Article Written by Tom Harrison and Dan Harrison.Learn More About the authors Below
Photos by Rex Messing of Simms Fishing
Article Read Time: 3 Minutes
It was a very memorable time period when Brooks Robinson from Cortland Line introduced us to Ultra premium Fluorocarbon Tippet 5 years ago. Being on the water every day as full-time guides, we always look for equipment that helps make our job easier and our clients' experience more enjoyable. As soon as we switched over to Cortland tippet, we saw results immediately. We lost fewer browns in the 20 to 28-inch class due to the pure strength and abrasion resistance of this tippet. Additionally, this tippet wouldn't spook bigger, craftier browns, all while giving us newfound confidence to land fish of this class. On our normal day-to-day trips, while fishing for average-sized trout in higher flow releases on the upper Deerfield, our clients have way more control over these fish when fighting them and are able to land them faster. We’re able to use smaller tippet diameters and not worry as much about fish breaking off. Whether we are fishing nymphs or dries, the ability to drop in tippet size can make the difference in drift and presentation to turn a good day into an unforgettable outing. It’s one of those products that is the best we’ve used in the industry.
Cortland Top Secret Tippet is superior in all sizes, but the smaller diameter sizes like 4x-6x are really what shines for us in our pursuits for large wild trout. Whether we are nymphing or dry fly fishing, this tippet allows us to focus on the more technical aspects of our drift and presentation without compromising our ability to land fish. Never in the past has there been a tippet in these smaller sizes that is as reliable as Cortland Top Secret. Having such confidence in your tippet unleashes a whole new angler. There have been countless memorable encounters with trophy-sized fish while fishing Ultra Premium Fluorocarbon Tippet but there is one encounter that sets itself apart and puts the strength of this tippet in perspective.
One Summer day while drifting nymphs on 6x on the lower Deerfield we hooked up on a big trout, or at least we thought it was a trout. Instead, a 20+ pound Atlantic salmon took off jumping 5 to 10 times before taking the client into his backing within a few seconds. Then, he lost tension and we thought it was over. Tom had seen the fish jumping from a 1/2 mile upstream so he’s rowing downstream to check in and the client and I are pulled over talking about how no one will believe us. As the client reels in his backing, he comes tight and at the same time, Tom enters the pool and we realize the fish is still on. It hadn’t broken us off, it had just stopped in its tracks and swam slowly back up the pool. Now with two rafts and two netters, we all think we have a shot. The 6x Cortland tippet has held up through all this and now we have the fish on the run. The next move the salmon makes is screaming down the river right to the bottom and it goes under a log. Still connected to the fish, Tom throws me a pair of goggles which I throw on and swim down to the bottom. While lifting the log off the line I can see the fish a ways below me and it bolts, game over… no other 6x on the market would have made it 1 jump into this debacle.
Although encounters like this are rare, Ultra Premium Fluorocarbon Tippet gives our clients the best chance of success when fish of a lifetime opportunities present themselves. We are able to fish our rivers more effectively with this tippet in our arsenal, and we can't say enough good things about it. Try it for yourself, and you will not be disappointed.
About the authors
Tom and Dan Harrisons guide careers started in West Glacier, MT in 2003 where they guided float trips for Glacier Anglers on the Flathead Drainage. Both of them had the privilege to guide fly in and pack in multi-day trips on the Upper Middle Fork of the Flathead in the Bob Marshall wilderness area. They've owned and operated Harrison Anglers guide service since 2006. They run fly fishing float trips in western Massachusetts and Southern Vermont, mainly targeting rainbow, brown and brook trout along with pike and smallmouth bass. They also guide for American Shad during their spring run up the Connecticut river watershed. Harrison anglers runs over 700 trips down the rivers in our area each year. Harrison Anglers have 5 full time guides during the warmer months along with a few sub contract guides that they use seasonally and every single guide relies on Cortland products.
Instagram- @harrisonanglers
Photographer- @rexmess
