# Cortland Liquid Crystal Reviews



## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

I am thinking about using an all clear floater on my 6, 8, and 10 wt rods. Anyone have any reviews on the Cortland Liquid Crystal line? I currently use Wulff BTT which I love. The Cortland has a grain weight lighter than the Wulff (160 vs. 200) in the 6 wt. My 6 wt rod needs a line with a longer head on it and my BTT has a 30' head on it. The Cortland head seems to be longer (47'). Fish are getting spookier ever year....I'll take the advantage I can get.


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## Jfack (Nov 2, 2014)

I have the liquid crystal guide and it has horrible memory. Casts nicely though. Went back to wulff. 

What 6wt? Just ordered the icon 2 per your recommendation. Was going to put wulff regular triangle taper on it


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

I have the Icon 2. Love it and love it with that line. Just looking for a clear line.


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## Jfack (Nov 2, 2014)

Shadowcast said:


> I have the Icon 2. Love it and love it with that line. Just looking for a clear line.


Maybe the clear will be different. Worth a try. My experience has been insane memory but like I said it casts very nicely. Maybe in dead heat it'll be better. Haven't had it out lately


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

The new Crystal packaging with the spool in a tin can is cool. Haven't needed to put the 12 wt I recently bought on a reel yet.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Been using it for a few years now 60/40 along with wulff btt and a few sa tarpon lines. In large part the liquid crystal is my go to line on my rods that get the most use. I absolutely love it. I don't experience the memory issues others have mentioned unless it's really cold out. Otherwise my experience has been little to no memory at all, shoots a mile and performs well in a variety of conditions and situations.

The clear version taper is the same as their blue lq line, either flats taper or tarpon taper. I find the flats taper to be an amazing line for longer cast and softer presentation. The teal green line is their guide taper and is a little shorter taper 1/2 grain heavy. I use the guide taper more than the flats / tarpon tapers as it loads faster rods a bit quicker.


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## 994 (Apr 14, 2008)

Memory with LCGuide was terrible for me. Switched to regular flats taper and it's OK. Still much more memory than my BTT though. 

If you know what line you like and what grain you need for that particular rod, then choose your line based on that.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

I just got the 8wt lq and fished it this weekend without a single memory issue. Must be specific to certain production lots. Cortland is a small company and pretty good about resolving customer issues. Worst case just call them.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Jon, do you ever get over here to the south side of the Bay? If so, if you want to, you can PM me and then drop by the house. I have a brand new, still in the box, 6wt Cortland Liquid Crystal Clear Flats Taper (not the Guide). We can string it up and you can try it out to see if you like it or not. Bring the BTT so I can compare the 2 lines side by side.

Ted Haas


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

I will say it had more memory in the running line than some other lines. Not unbearable but you do need to stretch daily or maybe a couple times a day. I actually think the memory is getting worse than when it was new.

Also seems to need cleaning more than let's say my SA redfish line or rio lines.

I do like the taper and Stealth.


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## FSUDrew99 (Feb 3, 2015)

MariettaMike said:


> The new Crystal packaging with the spool in a tin can is cool. Haven't needed to put the 12 wt I recently bought on a reel yet.


Same here.. Cortland memory sucks.... I'll be swapping to Wulff next.


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## Jfack (Nov 2, 2014)

Wulff line vs cortland guide. Both 9wt. Most recently stretched was cortland about a week ago other than that both have been on the reel. No stretching done before this pic, straight pulled off the reel. pic taken a min ago here in Bradenton and it's warm out. Here's the thing to, stretch through the cortland 3 times before going out, take a boat ride to your spot, and it'll be just as bad again


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Jfack said:


> Wulff line vs cortland guide. Both 9wt. Most recently stretched was cortland about a week ago other than that both have been on the reel. No stretching done before this pic, straight pulled off the reel. pic taken a min ago here in Bradenton and it's warm out. Here's the thing to, stretch through the cortland 3 times before going out, take a boat ride to your spot, and it'll be just as bad again
> View attachment 10155


Are you going to live with the coils or sell it to the believers?


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## Jfack (Nov 2, 2014)

sjrobin said:


> Are you going to live with the coils or sell it to the believers?


It is getting sold tomorrow. I wanted to love the line because it casts so great but the tangles were just getting to be too much of a hassle. Don't matter how good you can cast a line if there's a mess of a tangle coming up to the guides. Maybe I just got a bad batch though.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Yea, I don't go for the bad batch product no matter how good the warranty is.


