Cortland Endurance Fly Rod - 9', 6wt, 2-Piece

Folks, I found these Cortland Endurance fly rods to be perfectly adequate for lake fishing. On the trips I've made since I received them, I've found that they cast well and they cast accurately. They have plenty of backbone for handling strong, feisty trout in the 18-22" range. Several fish of this size were landed and I saw nothing to indicate they could not handle larger fish. The uplocking reel seat is strong and secure and the cork is quality cork. My only problem with this rod is Cortland's "swirled, translucent, olive metal flake finish". This translates, in my opinion, to the ugliest finish I've ever seen on a fly rod. On a bright day this finish glimmers like a greenish/yellow 9 foot Jedi Light Saber! I kid you not, it's bright, funky and would be more at home in a night club! Wear your sunglasses and hope for overcast conditions! Beyond that, it seems like a quality product that would last for years.

After having now used this rod in rivers, I felt it necessary to submit a follow-on review. While I wasn't overly impressed with this rod with sinking line on lakes, I have since learned to appreciate it's "soft" action on rivers while using floating line. Being that this rod performs more like a medium action rod, it is sensitive enough to withstand jarring strikes while drifting or swinging soft hackle patterns in rivers. In the past I suffered a lot of "snap-offs" with my fast action rods that are better suited for lakes. In three days of fishing rivers, I've found this Cortland Endurance rod is flexible and soft enough to absorb the impact when fish strike at the end of a swing. IMO, this rod is best suited for rivers and is a great performer on moving water! Highly recommend!