increasingly powerful disc drag designs. And frankly it looks ugly!
I don’t see the point of a fast action rod that flexes more in the handle than further up the blank? The blank itself doesn’t look to load very well either? Many Fast glass rod builders have been offering split cork chive handles for years that flex right through the handle. If you want this effect try a fast S glass or E glass rod, they will be aesthetically much more pleasing, far stronger and more adept at casting and playing fish with. You can commission a custom glass rod for a lot less cash. Great review but a massive thumbs down sorry.
@@IBandAndyFishing I have owned and fished the Zense 9 feet for a 8 weight line. Fished it a lot for Bass in the Northsea. They are just Korean or China made rods with a hyped handle and reelseat. Nothing special here.
Aren't the vast majority of fly rod blanks on the planet Chinese or Korean? Nothing wrong with innovation in my eyes. What did you think of the handle material? Given the increasing cost and scarcity of cork, we're probably going to have to find an alternative at some point - I thought this was really nice?
@@IBandAndyFishing There is nothing wrong with real innovations. This is just reinventing the wheel. IMHO there is nothing better than a good handmade traditional florgrade cork on a flyrod. Yess, good quality cork increases in price but there is still topnotch cork available on the market. And mostly those synthetic grips are used to cut the cost of producing a rod. Nothing new here.
I can see we'll have to agree to disagree on this one then Robert, I've certainly not seen a rod like these before! Many thanks for the view and feedback 👍
That's fine as long as you've got a consistent supplier, the cork industry is in huge decline at the moment, it's a huge issue for the whole fishing industry 👍
Excellent, impartial, in-depth review Andy. Living in Norway it will be interesting to see how much exposure it gets over here.
Just yesterday, I had the pleasure to meet up with Katharina and Vebjoern from ArticSilver in Norway. I got to try a great deal of the different rods in the Zense series and also a couple in the Fonna series.
I must say it was a pleasantly "strange" experience! And yes, it is everything you said. You do get a lot more feeling with the line and that helps your timing a lot. We had quite windy conditions and it wqas still much easier to feel the connection with the line especially against the wind. And it was easy to notice that you actually use less energy in your casting, so much less fatigue! So, i can easily see longer sessions fishing compared to my regular rods. I tried the Zense rods from the #4 and up to the beefy #10 rod. You will easily identify the same qualities on all weight classes. I think most of the ones i tried was fast action but the Fonna rods i think was medium fast action. My friend, who is quite new to fly fishing and casting, felt it was much easier to cast the Fonna #6 compared to the Zense #7.
However, i do also need to mention the fishing lines from ArticSilver! I don't know, but i think you were using the Compact Int., am i right? If so, what are your thoughts on that? I also tried the GreenVelvet in the Zence #4 rod. I found them extremely smooth and very easy to cast and it finishes in a very controlled and soft presentation, even in windy conditions. Sadly I don't think I can budget a Zence this year, but I'm definitely picking up a line or two! (#5 GreenVelvet (Float) and the #7 Compact Int.) ;)
Great video and a nice review! You have my subscription, Sir!
Hi Andy. Bit of an update. Got the 9ft for a 7 Zense. Great rod. The handle and reel seat are definitely great innovations. Handle is very comfortable and the hand moulds well around it. Grip is very good, even with wet hands. You also don't have to worry about cork quality or filler falling out. The reel seat is very efficient, easy to use and secure. Onto the blank and casting. It's a very hard feeling to describe. It's like casting a medium action rod with a lot of power. That's the best description I could come up with. The tip recovery is very good and you can cast the rod at different angles, with no detriment to the cast.
I can't actually see the rod bend at the handle when casting, but you can feel extra power coming in somewhere. I tried it with the 16g compact line, which was good, but possibly not the best line for it. I'm going to try a few more tapers, to see what works best. It just feels nice to cast. I like the matt finish and the build quality is very good. The designers definitely thought out of the box with the design. Playing a fish, you get a good bend in the rod and I reckon that would protect lighter tippets.
All in all, i'm pleased with it and it has a pleasant feel when you're casting and handling it.
Fab review Andy, awesome kit!!
Thanks Charl, much appreciated!
