Solid Tackle founders promise fly fishing innovations with new brand
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Three Scandinavian entrepreneurs in the fly fishing game made a dream come true during COVID with the birth of Solid Tackle.
Here, Christer Sjöberg – a founder of Loop Tackle in his past career – tells Angling International the reasons behind his new venture with colleagues Tomas Ögren and Steingrimur Einarsson and reveals the tackle innovations from the brand that are in the pipeline.
Why did you feel the need for a new brand? What gap in the market is it filling?
CS: Running fishing destinations, I see people traveling halfway around the world with expensive tackle that just doesn’t work for them. Rods and lines that don’t match, which leaves guests struggling instead of enjoying their time on the water. That’s what sparked the idea: to offer a complete, balanced set-up – rod, reel, and line – that’s easy to choose, easy to use and that simply works. And of course, all our rods are what we call travel size so you don’t need to check a separate rod tube when you travel.
It’s also been over ten years since I left Loop and the wider industry, and honestly, I haven’t seen much real innovation since. Back when I started Loop, pushing boundaries and creating something new was what drove me and I still feel exactly the same way today. With the materials available now, like advanced graphite and graphene, it felt like the right time to get back in and build something truly special.
During COVID, we finally had the time to make it happen. It‘s together with Steingrimur Einarsson (founder of Einarsson fly reels which he sold in order to join Solid Tackle), whose reels I’ve admired and used almost exclusively for years, and Tomas Ögren, who I worked closely with at Loop. Tomas designed many of their most iconic rods and reels like the S1 Cross rods, Opti Reels, Classic Reels, and much more. We formed a team with a huge amount of experience and creativity.
Add David Moore, an innovator and casting instructor from the UK, as well as Rick and Felix from Solid Adventures, and we have a pretty ‘solid’ team. Combining all our knowledge has been incredibly rewarding – and we keep challenging each other every step of the way. After decades in this industry, we’re also fortunate to have the connections and production access that make it possible to move fast and do things properly from the start.
How has the business taken off?
We’re really happy with how things are going so far. Most of our sales have come from guests of Solid Adventures who have had a chance to try the products firsthand at various destinations, but we’re also seeing steady growth through our webshop, shipping directly from our UK warehouse. We never set out to compete with the big brands or chase volume sales through shops. This has always been a passion project. The goal was to create something truly special, built on our combined knowledge, experience and access to all the new tech through our decades of working in the industry. That and our daily access to some of the best testing grounds in the world.
What makes Solid Tackle special?
We’re a small, fast-moving team with complete focus on innovation and on building the best possible products – without compromise. Every component that goes into our rods and reels has been carefully sourced and tested. We don’t cut corners or make cost-driven compromises like larger companies sometimes have to. Everything is built to perform at the highest level. When we say our reels are waterproof we actually mean it and test them in a pressure chamber. But there is so much more that goes into it and I encourage anyone curious to visit our website and read more about all the details.
One innovation I’m particularly proud of and that seems to catch people’s eyes is our Hexa Grip. We actually experimented with a similar idea many years ago at Loop but never quite nailed it. This time, we spent a huge amount of time perfecting it – using a three-layer construction with a special foam core, our own carbon fibre ‘shield’ handle, and an overgrip inspired by tennis grips. The result is incredible. The comfort and control you feel when casting is something else entirely – and I love watching people’s reactions the first time they try it.
What has been the reaction of anglers? How have sales performed?
The response has been fantastic. Anglers who have tried the products have been genuinely impressed by the performance and quality. We spent several years developing and refining everything, testing extensively around the world, mainly at Solid Adventures destinations where our teams of guides and guests helped us push the gear to its limits. Seeing people of varying skills trying the rods firsthand gives you great feedback and direction in what actually works for most people. It took a bit longer than we expected to reach the standard we wanted, but that was always part of the plan. We weren’t going to rush anything. We wanted every detail to be exactly right before releasing it, and that patience is paying off.
What are you looking to achieve with Solid Tackle?
Our goal is simple: to create exceptional products that make fishing more enjoyable and effortless. We want to make it easy for anglers to get perfectly balanced gear – rods, reels and lines that work seamlessly together – and to have that ‘wow’ moment the first time they use them. For us, this is more than just a company. It’s a dream project built on decades of experience, driven by a genuine love for fishing and a desire to leave something lasting behind.
Where do you want to be in a year and in five years’ time?
We’re not setting strict growth targets. Our focus is on building steadily and continuing to develop new, exciting products, and we have plenty in the pipeline, including our line systems, which will be released early next year to complete the rod-reel-line set-up. And in 2026, we’ll launch a series of saltwater rods and reels that we’ve been testing and refining for over three years all over the world. We don’t aim to flood the market or have hundreds of resellers. The goal is to be a premium brand for anglers who truly appreciate premium products – people who care about performance, design and craftsmanship and want the most out of their time on the water.
Main picture from left: Christer Sjöberg, Tomas Ögren and Steingrimur Einarsson.
