Sit a group of ten fly fishers in a room and ask them to name the "best" rod and you'll end up with anywhere from five to fifty different answers. Ask this same group which would be the best fly line to use with that rod and you'll have an exponential increase in the answers. With the explosion of fly fishing in the last twenty years, technology has allowed innovations and a diversity of products undreamt of by previous generations. In the end, however, it still comes down to a rod, a line, and a fly; with many a debate over the necessity and/or attributes of a reel.

Unlike spincast fishing, where the weight of the split shot and lure pulls the monofilament line in the cast, fly fishing depends on the weight of the fly line to cast the fly to its intended target. While a well-made fly line can actually be cast by hand (without a rod - a favorite "trick" of many casting instructors - a "trick" used to make the above point), it requires a rod of varying lengths to effectively cast the fly line (and, by default, the fishing fly) any real distance. The taper design and the materials used in construction impart the casting and fish playing characteristics to the fly rod.

Today, consumers of fly rods are deluged with terms such as: progressive taper, modified progressive taper, reserve power taper, slow/medium/medium-fast/fast/very fast action, IM6 graphite, IMX graphite, GLX graphite, high-modulus graphite, medium-high-modulus graphite, HM45 graphite, SCII graphite, 57-million modulus graphite, 57 Msi modulus graphite, boron/graphite composite, S-glass, E-glass, and, oh yeah, let's not forget bamboo. Each taper/action/material combination creates an unique feel and an unique set of attributes. The problem for anglers is in selecting a fly line that matches well with these unique characteristics.

This is precisely why there now exists dozens of different fly lines from a variety of companies. No longer does "one size fit all" when it comes to a fly line. While a particular rod might cast workably with, say, three or four different lines from as many manufacturers, there is usually one or two which will bring out the best in the rod's unique characteristics - the taper of the fly line, the grain weight, the line diameter, the line coating, and the double taper or weight forward attributes matching well with the rod's material, taper, and desired action. (Note I say "desired" action in that while the material and taper predispose the rod to a predominate category, other factors such as overlining, reel weight, underlining, etc. can actually change a rod's "designed" action; e.g., a "fast" action rod can actually be "slowed" down.)

While there are now a variety of manufacturers, over the years, three companies have been or have become the leaders in fly line technology. Scientific Anglers (http://www.3m.com/us/home_leisure/scianglers/) and Cortland have been around for quite some time; SA has been involved in "modern" fly lines for "around sixty years," while Cortland celebrated its 90th Anniversary a year or so ago. Rio Products International, Inc. (http://www.rioproducts.com/index.asp) is a comparative newcomer to the fly line industry, but has quickly gained a loyal following among many fly fishers. While other companies such as Airflo (http://www.rajeffsports.com/products.html), Royal Wulff Products (http://www.royalwulff.com/legacy.html), and Jim Teeny, Inc. (http://www.jimteeny.com/) offer good to excellent fly lines, they are neither as widely available nor as generally sought after as the three biggies; being largely frequented as "specialty" products.

With that said, if you were to take our original group of ten anglers and ask them - "What about the Cortland 444 Peach?" - you'd be likely to get a response of: "Well, yeah, that's a good line..." OR "Yeah, I've owned that line, but I can't remember why I thought I needed to switch..." OR "Yeah, I still fish that on my..."

Why? The original 444 taper being developed in the mid-1960's, as Cortland points out on their website -

In a 2004 press release: "The Cortland 444 has been voted fly line of the century by British anglers at the recent EMAP millennium angling awards. The EMAP publishes two of the UK's leading magazines, Trout and Salmon and Trout Fisherman. The poll held by the two magazines put the 444 well ahead of any other line..." (see http://www.cortlandline.com/press_release.php)

As part of their company history, Cortland points to the following: "In 2000, the 444 was named "Fly Line of the Millennium..." (see http://www.cortlandline.com/history.php)

What makes this line so special in the minds of many anglers? First, as noted, the design has been around for nearly forty years; it is literally a line many of us "grew up" with in the sport. It was developed in an era of what we now refer to as "classic" rod tapers; largely medium to slow action rods by today's standards. Thus, it is a line that still feeds the niche of anglers who don't feel the need to purchase the latest, greatest, most techno wonderful rod. It works well with bamboo and fiberglass rods - the material de jure when the line itself was invented. It also works well with more moderate action graphite rods such as the Scott Pwrply/G series (not to be confused with the new G2 series introduced by Scott in 2006), Winston IM6/WT rods, older GLoomis IM6 based rods, etc.

[This connection to "classic" or "vintage" rod tapers is precisely why Cortland now has this line placed in their "444 Classic Fly Line" series; which includes the 444 (the subject of this review), 444 Sink Tip, Clear Creek, 444 Classic Sylk [a modern materials answer to the old silk lines of yesteryear], 444 Sinking, and 444 Intermediate. The one under review is the floating line version and is known by the line's distinct, "peach" color. In fact, it is this color which truly identifies this particular line. If you ask an experienced flyfisher about the "peach line" made by Cortland, they usually know exactly what you're talking about. For a catalog listing the 444 Classic series available online (requires pdf capability) go to - http://www.cortlandline.com/catalog/Proshop2006.pdf ]

Another factor is that Cortland has kept the price reasonable. Suggested retail on the 444 is only $46 (which now includes an interactive CD entitled "Fly Fishing With Cortland" that purports to educate the angler on fly line basics). The one product which comes the closest in terms of line taper (it is nearly identical, the largest difference being in the proprietary coatings), intended market niche, and suitability for the "older" rod actions is Rio's "Classic" fly line which also lists at $46 retail. (I currently own more of the Rio Classic lines than the Cortland; mainly due to availability and the olive color. But, I still happily use the 444 on my 6 wt., have recently recommended it to a friend for his new bamboo rod, and will be replacing my worn out 2 wt. line with this one by the end of the current season.)

