I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE TIME TO THANK MY SPONSORS FOR BELIEVING IN ME, MY ABILITIES AND HAVING THE SAME PASSIONS ABOUT FLY FISHING AS I DO.

THE PRODUCTS THAT I FISH FOR MY INDIVIDUAL FISHING AND GUIDE SERVICES ARE THE FINEST IN THE FLY FISHING INDUSTRY. I WAS RECENTLY ASKED BY SOME VERY GOOD FLY FISHERMAN A VERY GOOD QUESTION, WHY SHOULD I FISH HARDY AND CORTLAND PRODUCTS. THIS IS A FANTASTIC QUESTION. LET ME BREAK DOWN WHY I FEEL THESE RODS, REELS, FLY LINES AND TIPPET ARE IN MY OPINION, THE BEST THE INDUSTRY HAS TO OFFER.

THE LEGEND BEGINS IN 1872

THE NEW HARDY ULTRALITE MTX IS THE LIGHTEST LARGE ARBOR, DISK DRAG REEL HARDY HAS EVER DEVELOPED. IT IS PERSONALLY THE LIGHTEST REEL THAT I HAVE EVER FISHED AND HAS THE SAME FANTASTIC DRAG SYSTEM THAT I HAVE COME TO LOVE ABOUT THE HARDY REELS. I AM USED TO USING AND GUIDING WITH ALL BLACK REELS, HOWEVER THIS BEAUTIFUL REEL DOES CATCH THE EYE WITH ALL OF THE ORANGE LETTERING AND ANODIZED ORANGE DRAG SYSTEM. WHAT I HAVE ENJOYED ABOUT THE HARDY REEL DRAG SYSTEMS IS NOT ONLY ARE THEY SMOOTH, THEY ARE VERY EASY TO ADJUST BY USING THE FANTASTIC COLORED DOTTING SYSTEM SO YOU CAN ALWAYS GO BACK TO THE EXACT DRAG YOU WERE FISHING BEFORE. JUST A TURN OF THE WRIST AND YOU HAVE FIVE GREEN DOT SETTINGS, VERY LOW DRAG, 5 ORANGE DOTS SETTINGS THAT GIVES YOU A MUCH STRONGER SETTING AND FINALLY 5 RED DOT SETTINGS FOR VERY HEAVY DRAG OPTION. THE DRAG FEATURES A CARBON FIBRE DRAG SYSTEM WITH A 340 DEGREE COLOR CODED REGULATOR. BACKING PLATE OF THE REEL IS MADE OUT OF HYBRID CARBON FIBRE / ALLOY MAIN FRAME DESIGN FOR LIGHTNESS.

THE HARDY ZEPHRUS RODS THAT I HAVE FEATURED IN MY GUIDE SERVICE THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE REALLY IMPRESSED ME WITH THERE PERFORMANCE. WHY YOU ASK? THE FIRST TIME I PICKED UP THE ZEPHRUS ROD I FELL IN LOVE WITH ITS ACTION. IN MY OPINION, ALL OF THE FLY RODS MADE NOW IN OUR INDUSTRY, THEY HAVE BECOME WAY TO STIFF. THE WAY ROD MANUFACTURES MAKE RODS AS FAST ACTION IS TO MAKE THEM TOO STIFF FOR CASTING SHORT LINE SITUATIONS. WHAT I MEAN IS IT TAKES WAY TO MUCH LINE WHEN YOUR CASTING TO GET THE ROD TO START TO PERFORM AND FEEL THE ROD LOAD AND UNLOAD. THE FIRST THING I NOTICED ABOUT THE ZEPHRUS RODS, IT TAKES VERY LITTLE LINE TO START TO FEEL THE CASTING ACTION (LOADING/UNLOADING) OF THE ROD. WHEN I FIRST STARTED CASTING I THOUGHT, WOW!, IT LOADS VERY QUICKLY BUT IS IT GOING TO BE ABLE TO CATCH UP AND THROW A LOT OF LINE LIKE THE STIFFER FAST ACTION RODS AND YES IT DOES. ONE OTHER FACT I FOUND OUT IS THE RODS DURABILITY. I WAS AVERAGING OVER 4 BREAKS A YEAR USING THE OTHER FLY RODS PREVIOUSLY, NOW I AM VERY, VERY HAPPY TO SAY, (ABOUT $75.00 A ROD HAPPY) THAT IN THE LAST TWO GUIDE SEASONS I HAVE ONLY ONE ROD BREAK.

THIS TELLS ME THE ROD DESIGN, THE HARDY SINTRIX THAT INCORPORATES SILICA NANO SPHERES ARE REALLY DOING THERE JOB IN MAKING THESE RODS 60% INCREASED IN STRENGTH AND UP TO 30% LIGHTER.

HERE IS THE FACTS ABOUT SINTRIX 330, 440 ZEPHRUS, AND 550

SINTRIX: THE SUCCESS STORY

HERE IS A LITTLE ABOUT CORTLAND. CORTLAND LINE COMPANY HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1915. TODAY THE COMPANY’S DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS ARE HEADED BY JOHN WILSON, A FLY FISHING EXPERT FROM ARKANSAS. HE WANTS TO POSITION CORTLAND FOR ANOTHER GREAT 100 YEARS IN FLY FISHING.

