According to Cortland:

"Cortland Line Company announces the new 555 SERIES Fly  Lines. The world of the 21st century fly fisher is expanding at lightning speed. The cutting edge angler demands performance and value. The new 555 SERIES has been designed to be one step ahead of today's fly fisher combining groundbreaking new Barrier Construction Technology with application-specific tapers and proprietary coatings that tune in each line for the job at hand. The 555 SERIES does not rely on a single coating, body material, core or taper. Each line is engineered to address the fly fisher's specific needs. We structure the vital fly line design elements to meet specific demands, making each 555 SERIES Fly Line unique"

A recent series of Emails...

Paul – "There's been some reports that they sink!"
Carl – "This one doesn't!"
Paul – "Try and get it to sink!"
Carl – "OK, I'll get back to you..!"

Pause…..

Carl – "Nope, it won't sink, I've tried hot water, cold water, soap, pushing it under, sitting on it for half an hour and it's still floating."
Paul - "Put some holes in it!" (this IS Sexyloops after all)
Carl – "OK – nope still floating!"
Paul – "damn" (edited)
Carl – "I'll leave it in the bath!"

Next day…

Carl - "Paul, it still floating!"

This is probably due to me testing the floating version of the new Cortland 555 and not the sinker. But there you go. There have been one or two comments coming in that it sinks but having fished and cast this line for three weeks, this one floats and very well!

I have nothing bad to say about it except one thing: when we first received the line the core was not down the center but running along the surface for over 80% of the line. We emailed Cortland asking about this and the quick reply was that this was an early production run and this problem had now been sorted out. The (3) replacement lines were as they should have been, with the core running down the center. If you get a line like our original sample then send it back to your supplier for a new one. Good customer service, as usual, from Cortland.

The 555 line is quite a bit thicker than an equivalent DT Scientific Anglers #5 braded core line.

(From left to right: first line, second line, Sci Ang DT5)

Upon initially opening the (nicely designed) box the new 555 from Cortland looks much like any other modern WF line. Once the line is in your hand you will realise that Cortland have gone for a stiffer construction than that of the 444 and it feels similar to an SL with its hard shiny coating and stiff core. This core is what sets the 555 apart from all other fly lines with a hollow construction that allows the line to float higher than a conventional line and without much extra bulk. This proved to be true and in fast flows, the line came back to the surface quicker than a Rio Windcutter, the 444 and the SL that I was testing it against.

Whilst loading it onto the reel the line, at 32 meters long, it filled the spool more than I was expecting and had to be removed so I could take 50 meters of backing off the reel! Another striking point about this line is its resistance to cutting. Whilst tying it to the backing and also when adding the tapered leader with a nail knot, I had to snip a little from each end. This is a TOUGH line due to the resilience of the new core. The stretch in the line is subtle too. With a different feeling to the SL, which it most resembles. The 444 and the Windcutter both stretch more. The stretch is there but not much and very progressive.

When tested with my own homemade (but highly scientific ;-) ) suppleness test (below, which involves twisting the line between the fingers until a loop forms) the loop formed was twice that of a 444 and Windcutter and larger than that of an SL – this is a stiff line but in a subtle way. The line had a little memory that soon disappeared with a stretch and unusually this was at the front of the line, not the back.

Intrigued by the hollow core, I bent the line over and squeezed it for a while to simulate a tight knot of a tangle or standing on it by the river or in a boat and released it. There was a definite kink in the line that is still there now. It's getting smaller but despite casting and fishing the line extensively in lots of conditions, it is still a little kinked. Time will tell if this has weakened the core (Stop Press – the kink is gone 2 weeks later with no weakness). The Windcutter, 444 and SL all straightened out back to normal after the same test.

(From left to right: windcutter, sl, 555)

Q: So how does it cast? A: Like one line weight heavier!

Whether designed deliberately or not, the larger diameter core has an effect on the way the line casts. Most fly lines depend on the surrounding plastic coating for their feel and the braided or mono core has little to do with it until a fish is hooked. The 555 feels "Silky Smooth". On initially casting (after 30 minutes of casting a 444 as a reference) the line has an unusual feeling. The line feels like pure cream on a maiden's skin who just happens to be lying in a velvet factory that has a sideline in moisturiser. It smoothes our wrinkles too. I can only put this down to the core damping the line.

I tried it on a #5 Sage SP and XP and a #7/8 Elnetti GTX4 and it cast very well on either allowing huge amounts of overhang on the Elnetti.

I fished it for wild browns in Scotland, for rainbows in several places in Northumberland, and for sea trout in the Borders. The fight from a fish gives a superb feeling. It's still not in the same league as silk, but it's the closest I've felt from a plastic line. Consider it Silk with stretch. It makes each fish seem bigger than it actually is (and that's a good thing –I think).

The line stayed the same colour throughout the test despite being cast on grass, sand, mud, peat and wood. Something that cannot be said for the Windcutter, which is now ready for some tender loving care.

Thanks to Paul's tuition, (book a lesson) and a lot of practice, my casting has improved so much that I can now cast tight loops with the Windcutter but try as I might, I could not get the 555 to cast such a tiny loop. This was probably due to the increased stiffness and resistance to bending from the stiffer core.

This could be a new and exciting chapter in fly line design that so far remains untapped by all of the other manufacturers. Core development may be the next way forward and this is the first tentative step in this development since mono-cores. From first impressions I think that we'll have some very exciting lines in the future.

So, would I buy one? Absolutely! The silky smooth finish and the extra feeling during the fight was a pure joy whilst casting and fishing and the fact that the line smoothes out it's own wrinkles is an extra bonus. I don't think this line replaces the 444, but more compliments it. There is now room for both in my tackle bag.

And it's still floating!

Carl

Carl Hutchinson (info@corporateflyrods.com) engineer and entrepreneur, has flyfished more countries than anyone else alive, owns three passports and lives out of Berlin (" because of the women"). He has a completely unique understanding as to the limitations of the motorcar or even what one is. He owns Corporate Flyrods and has worked out how to get 40 hours out of the normal 24 and still go fishing.