What’s the weight in ounces of the 9feet #5? Thanks 🙏
Wow I can't believe all the negativity in the comments below. Andy I thought you did a good job with the review and it was great to see something a little different. I'm a product designer myself so I can appreciate what they were trying to achieve. I applaud innovation and your willingness to give something a little unconventional a go. Who knows, maybe 20 years from now all fly rods will look like this (or an evolution of the idea).
Well I guess everybody is allowed their opinion, and this is why the aesthetic of fly rods hasn't changed in 40 years. I'd be frustrated if I was a rod designer as it appears to be an industry resistant to change!
Love the flex on that rod. As a river fisher that uses a 1wt full flex rod most of the time and who’s been fishing some still water lately on a mid flex Orvis 5wt, I watch most stillwater anglers using 7wt or more rods that bend about a foot at the tip, they have the subtlety of a line prop, and when hauling a fish in look like it’s on the end of a scaffold tube. I love a rod that flexes all the way to cast and even more to play a fish. Just bought a £55 Shakespeare 10ft 5 wt Agility 2, for exactly the reason of issues with hand, wrist and shoulder and it has a great flex profile let down only by the size of the handle, but a lovely rod to cast and play big fish. Love the large grippy and non round handle on that rod but couldn’t justify the cost.
What really annoys me is the confusion between a fast rod and a stiff rod. A stiff rod is horrible to fish with, you can have a fast soft rod, the so-called speed is show the rod recovers not the stiffness. Good rods flex all the way down but have fast tips that recover rapidly, such a rod has the backbone to cast but is a delight to fish with.
I have tryed these rods out at å demo at my local shop in Norway, and they are good rods. Could not feel that mutch of a diffrence, but they are quality rods.
As a seatrout fisher, i was actually more impressed by they'r short head lines made for windy weather on the coast. Nice shooting, and more of an aggressive taper. You should test them out for a review if your going for some pike.
Very interesting, we'll see if we can check the lines out, thanks for the heads up!
Here in Scandinavia it has really made its mark - very rare to see a used one on the market. Used a lot for sea trout fly fishing here in DK. Good review. BR Torben, DK
I can see why folks wouldn't part with them, it's a really incredible piece of kit!
Know some of the Norwegian guys on the Artic Silver team - use it a lot for trout and grayling in their splendid rivers.
Hi Andy. How are you?
I really enjoyed your detailed review of this Arctic Silver Zense Fly Rod. It does look like a great rod.
I only came across your IB and Andy Fishing channel last week and have only seen 7 or 8 of your fly fishing and pike fishing videos. I enjoyed them all. Especially your reviews of the Lidl fly fishing kit, the Wish fly reel and the Poundland pike lures.
I haven't had a chance to scroll back through your entire play list to find all the other reviews you've done, so I apologise if I'm asking you to do reviews that you've done already. It would just be great to see you review loads of other fly rods, reels, fly lines and other kit for fly fishing, pike fishing and any other fishing you do.
I'm talking about reviews of all the different price ranges, from low budget through to top end. Just to give people a good idea what tackle is like before they commit to buying it. Especially for someone like me who is relatively new to fly fishing.
I enjoyed the first video you did on Euro Nymphing and will watch part 2 shortly. When I watched part 1 it reminded me about a RUclips video I saw on Tenkara fly fishing last week. Have you tried doing that? Videos of you doing that and any other fishing techniques would be good too.
Hi Dave, thanks for watching some vlogs and for the comment, we really appreciate!
We've only recently really got in to the reviews, I was previously attached to a brand so couldn't really go out and review lots of kit. We'll review whatever the brands want us to, we're an open book as far as that goes - we've done £17 reels to £600 rods so far - hopefully with plenty more to come!
We do both have jobs etc though, so one review a week is about as much as we can do. Also, as with this review, I want us to really get to know a product before we put a review out there.
We'll do our best for you!
@@IBandAndyFishing Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I really appreciate it.
I appreciate that you and IB work full time and can only do one review a week. So the timescale for reviews I suggested is up to you.