IN THE BEGINNING OF MY FLY FISHING CAREER I FISHED CORTLAND LINES. I FISHED MANY DIFFERENT SINKING LINES AND ONE FLOATING LINE. I WAS IMPRESSED WITH HOW LONG EACH LINE I USED WOULD LAST, YEAR AFTER YEAR. BECAUSE OF JUST STARTING OUT IN 1997, I THOUGHT ALL LINES WERE THE SAME AND SHOULD LAST AS LONG AS CORTLAND, HOWEVER SINCE THEN I HAVE FOUND NOTHING OUTLASTS OR OUT PERFORMS CORTLAND LINES. IN MY GUIDE BUSINESS FOR THE LAST 6 YEARS I FOUND THAT MANY FLOATING LINES WOULD JUST FALL APART AFTER ONE SEASON, EVEN BEFORE THE SEASON WOULD END AT CROWLEY LAKE. THIS HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE FOR MY CORTLAND NYMPH TAPER FLY LINES I HAVE BEEN USING NOW. THEY ARE HOLDING TOGETHER FOR THE FULL SEASON AND LOOK LIKE THEY ARE READY TO GO ANOTHER SEASON.

IN MY GUIDE SERVICE WE USE A LOT OF FLOATING LINES, FISHING CHIRONOMIDS UNDER AN INDICATOR IN DEEP AND SHALLOW WATER, WATERS UP TO 25+ FEET DEEP SOMETIMES WITH A SLIDING INDICATOR. THE CORTLAND NYMPH TAPER LINES, HAVE A MUCH SMALLER DIAMETER HEAD THAN ANY OTHER NYMPH TAPER LINE THAT I HAVE FISHED WITH, HOWEVER, IT IS STILL JUST AS HEAVY IN THE FRONT TAPER TO HELP YOU CAST LONG LEADERS, SPLIT SHOT, TUNGSTEN BEAD HEADED FLIES AND BULKY INDICATORS WITH EASE. ALSO BEING THINNER, IT WILL COME OFF THE WATER FASTER AND WITH LESS EFFORT TO PICK UP AND CAST, MEND AND GET TO THE FISH FASTER. THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I PREFER THE CORTLAND NYMPH TAPER OVER THE OTHER NYMPH TAPER BRANDS I WAS USING IN THE PAST.

CORTLAND TOP SECRET TIPPET MATERIAL

I WAS TURNED ON TO THIS TIPPET MATERIAL BY JOHN WILSON, PRESIDENT OF CORTLAND LINE COMPANY.  HE HAD ASKED ME AT THE BEGINNING OF LAST SEASON IF I HAD EVER TRIED OUT THE NEW TIPPET MATERIAL “TOP SECRET”  I HAD BEEN FISHING ANOTHER TIPPET MATERIAL THAT I WAS EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH AND WAS KIND OF RELUCTANT TO FISH A DIFFERENT MATERIAL, ALWAYS FEARING IT WOULD NOT PERFORM AS WELL AS MY OTHER TIPPET.  HE SAID THAT A LOT OF BASS FISHERMAN WERE FISHING THE “TOP SECRET” FLUOROCARBON IN VERY SHALLOW WATER AND FOOLING FISH THAT HAD BEEN FISHED ON OVER AND OVER AGAIN WITH NO LUCK AND THIS NEW TIPPET WAS A GAME CHANGER.

I WAS FISHING OUT IN THE AFTERNOON AFTER ONE OF MY GUIDE TRIPS, AS I ALWAYS FISH UNTIL DARK, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT DIFFERENT AREAS AND IF THE FISH ARE MOVING AROUND AND DECIDED TO TRY THE NEW TIPPET.  I FOUND SOME FISH IN SHALLOWER WATER AND DECIDED TO TRY TO 5X TIPPET.   I HOOKED A FISH RIGHT AWAY AND DIDN’T PUT TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE 5X BECAUSE I USUALLY ONLY FISH 4X AS MY LIGHTEST TIPPET AT CROWLEY.   AFTER A FEW FISH IN A ROW I DECIDED TO SEE JUST HOW MUCH PRESSURE I COULD PUT ON THE FISH.   THIS IS WHEN I WAS AMAZED AT THE STRENGTH OF THIS MATERIAL.   I TIGHTENED DOWN THE DRAG TWO NOTCHES AND THE LEADER DID NOT BREAK.   WOW, I WAS REALLY PUTTING A LOT OF PRESSURE NOW ON THIS 5X THAT USUALLY WILL BREAK PRETTY EASY.   I DECIDED TO HOLD THE REEL HANDLE AND SEE HOW MUCH MORE PRESSURE I COULD PUT ON THE FISH AND FIGURED OUT THAT THIS STUFF WAS NOT 5X BREAKING STRENGTH.   I FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS TIPPET AND HAVEN’T USED ANYTHING ELSE SINCE.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TIPPET MATERIAL OVER ANYTHING ELSE I HAVE USED IN THE PAST.

ITS NO SECRET ANYMORE, “FISH THE SECRET” ITS A GAME CHANGER

AGAIN I WANTED TO THANK ALL OF MY SPONSORS AND THE PEOPLE WHO HELP ME BE THE BEST ANGLER, TEACHER, GUIDE AND PRESENTER THAT I CAN BE. WITHOUT THIS HELP IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO DO WHAT I LOVE TO AS MUCH AS ANYTHING, SHARE MY PASSION AND LOVE TO MY FRIENDS, CLIENTS AND COLLEAGUES IN THE FLY FISHING INDUSTRY.

HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE SOON FOR THE OPENER, BE SAFE AND ENJOY OUR BEAUTIFUL WATERS.

 

I do love me some “Stillwater Fly Fishing” Ernie