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Cortland 444 Sylk Fly Line

Reviewed by Chris Obuchowski

Cortland 444 Classic Sylk fly line. $52 retail. Available at many fly shops

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fish exclusively with bamboo rods for trout. Thus I always keep my eyes open for fly lines that will allow a cane rod to perform at its best. So when I was asked if I was interested in "test-driving" the new 444 Sylk fly lines from Cortland, I jumped at the opportunity.

A Color from History . . . or Dirty Diapers

My first impression of the line was "Hmm, interesting color choice. Raw umber, mustardy brownish yellow; looks kinda like something my baby daughter Madeline made in her diaper." Unless you grew up with enameled silk lines (real silk, in the age before nylon, PVC, and urethane) you've probably never seen this tint on a fly line. But it really is the color of the old enameled silk lines, and whether you like the color or not, Cortland hit the mark they were shooting for . . . authenticity. Another authentic characteristic is the fine diameter of the line, which is skinnier than the PVC and urethane lines currently on the market. Also, the line is very supple. These two characteristics--fine diameter and suppleness--allow the line to work well with bamboo rods of both modern and classic tapers.

The line seems to be right on the money regarding AFTMA line weight, neither heavy nor light.

Going for Test Drive

Two friends and I took the line into the yard and put it through its paces. We cast it long and short, without and with a double haul, on half a dozen or so different cane rods of varying lengths and actions (dry-fly action rods to classic Paul Young parabolics). The line performed quite well with all the rods (or should I say, the rods performed quite well with the line?). The thin diameter really let the line cut through the air, and even as supple as it is the line shoots very well.

We also tried it out on a few vintage fiberglass rods, and--I shudder to admit--graphite. The line did very nicely with the whole lot. The thinner diameter is an even greater plus if you are using one of the "vintage" cane rod with the smaller guides that were in vogue from the early 1900s through the 1960s.

The Real World

The next test was two weeks in the Merrit/Kamloops area of Brittish Columbia, where the 444 Sylk line remained true to form. Strong winds or dead calm, short delicate presentations or sixty and seventy foot Hail-Mary casts, tiny early season midge dries, and big bushy emerging damselfly patterns all were handled with ease. Actually, this line performed better than some others in the wind, likely due to the smaller diameter.

After twenty or so days of fishing, the line started to get a little sticky and have trouble shooting. However, a quick cleaning with Cortland line dressing and the Sylk was good as new.

Now, after probably more than forty days of fishing, the line still casts like new, with no evidence of cracking.

Conclusions

I have heard complaints from other cane fanatics that they've had problems with the tip of the line sinking, but that has not been my experience. There are two ways to prevent tip sink with any floating line: apply a small drop of superglue, aquaseal, or pliobond to the tip of the line once you've snipped it off after nail-knotting on the leader, so that the braided core doesn't wick up moisture; or choose a slightly thinner diameter leader butt if you're using nylon leaders, since the nylon itself absorbs water while fishing and will sink the line tip.

Overall, I have to say that I really like the Cortland 444 Sylk fly line for use with bamboo rods, and will continue using this line for a long time.

Bottom Line: Good line in general, but especially well suited to cane rods. Reviewer Rating: 4

Chris Obuchowski, known as Dr. Cane on the Westfly Board, is a well-known bamboo rod builder living in the Portland, Oregon, area.

Uploaded 11/18/2006.

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Cortland 444 Classic Sylk