Like I said, I'm pretty new to fly fishing, although I did it for a while when I was a teenager in Newcastle. I've never had any proper tuition, apart from a free half hour session with an Orvis instructor in Ludlow 2 years ago. I will at some point have more lessons but in the meantime I'm looking for a software engineering job and having occasional breaks to watch fishing videos on RUclips.
Have fun doing more videos.
Let's build a cushion of air around the blank, so you can feel more 😉 there's very little epoxy under the cork on a normal handle, and they bend just fine all the way down. Love the reelseat!
You really think under the same force you'll get the same flex from the bottom 12" of a cork rod as you will from this? Interesting....🤔
It's a lovely video Lasse, I'm not sure what it has to do with the difference in flex rates between cork and what AS made?
I do like the reel seat , how much effort did it take to move the spring back? , handle?, sorry I enjoy the look of a quality hardwood spacer, a nicely turned cork handle and a gunmetal reel seat, blank looks interesting put it in a normal handle and re-test. I suffer a bit with arthritis in my fingers a testimony to 22 years warehouse work, if it gets uncomfortable I just get out, take five and appreciate my surroundings. Price, now I have bought expensive rods, middle price rods and now I get the Maxcatch stuff for pennies, just as good as any of the midrange stuff IMO. Still if you have spare cash, then certainly give it a whirl, but you probably won't see many on UK waters.
Love the spring loaded system for the reel awsome idea!
I used to have an old glass fly rod that bent through the cork handle, but it was a horror to cast. Spring loaded reel seats have been around for years, used to be popular on baitcasting rods. Not as well engineered mind you. The handle looks a lot thicker than most modern handles, which to me is a good thing as a lot have got far to thin and not just on fly rods. The sort of square cross section of the handle does make sense as that sort of shape is easier to grip than something round. There was an attempt in the past to promote triangular handles and I remember them been quite nice to hold .
Yeah I feel you on the old glass rods, they sure weren't designed to flex there 🙈😂
Good call on the spring loaded seats too, though I must admit I've not seen one in a while, where did they go?!
I didn't see the triangular handles, I've seen a few attempts to form composite cork in the past and often they were shaped like the arctic silver.
Thank you for the constructive comment too!
@@IBandAndyFishing As I said the spring loaded reel seats were not well engineered, often using plastic which wore and the springs weren't very rust proof.
Just had a quick natty with my Nordic friend Who confirmed that I had seen one in use, by his friend, a double hander though. Apparently they're very highly rated in that area of the world.
Pretty sure loop brought a generation out with hexagonal composite grips but it was phased out and back to normal shaped full wells on the next gen models
@@mscustomlures They did. Never got to try one though. TBH I think most rod handles on fly rods are not quite right. Too thin, too short, not quite the right profile, etc., but we adapt to them quite quickly.
Just bought the sage sonic that rod looks every bit as good would like to try a through with one will definitely look into it cheers Andy
I really like the look of that and it seems to have some real innovation designed to improve the feel and function.
Good stuff and if I hadn't have already spent a king's ransom on fishing gear I'd buy one for sure.
An interesting product, for sure. I take your points on how it may benefit those with dexterity issues. Other than that, I don't think I'm sold...
I'd like to try one, I think, to see what difference that handle really makes. I'm generally using modern glass for a lot of my fishing, these blanks are pretty parabolic and flex right into the grip.The handle concept feels a bit more like a means to introduce the spring loaded reel seat as opposed to being of any great benefit to the action of the rod. I don't know how much you know about rod building but you may be surprised at how little there is in terms of epoxy/glue in the handle. The blank will remain flexible through the handle on a conventional rod.
Obviously, having never cast one, I'm limited in my take-away, just as you are for having not cast that blank with a 'standard' handle on it. It's always good to see the latest innovations and experiments for the development of the sport - not sure this one hits the mark but time will tell!
Interesting video, though - plenty of discussion points and food for thought. Keep them coming.
Great review Andy. What lines did you try on it?
Thanks bud! I used a Rio perception in touch floater 5, a scierra aerial floater 5, an arctic silver ghost intermediate 5 and a very old sinker which I think might be a 6 but to be honest I'm not sure!
