Maxima leader material

[chstrcntyfish]

I was just wondering if the chamelion color for this stuff is any good. I'm about to purchase the leader kit with a cabelas gift card.

 

[chstrcntyfish]

Anyone? Thinking clear is the way to go.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Chameleon is my choice. I've tried so many different leaders and materials over the years, it boggles the mind. I always come back to Maxima Chameleon for the leaders (with Rio tippet).

 

[chstrcntyfish]

Thanks for the response, what color is the chamelion? Will it be ok for normal fishing situations?

 

[chstrcntyfish]

Well I ordered the chamelion so hopefully my leaders will blend in and i'll catch more fish haha.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Chameleon is a brownish color. While I know people that use it for tippet material, I prefer something softer. If you want some really good leader formulas, Flyfisher's Paradise in State College has a leader booklet for like 2 bucks that is awesome. If you don't want to tie all those knots, the Borger Uni leaders work pretty good as well.

Uni leader:

.025 Maxima Chameleon-------- 4ft
.013 Maxima Chameleon-------- 1ft

Usually, I add 2 ft of 2X, 2 ft 4X, and 2 ft 5X for a dry fly leader.

 

[chstrcntyfish]

I tied up some leaders before with a kit I bought but I returned it because someone had switched out some of the sizes so I had a few double spools. I used leadercalc before and ended up with some nice leaders but after returning the kit I didn't buy another and now this gift card was a good reason to buy another. And I have a 4x,5x,6x, and 7x orvis superstrong tippet.

 

[dryflyguy]

I started tying my leaders a little different a few years ago.
I now use 3 feet of Orvis hi flote for the butt section, and tie the remaining sections with stren lo-vis mono line. I like this formula better than the ones with the stiffer maxima
this is a dryfly leader i should also point out

 

[Kneedeep]

I have dabbled in tying my own knotted tippets, to some success.
I am currently using Maxima chamelion almost exclusively on stream for repairs, and quick make up. I have been pleased with its performance. The other day I tried to use up some older RIO. broke three repairs near the knot. That has never happened before. It was cold (< 32 ) I don't know if that was a factor or not. But, the Rio went into the trash. I have used Frog Hair a lot as well, and I do like it as well.

 

[jayL]

I used some hand tied leaders made with it (chameleon) this weekend. Worked well. As long as you put a clear tippet on it, it's nice. Turned heavily weighted flies and shot spreads over easily.

 

[DGC]

Last time I checked a few years ago, Maxima leader material always measured larger in the micrometer than what was listed on the spool. This was with Chameleon and Ultragreen, and with many different sizes as well as multiple spools of the same size. While not in itself a bad thing, I thought I would mention it.

I have used both for years and like them. I even try to get away with using Ultragreen for tippett, especially on less educated fish, or in tight, small stream situations like for brookies, or when nymphing. But in general Ultragreen is a bit hard for dry fly tippet, and Chameleon is even harder.

Some of the softer tippet materials do not work well with Maxima. The Maxima seems to cut through them at the knot. My favorite "soft" tippet for use with Maxima is Climax ll, usually in a leader starting with Chameleon, tapering to Ultragreen, with a Climax ll tippet.

Fishing trips are too infrequent that I want to spend them testing leader and tippet materials, but I once nymphed the Savage River in MD with an all Chameleon leader and Chameleon tippett with a total length of 13 ft and did just fine. This was under gin clear and fairly low water conditions. Nevertheless, I prefer lighter color tapers and tippets for most of my fishing.

 

[DGC]

Made an error in the previous post and don't see an edit option.

Instead of Climax ll, I use regular Climax tippet when attaching to Ultragreen.

Sorry for the slip

 

[jrcll]

does dai riki still make the velet tippet material ? it was really supple but i don`t see it for sale anymore, i felt frog hair tippet was a lil stiff, i mostly use rio now but i think after reading the posts here i`ll give maxima a try

 

[pcray1231]

I use the chameleon for my stiff leader material, but not for tippets of course. Pretty stiff stuff. The stiffness is great for casting, but you need to make sure you have a long enough tippet to reduce drag. For nymph leaders its all the maxima until the tippet. For dedicated dry fly leaders, I replace the second half of the leader with something softer before adding tippet. Has worked good for me so far....