Cortland Trout Boss

A great trout line might not seem like a "specialty" line to you, but what about for someone who lives in Key West? If you take a trip to the Rockies you need a line that deals with wind, cold water, large flies—you need a workhorse that can do it all. We tested the Courtland Trout Boss in Montana, Chile, and Pennsylvania, and found it worked best in big rivers where constantly changing conditions force you to reevaluate your game plan every hour. The long, 65-foot head helps you mend at long distances, and roll cast when brushy banks make things tight. In keeping with the distance theme, the line has an 18-inch white, high-vis and high-float Dyna-Tip that's easy to see from far off to help you track your fly, whether you are dry-fly fishing or nymphing. The rest of the line is stealthy moss green or high-visibility orange in 3- through 8-weights. Cortland Trout Boss ($75 cortlandline.com)

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