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## matthewb (Jul 4, 2015)

i have 8wt lq guide i find its sticky in my guides anyone else having that problem


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Jfack said:


> Wulff line vs cortland guide. Both 9wt. Most recently stretched was cortland about a week ago other than that both have been on the reel. No stretching done before this pic, straight pulled off the reel. pic taken a min ago here in Bradenton and it's warm out. Here's the thing to, stretch through the cortland 3 times before going out, take a boat ride to your spot, and it'll be just as bad again
> View attachment 10155


Jason, it may be just the Guide. The regular LC is ok and I don't feel it had any more memory problems than others. The Wulff BTT might have less memory for sure. I know the Airflo Bruce Chard seem to have less memory as well. I've had some SA lines with really bad memory (but not all of them) and other lines with their share of flaws too.

But this particular line (the LC Clear) is a special purpose line, not a general purpose line, tho it can be used for it. Maybe the Sky Blue version behaves a little differently too (maybe even better than the clear, who knows). But I've not compared them. What I have compared the LC to is the Monic Clear floating line and to me, the memory of that line is worse and the coating is not that great (needs lots of dressing constantly).

The special purpose, of course, is clear stealth when needed. For me, it's ideal for spooky bonefish, beach snook, very spooky clear skinny water redfish, night time dock light snookin to edgy fish that seem to get lockjaw if they see a flyline. Also spooky tarpon where you need a high riding fly but you may be lining fish to get to the right fish. Other than that, a standard purpose fly line in whatever flavor you want works fine for everything else. I'm sure the Wulff BTT fits that bill just fine.

If you are new to fly fishing, I'd recommend not fishing clear lines it since it's hard to see your loops and it's important to do so, to be consistent with your casting. Otherwise, you have to rely on "feel" alone if the lighting is not great. Ok for an experience caster, not so great for a novice or even an intermediate caster.

Ted Haas


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

matthewb said:


> i have 8wt lq guide i find its sticky in my guides anyone else having that problem


Yes that's how mine in my 6wt is, I'm going to clean it and go from there.


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## matthewb (Jul 4, 2015)

texasag07 said:


> Yes that's how mine in my 6wt is, I'm going to clean it and go from there.


I bought some kellogg's food grade silicon spray today from a hardware store near me and it made a world of difference. It feels like there is zero drag in my guides when hauling and shooting.


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

Backwater said:


> Jon, do you ever get over here to the south side of the Bay? If so, if you want to, you can PM me and then drop by the house. I have a brand new, still in the box, 6wt Cortland Liquid Crystal Clear Flats Taper (not the Guide). We can string it up and you can try it out to see if you like it or not. Bring the BTT so I can compare the 2 lines side by side.
> 
> Ted Haas


Ted, I will definitely take you up on that. That is the line I am looking at specifically! It has to cast good on my Icon II 6 wt. or forget it. I live on that rod. Where on the South Bay? I fish the Ruskin area a lot.


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## hferrell87 (Jan 28, 2013)

I recently put some liquid crystal clear 8 wt fly line on my hatch and hate it! With the waters being so clear in the lagoon for the past few months, I figured the clear fly line would be money... Well, its not. It's complete butt hole! 
Here are my complaints about the line...
- Memory is similar to a spool of 20 year old mono that's never been unwound. 
- The fly line carries a grit to it that sounds like nails on a chalk board going through my recoil guides. Never slid through the guides cleanly right out of the package...

I've cleaned the fly line thoroughly and it still doesn't want to relax and still has a gritty feel to it when going through the guides. 

Pretty much a waste of $90...


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## hferrell87 (Jan 28, 2013)

matthewb said:


> i have 8wt lq guide i find its sticky in my guides anyone else having that problem


Pretty much one of my main complaints, along with terrible memory. I'm throwing an elite fly set up and it sounds/feels terrible going through the guides. I'm pretty disappointed in this purchase...


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## TheFrequentFlier (Feb 17, 2016)

Jfack said:


> No stretching done before this pic, straight pulled off the reel.


So, I used to do this as well..."stretching line" in order to get the kinks out. Then, when talking to a guide buddy of mine, he was like: "you can tell an amateur who thinks he knows what he's doing when he gets on the bow first thing, and begins pulling out his line and stretching it out. They think they're getting the kinks out of it, but really they're not. In reality, all you're really doing is pulling the line past its naturally elasticity, and actually creating new memory in the line...basically pulling the kinks into the line. It may work temporarily, but over the long term, you're actually damaging your fly line."

I see what he's saying, you might be stretching the line, but if it's kinked and twisted, you're actually not making it better, certainly not in the long term, because you're pulling/stretching the line that still has kinks/twists in it. The only way to truly "straighten out" your line is to drag it behind the boat without a fly on. Thoughts on this?

