I like the color of the blank I found, but I don't know what to compare the value of the blank to...... is this an entry level kind of blank, an average okay - dokay kind of blank, or is it a good thing to obtain given the chance?

Pesco Ergo Sum

Cortland isn't known for making (sourcing) high end, premium blanks, but any time you find something you like there's really nothing wrong with it. How it suits you is what counts.

I have known some Cortland rods to have problematic ferrules. Not all, but some. You might try and find some Cortland owners on a fly fishing forum that can give you more feedback on that blank/rod.


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I have owned and used a 7 1/2 foot 4 wt. Cortland Sapphire rod for over a decade. It works fine. I believe it was built on the same IM6 graphite as a host of rods in all price categories (but different marketing claims, of course.) Cortland came out with the Sapphire line of rods around the same time that Cortland bought out the Diamondback Rod Company in Stowe, Vermont. The Sapphire rods may have been made by Diamondback. I never had any problems with the ferrule.

DiamondBack made a higher end product. If that blank was in fact a DiamondBack, it's a pretty good find.

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Thank you gentleman. I appreciate the info.

Pesco Ergo Sum