Juxtapose this to the 'alternatives' that tend to be more readily available and more heavily marketed as usable on "medium" action rods, but more suitable for the plethora of medium-fast/fast action rods pushed by today's rod manufacturers and fly shops: SA Mastery Trout ($60), SA Ultra 4 ($53), Rio Selective Trout ($58), Cortland 444SL [a stiffer line more for 'distance' casting ($48)], Cortland 555 ($60). (Once again, the distinctive peach color is the one you MUST use to help a shop employee readily identify precisely which one you are talking about. It will also tend to create the impression that YOU know what you are talking about.)

With a braided nylon core covered with a smooth coating, the 444 may not be marketed as the "highest" floating line, but it's formula has stood the test of time, with longevity both in terms of years on the market and years of service from an individual line. (My 444 6 wt. Double Taper is now almost 10 years old. It hasn't seen heavy use, but I've noticed no real degeneration from age - no cracks that I can see, it's still reasonably supple, and it still floats. Of course, proper line care - using a line cleaner and good line dressing or hand washing with a small amount of Dawn dishwashing liquid in a bucket of water - will contribute to any line's lifespan.)

When Cortland states that this line is excellent for coldwater situations, they mean that it will not "curl" from the cold as lines intended for the salt or warm water tend to do due to their design. This allows for a suppleness in casting, presentation, and line mending that is an absolute must for "spring creek" style trout fishing.

The 444 Classic is available in both a weight-forward (WF) and double taper (DT) configuration. Simply put, weight-forward means that the line's taper is designed so that one end (usually about the first 40', known as the "head") has enough weight to pull the thinner diameter "running line" more easily in the cast. The 444 Classic's WF version is referred to as their "Rocket Taper." While you can find the line specifications for both the WF and DT lines here - http://www.cortlandline.com/technical/444_specs.html - I'll use the 5 weight for simplicity's sake.

The 444 Classic 5 WF Rocket Taper weighs 140 grains in the first 30 feet of fly line and has a 6" tip, an 8' front taper, a 20' body, a 4' back taper, followed by 57 1/2' of running line. This means that almost the entire front taper of 140 grains is used to pull the narrower running line during the cast.

Compare this to the 444 Classic 5 DT. The DT weighs the same 140 grains in the first 30 feet of line. The tip is 6" and the front taper is 8'. However, this is followed by 73 feet of fly line body, then 8' of back taper, finishing with 6" of tip. Simply put, the same 140 grains is pulling much more line than in the WF.

Which is better? It depends on your needs. If budget is a consideration, then the DT is literally two lines in one. When one end wears out, you can reverse the line on the reel and have a brand new end to play with (most trout are caught with less than half the total 90 feet of fly line on the 444 WF/DT cast). Some will argue that the WF design is better for distance casting. This is true, but only to a point. It is not all in the WF designation, but in the design of the taper/body of the line itself. Also, in my experience, the WF design is good for casting to a specific range; i.e., about 40'-60'. (If you consistently want MORE distance, then I strongly suggest a shooting head fly line; which is, essentially, a specialized WF design.) While this is considered "normal" trout fishing distances, what if, as often happens, you need to cast shorter? Again, line taper will have much to do with it, but since the WF and the DT weigh exactly the same for the first 30' of fly line, there will have to be a significant difference in the taper to make a significant difference in the cast at that distance (see lines such as Rio's WindCutter, Rio's RIO Grand, and SA's GPX).

Thus, if the majority of your casting is within 20' - 50', which happens to be where the vast majority of TROUT fishing occurs, my personal opinion is that the economic benefits of a DT outweigh the marginal benefits of the WF design. Though you'll find many who disagree, there are just as many who will concur. Frankly, the decision between DT and WF stems more from personal style and the specific rod.

Why all this emphasis on trout fishing? Simply put, personal prejudice. Although the 444 Classic is available in WF Rocket Taper 3 wt. - 9 wt., and DT 2 wt. - 9 wt., I don't view this as a line for bass, wipers, stripers, salmon, or steelhead. It CAN be used for them in the 7 wt. - 9 wt. incarnations and HAS been used so with great success (particularly salmon and steelhead). But, once you start stalking these species with any regularity, you'll begin to want a more specialized fly line that handles the larger flies, heavy winds, etc. more associated with the hunt for these fish.

In recent years, Cortland's introduction of more "advanced" (can we say "techno") fly lines intended to address the needs of modern, faster action fly rods, has created some PR problems due to failure of these products to meet expectations. (The initial offerings of the 444 Lazerline had a coating that would crack and peel in a very short time frame and the first offerings of the 555 created howls of indignation when the floating version tended to sink.) This has made Cortland lines less readily obtainable in the catalogs than they once were. (SA is usually the BIG dog in the hunt now; with Rio filling in as the "alternative.") However, the problems have been with the NEW lines (problems that have, to some degree, been resolved), not their older products such as the 444 and 444SL. This is why if you walk into a shop that emphasizes SA and Rio, you will often still find a section of shelf space set aside for the Cortland 444 Classic (peach).

Despite some of their recent problems, for those of us with older rods and/or a taste for the more classic fly rod action that many feel epitomizes all that was best about flyfishing for trout - the Cortland 444 Classic adds a piquancy of both nostalgia and effectiveness to the flavor of our experience. As they once said: "It's a peach."

Recommended: Yes