Maybe once you do that, then I could see maybe "stretching" the line out a bit, but I'd be worried about the long term strain you're putting on the line, especially when you add in the elements, dirt, debris etc, that you're actually pulling into the line and creating microscopic roughness/abrasions.

Probably the ultimate thing to do is if you have a really bad line, is to let it all out behind the skiff at the end of one day, and then when you get home, stretch it out in the back yard...at least now you're not "pulling the kinks/twists" into the line further.

^By no means am I saying this as fact or gospel, but just something I've heard on the "street/water" over the years, and it kind of does make sense to me. Curious what thoughts/experience you all have with this. Believe me, I've been guilty of getting on the bow and stretching out my line as well, but I don't do it anymore. I'll straighten it out generally with a few long casts and that's usually enough unless it's sat on the spool for weeks and weeks, in which case, that's when I'll drag it all behind the boat.

That brings up a good question: do you guys store your lines wound on your reels/spools? If not, what method do you use for storage?

Care to weigh in on this Ted Haas? @Backwater


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## bananabob (Jun 3, 2015)

Anyone use Monic clear lines. I've been using them for a while now and very few problems. Their newer Covert Clear is an all weather line making it less sensitive to air and water temps.


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## Jfack (Nov 2, 2014)

tgjohnso said:


> So, I used to do this as well..."stretching line" in order to get the kinks out. Then, when talking to a guide buddy of mine, he was like: "you can tell an amateur who thinks he knows what he's doing when he gets on the bow first thing, and begins pulling out his line and stretching it out. They think they're getting the kinks out of it, but really they're not. In reality, all you're really doing is pulling the line past its naturally elasticity, and actually creating new memory in the line...basically pulling the kinks into the line. It may work temporarily, but over the long term, you're actually damaging your fly line."
> 
> I see what he's saying, you might be stretching the line, but if it's kinked and twisted, you're actually not making it better, certainly not in the long term, because you're pulling/stretching the line that still has kinks/twists in it. The only way to truly "straighten out" your line is to drag it behind the boat without a fly on. Thoughts on this?
> 
> ...


You can drag this guide line all you want and it isn't getting that memory out. I'd think dragging the line will just get the twists out, not memory? Which would definitely help, but you can see how tight those memory coils are.

Ted was the one who actually showed me how to stretch fly line. I can see what you're saying. I don't stretch my line every time out. I hardly ever stretch my wulff at all. This guide line needs it though in my experience.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

I have not had a reason to stretch fly lines. Maybe common in the early days of the sport?


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Shadowcast said:


> Ted, I will definitely take you up on that. That is the line I am looking at specifically! It has to cast good on my Icon II 6 wt. or forget it. I live on that rod. Where on the South Bay? I fish the Ruskin area a lot.


Terra Ceia area.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

hferrell87 said:


> I recently put some liquid crystal clear 8 wt fly line on my hatch and hate it! With the waters being so clear in the lagoon for the past few months, I figured the clear fly line would be money... Well, its not. It's complete butt hole!
> Here are my complaints about the line...
> - Memory is similar to a spool of 20 year old mono that's never been unwound.
> - The fly line carries a grit to it that sounds like nails on a chalk board going through my recoil guides. Never slid through the guides cleanly right out of the package...
> ...



For whatever reason it doesn't like the recoil guides. On my sage rods the same line is silent and smooth. It's not the only line I have that's noisy going through the recoil guides. With the recoil guides it's mainly when the line is dry. If it's coming right off the water it's slicker than snot.

Regarding the memory I'm wondering if it breaks in. My 7 wt line has a ton of fish on it and it doesn't coil. In comparison my new 8 wt line does coil more like the photo above, but it hasn't caused any issues for me. I use a casting bucket with fingers inside and have had no line management issues.


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## hferrell87 (Jan 28, 2013)

el9surf said:


> For whatever reason it doesn't like the recoil guides. On my sage rods the same line is silent and smooth. It's not the only line I have that's noisy going through the recoil guides. With the recoil guides it's mainly when the line is dry. If it's coming right off the water it's slicker than snot.
> 
> Regarding the memory I'm wondering if it breaks in. My 7 wt line has a ton of fish on it and it doesn't coil. In comparison my new 8 wt line does coil more like the photo above, but it hasn't caused any issues for me. I use a casting bucket with fingers inside and have had no line management issues.


I decided to try the two bucket system to clean the line again and did so, but the line still has a sticky feel to it... You ever put a dressing or anything on it?


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

No I honestly neglect my lines in terms of dressings. I just peel them off and hose them down really good after use. Maybe something like 303 aerospace or a silicone. They come from the factory really oily, guessing it's silicone.


