In a relatively short time, a Pittsburgh-based company has become a major player in the highly competitive fishing line business.

Gamma Technologies has experienced excellent growth during the five-plus years it has been producing leaders, tippet material and line for the fishing tackle industry.

"Gamma's founder was a nuclear engineer for Westinghouse," said Tom Ference, manager of the fishing line end of Gamma's business.

"Through his work and efforts (at Westinghouse), he discovered a technology that alters the molecular makeup of various materials, such as nylons and fluorocarbons, which today is called nanotechnology."

Ference said that while Gamma has been producing fishing line and associated products for less than five years, the company has a nearly three-decade history of making top quality tennis racket strings.

Meanwhile, Ference was operating a fishing tackle retail store a few miles from Gamma's location. Ference said his fishing partner, Jeff Blood, had occasion to raise the possibility of Gamma developing a fishing line.

"He was calling on Gamma for a purpose not associated with fishing," recalled Ference. "While there he got wind of Gamma's technology. Because of his fishing background, and perhaps vision, he posed the question that if the company could produce the best tennis racket string, could it use the same technology to produce quality fishing lines.

The answer was, "Yes. What is that you want?"

Armed with a direction of what anglers require from fishing line products, the company developed its fluorocarbon "Froghair" fly-fishing leaders and tippet materials.

"I carried the product in my store," said Ference. "I did well with it. I used it and believed in it. Gamma asked me to work a couple of trade shows to promote the product. That turned into an offer to work for the company full time."

Following its success with fly-fishing leaders and tippets, the company decided to expand into the spinning and baitcasting markets.

Ference put his product to the test when he convinced FLW professional bass angler Dave Lefebre of Erie to try out Gamma's line. While initially reluctant to test a fluorocarbon product with fly-fishing roots, eventually Lefebre agreed to join Ference on Presque Isle Bay.

"I sat in the back of the boat while Lefebre fished from the bow," recalled Ference. "He was setting the hook awfully hard, at least to what I was accustomed to. After about 20 fish, following one of those power hooksets, he began turning to me saying, "That should have broke."

At the end of the day, he had landed 82 bass and one northern pike — all on one rig, without ever retying. He said, "Okay, what do I need to do? I need to fish this line.'"

While the line is extruded in Japan, it is sent to Gamma for the process that gives it its exceptional strength and handling qualities. Ference said the processing is done in the United States, including some done locally.

Two years ago, the company added a copolymer line to its array of products. With two types of fishing lines in production, as well as its fly-fishing leaders, Ference expects Gamma's future growth to be one of tweaking its products to meet the requirements of fishing for other species, such as catfish and carp. This would be in the area of breaking strengths and line colors.