First written in 1998, nothing has occurred to alter this review, so here it is: It’s Winter! Jack Frost is all around bringing a cold chill to everything he touches. Ice forms, snow falls. The temperature plummets. Winter’s cold! Listen closely -- even through the walls you can hear North Wind’s train whistling its shrill song as it rushes across the sky -- blowing the swirling snow from one place to another until it finds a resting place in some nook or cranny. The snow drifts, disrupting the passage of man and beast. Icicles hang from roof tops and drooping trees. Still, the howl of North Wind’s train continues unabated, as he continues to rush across the gray snow-laden skies. Will it never end? Winter!

It’s times like this when many male fishers think of the warmth of the Caribbean. Their thoughts drift to pleasant things. Visions appear -- visions of calm azure blue waters, of swaying palm trees, of beaches covered by soft white sand. The lyrical strains of a calypso ballad play in the background. A warm breeze touches their face like the soft hand of a beautiful maiden. A waiter approaches, another rum tonic in his hand, the fourth of the day. The dream continues . . . .

Outside, North Wind’s wail increases -- and with the noise, the dream evaporates. Reality returns. The truth is the budget for "the rest of us" doesn’t support the dream becoming anything else other than a dream.

Of course, a fly fisher differs from other fishers. In truth, a fly fisher longing for the tropics quite naturally isn’t interested in beautiful maidens, good rum, gentle breezes or swaying palm trees. No! A true fly fisher’s longing is confined to a single thought: the chance to Fly Fish the Tropics. Now, thanks to Cortland, the dream becomes a reality: "The rest of us" can Fly Fish the Tropics right here at home.

Cortland has released a new 444 LazerLine, the Tropic Plus. Designed for the trials and tribulations of saltwater, the Tropics have a very hard tough outer coat with a core of braided monofilament. Here is the surprise -- the line has very little memory even in chilly weather. "Little memory" is a feature I rarely attribute to a line with a braided mono core. This accomplishment, of course, means no tangles will ruin an otherwise perfect cast.

The Tropic’s are available in two versions, floating and intermediate. Both are weight-forward lines, 35 yards (105 feet) in length. The floating version, in my view, rightfully deserves Cortland’s designation as a "Rocket Taper." When released, it goes like a rocket!

I was fortunate in having the opportunity to evaluate 8-weight versions of both lines. Suffice it to say that the intermediate handles well and, indeed, is a long-caster. Roll casts were surprisingly easy, once I determined and marked the best point to initiate the cast. The line’s cream coloring causes it to disappear in the water, at least to my tired old eyes. By the way, to know when to initiate the roll cast, I mark my sink lines by nail-knotting two wraps of black thread, about a half-inch long and an inch or so apart. (Cortlan2.gif) Once the markers are in place, I coat them with Permabond. The result is a marker(s) that "rattles" through the guides making it easy to know when I’ve reached the point to begin the cast. And no -- my rattling markers do not damage the guides. For that matter, nether does exposed braided mono, as some have argued. When Cortland first introduced the 444SL XRL (exposed running line) a couple of years ago, a few folks alleged the friction of the exposed braided mono would damage the fly rod’s guides. A friend of mine ran a circular sample of the Cortland braid through the guides of a "stressed" fly rod (under load) continuously, 24 hours a day, for a week. In the end, we could discern no damage, even under high magnification.

Having fished other LazerLines before, I expected the Tropics would excel in the performance category. They did! However, the performance of the Tropic floater far exceeded my expectations. For example, I expected the intermediate to top the floater when it came to either wind-fighting or distance. Surprisingly, I found the Tropic floater excelled at both, topping the intermediate in the distance category. As a wind fighter, the weight-forward rocket taper 8-weight equaled the performance of the intermediate. This is one of the best long-casting floating lines I’ve ever had the pleasure to cast. Very tight loops are a reality, even under adverse conditions.

If, by chance, this is the year when your finances support a flight to the tropics for fly fishing, be sure to take along one or both of these lines. Either will enhance your enjoyment in Fly Fishing the Tropics. If you are like me and cannot afford the trip, don't fret -- the rest of us can enjoy Fly Fishing the Tropics right here at home. By the way, when you learn that the Tropic Plus also works very well when fly fishing fresh water, Cortland has promised not to pursue court action.

For more information about the Tropic Plus, contact:

The Cortland Line Company, Inc. 3736 Kellogg Road, P.O. Box 5588, Cortland, NY 13045-5588. 1-(607) 756-2851.