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## TheFrequentFlier (Feb 17, 2016)

hferrell87 said:


> I decided to try the two bucket system to clean the line again and did so, but the line still has a sticky feel to it... You ever put a dressing or anything on it?


I TRY to put the Orvis "line slick" or whatever on the line after I clean it, and typically before any big fishing day. It'll wear off halfway through a full day trip, but it makes those early morning money shots a lot less of a nuisance.

Slick line not only flows through the guides better (that part is obvious) but prevents the slip knots in the line as well.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

I don't think it matters what you dress it with, the line feels like crap when its dry going through the rec recoil guides.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Maybe it's just me but I don't like my lines feeling oily or slick. They slip in my hands when trying to set the hook.


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## TheFrequentFlier (Feb 17, 2016)

el9surf said:


> Maybe it's just me but I don't like my lines feeling oily or slick. They slip in my hands when trying to set the hook.


Concur. Kinda like a newb cleaning a gun...thinks the more CLP he puts all over the thing the better it'll perform. 

I've noticed a good microfiber cloth will get it on there and into the pours while not leaving any of the really greasy feel. That said, I'd rather put up with a little "grease" on my fingers for the first half hour of fishing rather than be fighting knots and tangles.


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## DeepSouthFly (Sep 7, 2016)

Same experience with Cortland LC flats taper. Crazy memory to it and it just got on my nerves having to deal with the tangles. Took it off pretty quick.


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## IRLyRiser (Feb 14, 2007)

Silicone seems to help all of the clear lines shoot better. I've been able to cast them better if I stretch and keep them a little slick with silicone spray. Otherwise the salt can make them seem a little sticky and the coils get knotted pretty easy.


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## hferrell87 (Jan 28, 2013)

IRLyRiser said:


> Silicone seems to help all of the clear lines shoot better. I've been able to cast them better if I stretch and keep them a little slick with silicone spray. Otherwise the salt can make them seem a little sticky and the coils get knotted pretty easy.


What silicone spray do you use on your clear fly line? Are you spraying onto a microfiber towel and applying that way? 
Thanks!


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## IRLyRiser (Feb 14, 2007)

I have some stuff that came in a little spray bottle that at one time backcountry labs and then orvis made. It doesn't seem to be available anymore. I saw a Facebook video where flip used food grade silicone spray and applied it directly to the reel. Prob cheaper and works the sam.


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## TheFrequentFlier (Feb 17, 2016)

so I've admittedly never tried the Wulff series of lines, but now I'm super tempted to try the BTT on one of my 8 weights.... I've been using the Bruce Chard ridged Airflo which I've liked quite a bit...the tropical punch I even used winter redfishing and still did okay once you made a couple casts and got the kinks out of the cold line...


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

tgjohnso said:


> so I've admittedly never tried the Wulff series of lines, but now I'm super tempted to try the BTT on one of my 8 weights.... I've been using the Bruce Chard ridged Airflo which I've liked quite a bit...the tropical punch I even used winter redfishing and still did okay once you made a couple casts and got the kinks out of the cold line...


Awesome line in the BTT or the Shorts!


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

If you have issues with your liquid crystal call Chris at cortland, their contact number is on their website. He's a cool guy and will get your issues taken care of. Give them an chance to address issues before posting negative info. It's a great line but, not immune from production issues, just like any other product we buy.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

tgjohnso said:


> So, I used to do this as well..."stretching line" in order to get the kinks out. Then, when talking to a guide buddy of mine, he was like: "you can tell an amateur who thinks he knows what he's doing when he gets on the bow first thing, and begins pulling out his line and stretching it out. They think they're getting the kinks out of it, but really they're not. In reality, all you're really doing is pulling the line past its naturally elasticity, and actually creating new memory in the line...basically pulling the kinks into the line. It may work temporarily, but over the long term, you're actually damaging your fly line."
> 
> I see what he's saying, you might be stretching the line, but if it's kinked and twisted, you're actually not making it better, certainly not in the long term, because you're pulling/stretching the line that still has kinks/twists in it. The only way to truly "straighten out" your line is to drag it behind the boat without a fly on. Thoughts on this?
> 
> ...


Ultimately, if I can strip some line out on the deck and toss it out to a fish and he eats, then THAT is the best way to get the line to straighten out! 

Look, lines have changed over the years. Back in the day, there were few to choose from. Today, there are so many niche lines out there and so many properties built into the line, that line behaviors can change from model to model, within a certain mfg. Take SA for example. There are some models that don't need to be stretch and some others do. Sharkwave is a perfect example of a line that has low memory while their intermediate lines have more memory. while their braided core line lines may have less memory, but their Mastery lines have better coatings and slickness. Some like the texture, while others like myself don't. Its personal preference.

