I would totally be interested at $11. Even if I never made one. I loved the book on building wood rods on a lathe. Is that the $15 rod you were speaking of ? If so, that doesn’t factor in equipment costs. It is still an interesting read and a testament to ingenuity. I would look forward to the cd/pdf.

I will suggest that taper drives much of the casting behavior felt by the angler (not all, most) – and therefore is just as important to note – especially where manufacturers are using the same taper on other lines, or using another vendors taper to copy its performance.

The information is telling – but not the whole story.

You bring up some great points. I intentionally “flawed” my research because with all the acronyms and marketing about Slick or Smooth – we’ll never know whether XS technology (RIO) is slicker than what Cortland uses.

Like “short” “long” and “thin” – we have no standard to measure slick or smooth, so coatings have to be felt or used for anglers to get a feel for their merits.

Only the tapers cannot lie – as the vendor can’t hide the length of his belly, the stairsteps he makes in the taper to thrust weight forward or yank it back.

What compounds all this is the unmentioned portion of how rods are matched to line sizes – and how some use 20 feet cast from the rod, and other companies use 40 feet to line size their tackle.

I don’t think I condemned anyone in the article. Using primarily the same taper on many of their lines suggests a Cortland afficianado will like ALL Cortland lines as they cast similar – that’s an asset of sorts.

I also studiously avoided all sink tip lines, as most have double compound tapers; a larger floating section near the junction of the sinking portion to keep the balance of the line afloat – and a much narrower sinking head that’s a byproduct of sinking lines and tungsten dust versus taper.

I would describe my work as a starting point for additional research, not as an indictment or completed thesis.

So…

Five things about Cortland:

(1) “…the line hasn’t had its taper tuned to match the advertised quarry or conditions, and with so little variance in taper the real difference is what you pay.”

You left off the Precision Pike line which has a super aggressive front taper, I think the shortest in the industry, and for throwing really heavy or air resistant flies, it’s the size of the front taper that really matters (according to at least some people). All the Species Specific lines have a different taper that is “tuned” to a certain species and the flies you use to catch it. So saying that they are not is false.

(2) “The chart speaks volumes, and suggests you’d be best served looking at price.”

The Precision lines are twice as expensive as the 333 lines because they are going to last longer, be slick longer, less cracking etc. That’s the most important difference. So saying that “price” is the only difference and you should buy the less expensive one is a little irresponsible.

Though more importantly, and relevant to your focus on tapers, the 333 lines do not have the same taper as the Precision lines. The 333 do not have the rocket taper, rather, they have a standard weight forward head, short back taper and longer belly. The Precision lines have the “rocket taper” which is a long rear taper and short belly. This is clearly shown in the chart you made, and Cortland also has some nice graphics of the line tapers on their site where it is even more obvious. What’s interesting about this is that it exactly tracks price, so saying that price is the only difference between the lines is wrong. The taper is different as well, the very thing you’re worried about.

(3) “Fly lines are limited in their physical properties by the AFTMA standard.”

Grain weights are AFTMA-standard on all Cortland lines except the Western Drifter which is 1/2 a line size heavier, e.g. a 6wt Western Drifter is actually a 6.5wt by AFTMA standards. Rio is rarely exactly AFTMA compliant, though perhaps they are in the allowed variation.

“Taper is responsible for the feel of a line in flight…”

The Western Drifter was hefted up to load faster rods better. This is important and while it’s not exactly a difference in taper, it does make a huge difference in how a line feels “in flight.”

(4) Importantly, the Precision sink tip lines have different size sinking heads from the 333 and 444 lines, and the Quick Descent lines all have intermediate running lines, their “clear camo” line. This makes the Precision sink tips quite a bit different from the other sink tips that Cortland makes.

(5) I agree that Cortland’s catalog and internet copy really leaves something to be desired. For example, you wouldn’t realize that the Western Drifters were a 1/2 AFTMA size larger unless you looked at the sample grain weight and compared it to the AFTMA standards. This brings up the whole issue of line weight standards in general, which is totally fucked if you ask me.

For example, grain windows on rods are often for the entire head of a line, while AFTMA standards are for the first 30 feet of the line. So while an AFTMA 8wt is 210gr, you’d want to use that 8wt on a rod calling for, say, a 290gr line. Or if the line has a particularly big head or is bigger than the AFTMA rating, you could get away with a 7wt line on that rod. CONFUSING. This is one good thing about at least Rio: they publish an entire head weight in addition to the AFTMA head weight on their website for at least some of their lines.

But the upside is that there really are important differences between Cortland lines that they could be discussing in their catalog copy. But they aren’t, they are trying to sell you with stupid, slick, ad-type stuff, which, I agree, is bullshit. (also, while the Sylk and Clear Creek have important, functional differences, don’t get me started about the fake spots they put on the Sylk to make it look like an old silk line).

Another good reason why local shops with knowledgeable staff are better than big box shops or online shops is what I say.

It’s enroute as an Open Office Calc file. If anyone else wants the spreadsheet, just drop me a note.

Thanks for the great work!

This is a terrific turn of phrase. I’m going to steal it, and you cannot stop me.