Cortland is often known as a fly line company; for over 100 years Cortland has been designing and manufacturing some of the industry’s top fishing lines. Cortland opened in 1915 and started making silk fishing line. Later, in 1959, Cortland began to expand into fly fishing and the company played a large role in creating the spot we know and love today. Cortland has fought to keep their manufacturing in the U.S. over the years and prides itself on making high-performance lines an rods. What started as a line company has now expanded into the fly rod market, particularly in competition fly rods. Cortland makes both competition rods and competition nymph rods that are at the forefront of the competitive market. These well-designed tools have been fished all over the world in competitions and for fun.

Cortland’s mid-priced competition nymph rod was included in our 2018 European-Style Nymphing Fly Rod Shootout. The rod is a great rod for its price point. The rod is thin with an ergonomic taper for added strike detection and increased balance. The handle is thin and fits comfortably in the hand of the angler to provide maximum feel when tightlining or nymphing. This rod is a spectacularly popular rod in the world of European-style nymphing in part because of its affordable price point and its classic design.

Cortland has recently made some changes to the original Cortland competition nymph rod and released a higher-priced, higher performance nymph rod called the MKII. Cortland’s MKII competition nymph rod is built using carbon fiber and military grade modulus and resins. The MKII includes power in the butt section of the rod, a down locking reel seat, and an ergonomic fighting butt to provide proper weight distribution. These rods come in the classic nymphing rod weights of 2 and 3. The 2 weight rods come in a 10-foot and 11-foot taper while the 3 weight rods come in a 10-foot 6-inch and 11-foot rod taper. These new rods from Cortland are certainly at the top of the Euro nymphing rod market and Cortland’s innovation has produced a high-end, incredibly capable competition rod in the MKII. The MKII comes in two different styles: the competition nymph rod and just a competition rod. The competition MKII comes in heavier rod weights of 6, 7, and 8. All rod weights are 10 feet long. If you’re considering a Euro nymphing rod, the Cortland MKII competition nymph rod should be on your short list. If you’re fishing heavier rod weights, the MKII competition rod is a great option, too.

Cortland focuses on competition rods at the moment, so the three rod series’ listed here are the only rods Cortland makes. That said, these rods combine incredible innovation, timeless fly fishing experience, and years of research and development to bring you the best competition rods on the market today. Partnered with Cortland fly lines, these rods are sure to perform well in a diversity of fly fishing scenarios. Buy your new competition rod today at tridentflyfishing.com and receive free shipping on all U.S. orders.