If you are throwing 30to 40ft, you may never need to stretch the head. But if you are shooting 60-80ft, then a lot of running lines tend to have more memory than the heads.

To say you can stretch memory into a line is a statement I've never heard of, including conversations I've had with many line companies. I understand what you are saying in theory, but I don't think you can stretch in and embed twisting and memory. That is the behavior of the materials only and the storage thereof.

Sure you can drag a line behind a boat. I've done that many times with conventional rods with mono and some braided lines. Never felt the need to do it with flyline, but it can be done I guess. But line will untwist once casted a few times regardless of what you do.

Your guide buddy can call me amateur all he wants to and I'll be fine with that, since, after 28yrs worth of saltwater fly fishing, I'm comfortable with where I'm at in the sport. But I will still stretch my line out at the beginning of each day I fish with it, and then completely dress it out with some good flyline dressing. Then we'll see who cast further and has less fouling with the line and easier line management.

Getting to know your flyline and knowing how much to stretch it out and how to properly do it is key to good line behavior. Just pulling on it and letting it go will add to the problem. But doing a nice long slow stretch, then hold it and then slowly release it back, will pull out the memory. Again, some lines need it more than others, depending on materials used with the outside coating and the cores. Some people will walk the line out with someone holding the reel and then slowly pull it out some, applying some tension to the line, then slowly releasing the tension. But that is hard to do on the front deck of a boat. So I hand stretch it myself.

Yes, I dress my line most times with a good fly line dressing. There are many brands out there. Glide, SA's AST, Rio, Orvis and others. I've tried many home remedies. One thing you can do with some lines,(not all of them), is to get some good liquid car wax (I've use McGuires) and after a good cleaning, just wipe on the stuff, let it sit for an hr or so until it dries and then pulling it through a dry cloth multiple times until all the way residue come off the line. Then take it to the water, get the line wet and watch how it shoots thru the guides.

I'm going to order some of that food grade silicone and see how it compares. I also have something else up my sleeve that I'm working on and I'll see how that also compares before I let the cat out of the bag.

To summarize, yes some lines have more memory that others, but may have a better taper than others as well (just depends). Some have less memory but may not have the right taper you need it for. Again, lots of niche lines out there. The Cortland LC Clear is a niche line and not for every one for every need. I only use it for specific reasons, like I do with other lines. If you use the Wulff BTT line and like how it has low memory, then great, use it! Find the line that suits you best. But just remember, I've yet to find one line that does all things I need them to do. Same goes with fly rods. So with variables, comes variations and knowing how to resolve issues is KEY to having consistent success. 

If you are a one pony show, you'll get one pony results. 

Ted Haas


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

I have been a die hard RW BTT enthusiast for many years. The first time I tried Cortland I liked how it casted, but hated that it got sticky after leaving it on the deck of the paddle board in the hot sun for a days worth of fishing. I can tell you that tarpon definitely eat the fly more when I've tossed clear cortland than any other line; now is that just a coincidence or it is due to the fact that the line is clear, I can't say for sure. I now have Cortland on my 4, one of my 5's, my 8, and I just ordered some more today for the 10 and 12. What I can say is the line definitely doesn't last as long as the Wulff line does, but I am getting more eats using it. Then again, I haven't had any other line last anywhere close to a Wulff line, so I don't hold that against them per say. So far, Chris has been a really cool dude and took care of me when I had an issue on a line, he replaced it immediately as soon as I brought it to his attention. I have Wulff line on rods that I know I am going to abuse, and Cortland on the rods that I am going to use for more finicky situations. Now, I never dress any of my fly lines, and hardly hose them off after trips. I've made a conscious effort to wash them down after every trip now when I use the setups with the Cortland line. I haven't really felt the sticky line any more, that was as issue on the 9wt, but haven't had it on any other. I am using their Liquid Crystal, the Guide, and another line that I can't remember what it's called. I hadn't dealt with any line memory issues until my last camping trip a few weeks ago where we fished for 3 days straight, but I gave it a stretch and it was fine the rest of the day. First day of the trip it was fine, by the third day of being in the skiff, it definitely had some memory, but not something that wasn't manageable. Still way better than my experiences with AirFlo and Rio. 

Ultimately, I stick to either Wulff or Cortland these days. To me, they each serve a different purpose. If a clear line will catch me more fish, but wear out faster, I'll be fine doing that. I feel the way the taper lands in the water softer makes a difference too, not only the fact it's clear. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely situations I rather use the Wulff; if it's windy, I really want the punch of the Triangle Taper.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

There you have it in a nutshell.


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