Karpen Flyfishing AB

A Swedish manufacturing company in the fly fishing industry. With OEM agreements the company produces fly fishing tackle on demand, based on each customer’s individual requirement and description.

Karpen hold a vast experience within the fly fishing industry and will ensure a methodical and accurate manufacturing process to their customers.

We are looking forward to do business with all dealers of fly fishing tackle aspiring to promote their own brand.

All business will be treated strictly confidential.

Who we are…

In 1979 Tony Karpestam formed Karpens Flugfiske & Fritid together with one of his childhood friends and Karpens Fly Fishing later opened in 1981 on Valhallavagen in Stockholm. The firm acquired the distribution rights for Sage fly rods in the Nordic countries and became sole distributor for the Danielsson original large-arbor fly reels. Karpens was eventually re-named Loop Tackle Design and Tony controlled the administration and finances for nearly thirty years until he sold his share of the company in 2007.

After a few years’ break, Tony decided to re-enter the industry along with Thomas Berggren and Tomas Zimsen. The three formed Karpen Flyfishing International AB and Tony brings his experience, as well as national and international industry connections to the firm, in the capacity of director and senior advisor. 

—

Thomas Berggren is Sweden’s most accredited fly casting instructor (MCI & THCI).  He has been fly fishing since he was a kid and involved in the fly fishing industry within the Loop Tackle Design organization since 1987. In the initial stage of his career with Loop, Thomas worked as a rod builder together with casting guru Göran Andersson and ultimately evolved to a leading role in Loop’s product development of both rods and lines before leaving the company in 2012.

Thomas started his casting instruction career at Göran Andersson’s fly fishing school in 1988 and has since ascended to the highest level of casting instructor accreditation. Thomas completed the EFFA CI exam in August 2007, followed by the FFF CI and FFF THCI in February 2008 and passed his FFF MCI in March 2009.

Parallel to the work within fishing equipment industry, Thomas is the owner and operator of the Lilla Malma Fishery, a very popular and sought-after fishery and fly fishing school in Sweden. The fishery is located just outside of Malmkoping, approximately 100 km south of Stockholm. Thomas lives at the Lilla Malma fishery together with his family in a house 50 meters from his own watershed and the trout operation.

Earlier in his professional life, Thomas ran his own company and also worked in the banking and finance world before deciding to take the step into a full-time career in fly fishing.  No Thomas brings his many years of expertise in rod engineering and development into Karpen together with Tony Karpestam and Tomas Zimsen.

—

Tomas Zimsen moved to Sweden 25 years ago. He has dedicated his life to fishing around the world. Tommi, as he is called by his friends, originates from Iceland, where he still lives every now and then. Apart from fishing in the family´s local salmon river, Tommi also puts together fishing expeditions around Iceland and serves as fishing guide. With his big experience from this field Tommi has now taken the step into the manufacturing of fly fishing tackle where he will be an asset to the product development within Karpen Flyfishing.