Loving the reel seat, seems like a genuine innovation to me which is rare in the fishing trade! I know that 6061 Aluminium is fairly light (my push bike is made from it...) but I wonder if it's as light as a regular rod? Just thinking of how it balances in the hand. Haha! Just as I posted this you demonstrated the balance...
Like it Andy, it’s a bit like when Chris Boardman started to win races on a wierd looking carbon bike, now they are the norm. We need to move away from cork as it’s unsustainable. One question for IB, the size of the handle looks much larger than a traditional cork one, how did you find it with smaller hands? Could you grip it as well as a thinner cork handle?
Hey Terry, I actually thought it's a lot easier to hold than a normal rod. It's really effortless, if I could afford it, would definitely get one 🤣
Cork, unsustainable ? It grows on trees ! 😉
@@davidhubble7527 😊 you’ll be planting one for your next rod then it only takes 25 years plus some processing
😂😂😂
Nice review Andy, good to explore innovative kit. I have no objection to the look of the blank or handle and would definitely opt for something other than cork if available in my budget. I would be concerned about grit in the reel clip with it so highly engineered, grit in a thread is usually simple to clean.
Keep up the great work with reviews, I'm looking forward to some budget rod reviews when you get time.
Best wishes to you and IB
Interesting looking handle.
Has IB tried it out? If so what does she think.
Tight lines
I'm pretty sure there was footage of her fishing with it in there? I'll ask get to comment on here 👍
I really liked it Nic, the line was flying out which in fairness I have been really struggling with especially when casting into the wind as I'm not the greatest caster! One other thing I will say, it's very comfortable for smaller hands, some of the bigger rods tend to feel way too big & heavy for me, with this one, a whole different story.
Most impressive thing for me was me and Andy did a silly game in the house as soon as we unpacked it, one held the rod as you would normally with eyes closed, and the other would do the slightest touches on the tip, and I mean touches, they weren't taps, they were literally just brushing with fingertips, and we both shouted out that it's a tap. It's unbelievable sensitive, you literally feel everything, would love something like that lighter and longer for as a nymphing rod, would be total game changer
Ib x
@@IBandAndyFishing thanks for your reply. Might have to consider it for the future
I realy love the design!
Abu used the same reel seat design on their rods over 30 years ago.
They should have use carbon frame guide system as like Daiwa AGS guide and carbon yarn as guide thread wrapping to push the lightness even further to match the technology already embedded into the rod.... NICE rod...!!!
Interesting Andy! My concern is around the 'feel' of the rod when casting or playing a fish. With traditional handles the cork is in direct contact with the blank and transmits any movement through to the hand. With this handle the flex is happening at the reel seat, behind my hand, so how can this give better 'feel'? I guess I'll just have to try one out..
I think you really ought to, in mi opinion I think you get more feel during fish playing as the blank flexes more deeply. It's hard to describe, feel is so subjective!
Can appreciate a rod aint about looks but its capability in the right hands but i just couldnt use the rod with the handle looking like that.... thanks for the review. Love the vids guys. Have helped the sanity throughout lockdown. Hopefully will get to see you fish somewhere in ireland when it is finally safe to travel.
Thanks Carl! Yeah I see where folks are coming from, for me it's just a tool to use so it doesn't really bother me. Totally understand that some folks prefer the traditional look though!
Seems like a gimmick to me, I can't see how having the handle inside a piece of plastic would make any difference. It's not like you hold a cork handle bonded to your hand, your hand flexes just like the plastic handle would. Did you get it free? If you did you should say so!
I possibly haven't explained it properly then, it isn't the handle which flexes, it's the rod blank inside that handle which would otherwise be covered in cork, epoxy, and often tape. This blank is more free to flex further down than an ordinary rod 👍
I'd love to see some actually analysis on the dampening effects of a cork handle, vs. that handle. I suspect negligible, trouble with reviews, if it was 'donated' free there is a pressure to put in a good review? Not sure. In my opinion, the concept will disappear, its frankly laughable and will separate a few fools from their money. Some (not saying this one) reviews are naive at best and possibly disingenuous.
We don't keep any of the kit we review Michael, so no need to worry about 'donations' 👍
In terms of the handle, all I can say is that I felt like there was more flex lower down a rod blank than I've felt with a conventional handled rod. Did you not feel any difference between the free-flex and an ordinary handle?
