02-03-2009, 02:34 PM
Maxima is a very stiff material for its diameter. Im not much of a fan of it for most fly fishing applications such as dries and nymphs. Its just too stiff and hurts the drift. The advantage to Maxima is that it is ungodly strong. Maxima is my go-to for streamer fishing for big fish in nasty cover. The abrasion resistance is crazyy good. I also use it in november for peg bead fishing (alaska style). Just about every steelhead guide in BC uses maxima. Usually 10-12 # test for the hottest steelhead in the world. Anything heavier can snap a spey rod before the line breaks. I just buy spools of maxima and fish it as tippet off a 3-4 foot butt section. No real need for tapered leaders for that kind of fishing. I used to fish exclusively FFlex + for this stuff but 8 lb Maxima is stronger than 0X FFlex +. Not to mention way cheaper.
As far as leaders go, my favorite leaders are the Rio hand tied leaders. They have Maxima Chamelion butt sections (which is stiffer than other tapered leaders and still thinner), and hand tapered down to Rio Tippet. If you throw tailing loops with any consistency they might not be your cup of tea (lots of blood knots) but they last forever, turnover several feet of tippet, and punch into the wind better than any leader I have ever seen, IMO.
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As far as leaders go, my favorite leaders are the Rio hand tied leaders. They have Maxima Chamelion butt sections (which is stiffer than other tapered leaders and still thinner), and hand tapered down to Rio Tippet. If you throw tailing loops with any consistency they might not be your cup of tea (lots of blood knots) but they last forever, turnover several feet of tippet, and punch into the wind better than any leader I have ever seen, IMO.
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