Time has been kind to the landscape outside the Cortland, NY factory. Little has changed since they started making fly lines there in 1915. The rolling hills and crystal-clear trout streams are still pretty much as they were when Cortland® Line Company founder Ray Smith defined his mission to produce the world's finest fly lines. At the time, natural silk was the material of choice for quality lines. Ray developed new processes to make his lines last longer and perform better. They still use this approach, but they long ago replaced the silk with PVC, nylon, silicone, and a host of other modern materials to make today's Cortland Fly lines.

Another thing that hasn't changed is the passion they put into their products. Ray Smith was a fisherman who wanted a better line and went about finding a way to make one. At Cortland Line, they're fisherman too. It's not unusual to see a Cortland employee walk down to the river during his lunch hour for "just a couple casts."

You see, they live to fish. And because they fish they know that the difference between success and failure on the water can depend on your line. Like you, they want to fish with the best lines available. So they build every Cortland Line as if they were going to use it themselves.