An interesting looking rod. 'Tackle tarts' sounds just like the 'weight weenies(cycling)' of the fly fishing world.
Makes a lot of sense, pity they are a bit expensive
Definitely a premium product, but still cheaper than top end Orvis, sage, loop etc!
@@IBandAndyFishing agreed, let's hope it catches on because it's not just the top end buyers that suffer from tenden issues and arthritis
Yet another great review Andy but out of my price range I'm afraid. shame a real great looking piece of kit. I would be afraid of grit getting into the real seat mechanism though.
2 things that strike about theses, is, what if grit and small stones get down between the rod and handle. This would act like sand paper on the rod itself. This would also be a problem with the reel catch, seeing you move this to put the reel in place, if grit gets in there where it is covered by the catch. Just my opinion!!!
You can remove the reel by just pushing the reel in. You don't have to press that locker. The same with removing just move the reel till the end of rod and it will pop out.
Love your videos but can I say say no where can I spend that money on a fishing rod do you agree with me it is not all about the rod or tackle it is the way you fish sorry I'm just an old time Guy my that loves old-time fishing with my budget I think it is more about out doing the job right your videos really appeal to me because I used to go fishing with my ex and she used to give me lots of luck especially fishing fly why is it something to do with the hormones in the water when my good lady used to use to catch lots of fish with good anglers at the side of those asking what are we doing one of them said it is because you have got you in the water and then I think he said thermals sorry if I am wrong but it definitely worked that day the guys could not believe how many fish we were pulling in respect to you wish you both a Happy Christmas👍
I think it's great that there's innovative and quality tackle to suit all attitudes and budgets Andrew, and that we can all enjoy fishing and the kit at whatever cost we choose 👍
Im like you. Andrew I doubt i spent £600 on all my gear. And i have lure rods float rods ledger rods and even carp rods. Most stuff is designed to catch fishermen not fish 😉
@ib an andy ... with the majority of fly men all tweed clad ex majors ... do you think they will part with their Hardy rods? I bet a fair few still haven’t moved on to fibreglass 😋
I get your point about tweed clad majors, but as stillwater fishing is by far the most popular form of fly fishing these days it might not be true any more!
Also agree that the aesthetic of this rod will be a hard sell to many in the UK, we're often the last to catch up with innovation. The nation which invented Spey casting and we had to be shown Skagit/Scandi styles.... needless to say the tweed brigade took notice in the end!
@@IBandAndyFishing tbf it was a tongue in cheek comment. It never amazes me what people spend on tackle ... that said i have two other hobbies ... photography - there a few quid in my camera bag as you can imagine., and amateur radio not cheap either so I understand
@@IBandAndyFishing Where is the innovation? I'd love to see some quantitative analysis on the impact, something I could review, if it has some huge positive re: dampening or action, then I'd say its innovative. At the moment thought, its pig ugly marketing. The comment "last to catch up with innovation" I find something of a stretch ..... as if we're missing some magical property of the rod .. you bought or were given ?
Enjoy your videos; keep them coming! There is an enjoyable aesthetic about a nice fly rod but, I'm sorry, this might be a great rod to use but this is the Gemma Collins of fly fishing rods. Not funky and not for me.
bedste fluestang jeg nogen sinde har ejet.
The fish don’t know what rod you are using and how much you paid for it,
However your review makes it sound like a great bit of kit 👌 especially for the grip after a day on the water .
Out of my budget but pass it on 😂
Tight lines 🎣
Great review Andy.Sorry, i just cant get excited about that handle though.lol .Probably because im an old fart but give me cork anyday.Just being honest.
Totally respect your honesty! For me a rod is really just a tool to cast with, but I understand it's different for different folks!
You need to take my 5'7 0wt glass out if you want to feel some real handle flex Andy 😁
Lovely, well made video; but ... ah ...lol ... something to add to the { Tenkara, Trout Spey ,...} set of BS ... that handle .... just looks so cheap and tacky. I get the aesthetics are personal, but thanks, I hate it. Not for me. I can imagine lots of people will hate it. In terms of action, Gary Marshall as my dry fly, SLT9ft 5 wt & Marryat 10ft 3 weight for Spiders - and I've not bought a new rod in about 10 years, very much doubt it will cast as good as any of those I have, I'd try - but never buy that with a cheap looking handle.
