Cortland Master Braid Review by Chuck

Cortland Line Company of Cortland New York has been in the line business for nearly 100 years. Only in recent years have they been producing braided line under their own name. Prior to that they made braided line for some of the biggest names in the saltwater line game. Cortland is one of the only 3 companies with the capability to actually braid spectra into line. All of their line is made in house in their New York facility, a true American manufacturer.

Master Braid is Cortland's solid braid which features FiberTech. A proprietary penetrating treatment which is used to permanently protect the line and enhance it's handling properties. This technology also permanently bonds with the fibers to seal in the color of the braid. No flaking, or fading, etc. FiberTech also gives Master Braid truly world class abrasion resistance.
After reading about the line in a few places, I contacted Brooks Robinson at Cortland to see about getting some line in for review. Brooks was very helpful, answering all my questions and was eager to get some line out to me to put it through it's paces in the harsh environments of that we encounter on our quest for monster catfish.
I spooled up the 50# Yellow Master braid on 2 of my reels. I chose 50# as the ultimate test for the lines abrasion resistance. Any nicks in the line should cause a quick release of any big flathead I hooked up to while pushing my drag up around 20 pounds.
After about a month and a half of fishing this line, I can say I have had ZERO problems. I have checked the line closely before every trip. Looking for any hint of damage. I have purposely sent casts into snags and over chunk rock with absolutely NO damage, simply incredible!
The old saying about not using braid in cover and especially around rocks, that simply doesn't apply with Cortland Master Braid. FiberTech is the real deal folks, not just some b.s. put out by a company to make their line seem better.

I was concerned after reading for years about knots in braid not holding as well as in mono. That to doesn't apply with Cortland Master Braid. I have been using the palomar with this line with ZERO slippage or knot defects of any kind. Even under high drag pressure with some big flatheads on. The line has simply performed with 100% reliability in every test I have put it through no matter the conditions.
I have also heard of lighter braid breaking on hard hooksets on heavy fish. I can tell you that didn't happen with the Master Braid. A few weeks ago I set the hook into a beast of a fish, big enough that when I set the hook the rod just stopped coming up when the line pulled completely tight. I was able to lift the rod slightly after that, but not enough to get a good bend in it. The Cortland held it's ground. But after a short fight, my leader gave up the ghost. What was my leader material? 50# Ande Monster Yellow. This was a fresh leader I had just tied a few hours before, that hadn't had any fish on it yet, but had been in some wood. I broke my own rule about obsessively checking my leaders, and it cost me a monster flathead. I'm pretty sure if I were using the Master Braid as a leader, I would have boated that fish.
I still have full confidence in Ande Monster Yellow. It will still be a part of my rigs, but I need to make sure I check it any time I come in contact with some nasty structure. Using 20 pounds of drag any defect in the line and a big fish will exploit it.
After that mishap I began to consider other leader options. I have some 100 pound Ande Monster Yellow, or would some 150 pound Cortland Master Braid do the trick. But really, checking my leader like I normally do would have eliminated the failure. I may still give some 150 pound Master Braid a try as a leader to see how it performs.
I'm positive it will perform just as well as the 50 pound line has. The Cortland Master Braid has put several nice flatheads in the boat so far, and it will stay on my reels until it's time to replace it with new Cortland Master Braid. I am now planning on putting it on most of my other reels. I see no reason to not use the best product I can find, especially when it's a line product. Our link between us and the fish.
So there you have it. The new top dog in line for my quest for monster catfish. The best abrasion resistance of any line I have ever used, incredible knot strength with no slippage, permanently bonded color, and amazing impact resistance. What more can we ask for from a line?

Chuck.