Cortland Ltd ~ A constant in many of our lives as fly anglers since 1915 when their founder Ray Smith decided to leave the clothing industry for a fly fishing one. His first lines were of silk in construction, although now somewhat nostalgic they were, as with others at the time, blue prints for the more modern type lines we see today.
The Cortland company went from strength to strength and grew to be a major player within industry. Of all those designed prior to and since, the Peach 444 really was seen as the most modern of lines, so much so that it set the bench mark for which all were to follow.
If we were to ask a group of anglers to put their hands in the air if they have at any time owned a Peach 444, we reckon there would be a healthy majority, we'd also be sure that if not, all would certainly have been happy to have done so.
So why is it that a fly line can have a place in so many of our hearts? The simple answer is that it was good, really good. The 444 range launched in 1979 when some of the new boys so to speak had just started using tapers and processes in their fly rod manufacturing with a trend towards stiffer, faster actioned rods. The 444 fitted in perfectly with these designs due to a slick coating and taper that made the casts with these new rods fly out to their target with ease.
The thing I remember most about the Peach lines I have owned most is the durability. You could beat the crap out of one and it would still come back for more. Standing on the banks of a lake on wet days and treading all over the line with my boots caked in mud and whatever else, it didn't seem to matter a jot and yet I still got my fly to go where I wanted. Come to think of it having a fly line that didn't crack or coil saves you from needing to change it very often so there in is a great reason for its popularity.
In a throw away society such as this where we just seem to change something for the sake of it, it's pleasing to see that this stalwart of fly lines is still very much available. The 444 was voted fly line of the millenium and as one happy owner writing this I'd say that was just about right.
Please visit the Cortland Website for more details.