If someone is having physical pain casting fly rod - either they should invest in some lessons and/or just use a medium-ish action rod and slow down. I can fish all day with a Sage SLT and never feel a thing.
More expensive tackle to catch more anglers than fish.
There's great tackle out there for all budgets George! These are all cheaper than top end hardy, sage, loop, Loomis, Scott, Winston etc....
It's pride of ownership. Branding in the tackle industry is the same as fashion and cars etc. There will always be aspirational brands.
i'll grab a beer then.
Cheers 🍻
IB
I saw and cast one of “ Arctic Silver” earlier models some years ago at a fishing show, might have been BFFI or the Burton on Trent show. That rod was made up with a different blank than the model that you have just been testing, but the philosophy behind the design was the same, and my immediate reaction was that it was ugly and inelegant, and on my brief time casting it offered nothing memorable at all, in fact until this review I’d forgotten all about these rods. I’m sure that the more modern blank has improved on those first rods but I’m sorry Andy to my eyes they are still ugly, eye of the beholder and all that I suppose, certainly nothing that would tempt me to part with hard cash but a nice review as usual. Regards Tony.
Looks like an expensive gimmick to me. If you want a rod which flexes through the butt, just get one with the appropriate taper.
I've had a Daiwa 9' 4-6wt that certainly flexed though the handle, the line weights give a clue and my present Anglers Roost 11' 2-3 wt is the same.
Would expect that handle on a spin rod or bait caster - highly doubt fly fishing crowd will embrace it in any significant numbers. Put that against how we are seeing the rise of retro click-only drag fly reels in the last year or two after decades of increasingly powerful disc drag designs. And frankly it looks ugly!
The handle looks uncomfortably big.
I don’t see the point of a fast action rod that flexes more in the handle than further up the blank? The blank itself doesn’t look to load very well either?
Many Fast glass rod builders have been offering split cork chive handles for years that flex right through the handle.
If you want this effect try a fast S glass or E glass rod, they will be aesthetically much more pleasing, far stronger and more adept at casting and playing fish with. You can commission a custom glass rod for a lot less cash.
Great review but a massive thumbs down sorry.
It doesn't flex more in the handle than further up the blank, like you say that would be totally pointless!
Pure marketing blah blah. An evolutionary dead end in fly fishing, just like rods with build in flyreels. They come and go.
Thanks for commenting! Which model did you try Robert?
@@IBandAndyFishing I have owned and fished the Zense 9 feet for a 8 weight line. Fished it a lot for Bass in the Northsea. They are just Korean or China made rods with a hyped handle and reelseat. Nothing special here.
Aren't the vast majority of fly rod blanks on the planet Chinese or Korean? Nothing wrong with innovation in my eyes. What did you think of the handle material? Given the increasing cost and scarcity of cork, we're probably going to have to find an alternative at some point - I thought this was really nice?
@@IBandAndyFishing There is nothing wrong with real innovations. This is just reinventing the wheel. IMHO there is nothing better than a good handmade traditional florgrade cork on a flyrod. Yess, good quality cork increases in price but there is still topnotch cork available on the market. And mostly those synthetic grips are used to cut the cost of producing a rod. Nothing new here.
I can see we'll have to agree to disagree on this one then Robert, I've certainly not seen a rod like these before! Many thanks for the view and feedback 👍
Did not like that reply why I have unsubscribe wish you the best of luck
Thanks Andrew, appreciate the comment!👍
Cork unsustainable ? It grows on trees ! 😉
That's fine as long as you've got a consistent supplier, the cork industry is in huge decline at the moment, it's a huge issue for the whole fishing industry 👍
ugly ugly rod, would'nt take one for free! gimme good old cork everyday
Nope traditional rod for me! Not a fan at al
Sounds like a bamboo copycat
What a crap of fly rod 🤦🏽
it might be super duper rod , but honestly it looks like a cheap toy...