Making a Great Line Better!

Posted by keens on August 11, 2009 under Game Fishing, Tackle Reviews | Be the First to Comment

Reviewed by Gary (Keen’s Tackle)

For all the 15 years I have worked at Keen’s Tackle and Guns, originally as a saturday boy, the Cortland 444 has remained a best seller. It offered a perfect balance between punching power, presentation and being supple. It is a compliment to the original 444 that in all that time it never changed. However, technology moves on and Cortland have produced a line that I believe performs better!

New to its range is the XP or Extra Precision line. Not too dissimilar to the original it still retains a silky texture and its infamous peach colour. But this time around it offers greater presentaion when turning lighter flies onto the surface.

I never used my original 444 as much as I had liked, but thats just it. I may go 4 -6 months at a time without a fishing session, yet when the line is cast it flies out as though it was used the day before. It has lasted more than ten years and is still going strong, which is probably why the core traits have remained in the XP.

The main difference is that American lines are heavy! I mean an American 8 weight is close to a British 9 weight AFTM. Obviously this is what gives the 444 its shooting power, so they had to balance weight and length to retain that and they have. By slightly extending the belly of the line and adding to the length of the front presentation taper Cortland produced a line that would shoot and turn a perfect line lay every time. The real beauty of this is that it does not rely at all on the weight of the fly meaning you get great presentation with the smallest of dry flies.

Sometimes the old ones are the best, but Cortland really have excelled here!

Shop Item ID 44XPWF0