TRILENE BIG GAME vs 444 Peach Fly Line: which is safer?
BERKLEY TRILENE BIG GAME is the clear pick. Cortland 444 Peach Fly Line carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Our pick
Berkley
TRILENE BIG GAME
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
LikelyUV degradation and embrittlement
PossibleMicroplastic release during use
Cortland
444 Peach Fly Line
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleCoating degradation and microplastic release
PossibleUndisclosed plasticizer or surfactant leaching
PossibleThermal instability of PVC core
Where these two actually differ
- We flag UV degradation and embrittlement and Microplastic release during use on the Berkley and not on the Cortland.
- We flag Coating degradation and microplastic release, Undisclosed plasticizer or surfactant leaching, Thermal instability of PVC core and Aquatic bioaccumulation of coating compounds on the Cortland and not on the Berkley.
- The Berkley is monofilament nylon fishing line where the Cortland is PVC-based fly line with proprietary coating, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Berkley is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Cortland grade, at 35% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More fishing line: see the full ranking