cortland 444 lazerline tropic plus ghost tip

[john]

I took this line to Belize last month on an 8wt. As advertised, it was easy to pick up and did seem to be a good choice on wary fish. My question about it though is that the 9' clear tip didn't seem to stand the heat very well, and had a tendency to kinda "flop-over" on the cast. Any one have any experience here? Rather than complain(I like the taper and the line) I'm wondering if this line needs a shorter/longer/stiffer/or more supple leaderbutt.

[Darian]

John,..... Not enough of an expert to answer your question and in view of the fact there're no responses to your question, I would advise calling or E-mailing Cortland to see wehat their ideas on this are..... :idea:

You might try posting this question on Dan Blanton's BB, also. 8)

Sorry I can't be of help here..... :? :?

[john]

Cortland did respond to my question. They criticized my use of mason as leader mat'l, suggesting it's only appropriate for bite tippets. Then said use a more flexible mat'l. Not particularly helpful.

[john]

Cortland did respond to my question. They criticized my use of mason as leader mat'l, suggesting it's only appropriate for bite tippets. Then said use a more flexible mat'l. Not particularly helpful.

[Darian]

Hi John,..... Sounds like you're committed to using Mason for the leader butt material..... 8) 8)

This is strictly speculation, but maybe they (Cortland) based their answer to your question on the relative stiffness of the tip material in your line. If the tip material was less stiff than the Mason Butt, that might cause the line to "Flop" at the end of a cast..... :?: :?: :? Either way, it doesn't sound like the Mason hard material is compatible with the line you're using.... :(

Did you try this question on Blanton's BB, yet :?: :?: If not, try:

www.danblanton.com

There's a bunch of people over there who may have an answer for you. 8) 8)

Good luck :D :D

[Rick J]

Contrary to what some folks think using very stiff butt material is often not advantageous for throwing flies. One might think a stiff material will help turn over larger flies but the stiff material actually causes the loop to open up. Using a softer material will keep the loop tighter and work best in the wind. I expect what Cortand said makes sense - not sure how stiff their line is but if the line tip is a bit softer compared to the leader you would get this opening up of the loop.

[Hairstacker]

Rick, no less an authority than Lefty Kreh agrees with your advice to avoid stiff leader butt material. In his book, "Presenting the Fly" (1999), he states that, "For years we've been told that we should use stiff material in the butt section. I believe this to be totally wrong." He goes on to state, "Common sense should tell you that if a supple fly line unrolls and arrives at the leader, a stiff butt section is going to resist unrolling." He concludes that "You need a flexible butt section, but one heavy enough to let inertia from the line continue to unroll the remainder of the leader: I repeat -- you don't want a butt section that's stiff and unyielding. Instead, you want a butt section that's heavy enough to carry the energy to the end of the cast yet also very flexible, so it will unroll easily." Or, to say it succinctly -- what you said. :D

[john]

Hey Darian: Thanx for making the connection for me, 'cuz now I get it. The clear section is "soft", compared to the Mason. I'm not married to the Mason, just an "always done it that way" habit. Should be fun to experiment with different material.

[john]

Hey Darian: Thanx for making the connection for me, 'cuz now I get it. The clear section is "soft", compared to the Mason. I'm not married to the Mason, just an "always done it that way" habit. Should be fun to experiment with different material.