Maxima Chameleon Vs Amnesia (Red)

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FlyHunt

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Hello everyone,

I was hoping to get a little more insight on Amnesia vs. Maxima and what the biggest differences are between the two. I saw someone recommend building a leader starting with Maxima and ending with Amnesia, which got me wondering… why not all Maxima or all Amnesia? Is there a specific reason behind mixing them, or is it mostly personal preference?

This might just be me being new to the whole “building your own leader” game. Currently, when I’m nymphing under an indicator, I just run Maxima straight off the fly line. But I’d love if someone could break down the differences and explain the logic behind the setups.

Or tell me I’m overthinking it and dumb… either works! 😂

Thanks in advance!
 
Maxima is stiffer and is good leader butt material. Good for turnover. Good for an indicator leader.

The leader that comes to mind that has chameleon ending with amnesia is a euro nymphing leader, where the amnesia is not really for turnover, but just for visibility, it's usually a smaller section.
 
Isn't amnesia typically just a running line? Chameleon is a stiff version of Maxima that some like for a better turnover on weighted flies.

I've never heard of Amnesia used as anything but a running line as that's what it's designed for. I imagine it doesn't have the abrasion resistance or other factors you'd want in a leader. I honestly don't know too much about it as I haven't used it but I have used Chamelon as a leader and it definitely wouldn't be my choice for anything longer than a main leader section.
 
DerekWhipple said:
Maxima is stiffer and is good leader butt material. Good for turnover. Good for an indicator leader.

The leader that comes to mind that has chameleon ending with amnesia is a euro nymphing leader, where the amnesia is not really for turnover, but just for visibility, it's usually a smaller section.
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Thank you! I appreciate it!
 
Evan B said:
Isn't amnesia typically just a running line? Chameleon is a stiff version of Maxima that some like for a better turnover on weighted flies.

I've never heard of Amnesia used as anything but a running line as that's what it's designed for. I imagine it doesn't have the abrasion resistance or other factors you'd want in a leader. I honestly don't know too much about it as I haven't used it but I have used Chamelon as a leader and it definitely wouldn't be my choice for anything longer than a main leader section.
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Yeah I don’t really know much about amnesia and as far as chameleon goes, I’ve been doing like you mentioned, running it as a main leader section!
 
I quit using Chameleon for my euro leaders a few years ago. Even with the sighter, I had a a tough time spotting the leader after the cast. I switched the entire leader to Amnesia. The leader was way easier to spot after the cast. I made the leader lighter, which was easier to cast. I also alternated the colors, red, green, red, or visa versa. By using the Amnesia, it totally eliminated the need for the sighter. I believe the Amnesia is a little softer, but straightens very easily. Prolonged exposure will also cause it to fade a bit.
 
SpeyrodGB said:
I quit using Chameleon for my euro leaders a few years ago. Even with the sighter, I had a a tough time spotting the leader after the cast. I switched the entire leader to Amnesia. The leader was way easier to spot after the cast. I made the leader lighter, which was easier to cast. I also alternated the colors, red, green, red, or visa versa. By using the Amnesia, it totally eliminated the need for the sighter. I believe the Amnesia is a little softer, but straightens very easily. Prolonged exposure will also cause it to fade a bit.
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I just use 20-ish feet of tri-color sighter to a tippet ring for my entire leader It would save you a lot of knot tying. I currently use 5x, but it's sold up to like 15 pound by different brands.
 
I was introduced to Amnesia as an indicator element of the leader by Harry Murray, Virginia smallmouth guru back in the 1990s. Fishing heavy nymphs and baitfish patterns in the turbulent waters of the Potomac and Shenandoah watersheds, Harry advocated using a short piece of Amnesia attached to the fly line above a longer, level tippet. As I fish subsurface with unweighted flies and long sink-tips as a matter of course for both fresh and salt water environments, the Amnesia technique persisted as I ventured into different environments. Amnesia has two very useful properties—its visibility and its resistance to curling. Stretch a piece of Amnesia straight and it will stay straight with some stiffness.

Fishing subsurface flies on sink-tips inherently raises the potential for snags—rocks, logs, coral, oyster beds, heavy vegetation can all capture your fly to a point where you must break something off. What I’ve concluded after decades of using it is that it’s an effective material for protecting your fly line from damage during snags and break offs. The average pound test of fly line cores is about 25# for the mid-range weights. So my typical setups are as follows:

Freshwater—5 or 6 weight—Sink-tip fly line—12” of Amnesia 20# (red) with Perfection Loops at both ends—3-4’ of 0X tippet (~15” test)

Saltwater—7 or 8 weight—Sink-tip fly line—12” of Amnesia 25# (chartreuse) with Perfection Loops at both ends—4-6’ of 15# Fluoro tippet.

When snagged and forced to break off, 90%+ of the time if the tippet doesn’t break at the fly, it will break at the Amnesia loop to the tippet. Although I cannot say positively, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced the Amnesia breaking or breaking at the fly line - loop connection.

So in conclusion, the Amnesia section does three things well—its inherent straightness and moderate stiffness helps in casting, its visibility is obvious and its strength compared to the fly line core and tippet strengths helps protect the fly line from damage during inevitable break offs.
 
Back in my saltwater fly days used to build beach leaders starting with Maxima chameleon 15 or 20 butt section, then blood knot down to 15/12 Ultragreen mid section then the 12/10 Ultragreen tippet.

The chameleon in the butt section was for the stiffness & help turning over those big bucktail clauser
 
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Chamelion is stiifer than Ultragreen, which is stiffer than Stren. I haven't used Amnesia, I use yellow Stren.
Devin Olsen suggests Amnesia in Tactical Nymphing.1000005240.jpg
George Daniel has Stren, among others, in his leaders in Dynamic Nymphing.
1000005241.jpg
I'm using 12# yellow Stren between the butt and sighter material. Easy for me to see, doesn't seem to bother the fish. Quite castable with good turnover. Seems to have a bit of stretch, extra tippet protection, but doesn't impead hooksets. Here's one for short rods like my 9' 4wt on a brushy stream with floating line, but I like 2' of Stren or more for longer rods. I'll run a longer butt from a 9' tapered leader on longer rods as well. I run 22' 20# Chameleon to the Stren on my Euro setup.
1000005242.jpg
 
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Tom Butler said:
Chamelion is stiifer than Ultragreen, which is stiffer than Stren. I haven't used Amnesia, I use yellow Stren.
Devin Olsen suggests Amnesia in Tactical Nymphing.View attachment 184933
George Daniel has Stren, among others, in his leaders in Dynamic Nymphing.
View attachment 184934
I'm using 12# yellow Stren between the butt and sighter material. Easy for me to see, doesn't seem to bother the fish. Quite castable with good turnover. Seems to have a bit of stretch, extra tippet protection, but doesn't impead hooksets. Here's one for short rods like my 9' 4wt on a brushy stream with floating line, but I like 2' of Stren or more for longer rods. I'll run a longer butt from a 9' tapered leader on longer rods as well. I run 22' 20# Chameleon to the Stren on my Euro setup.
View attachment 184935
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Thanks for the photos! I'll have to look into this more! Have yet to euro nymph! But from what it sounds like, both maxima and amnesia seem to be big in the euro world!
 
TCS said:
Thanks for the photos! I'll have to look into this more! Have yet to euro nymph! But from what it sounds like, both maxima and amnesia seem to be big in the euro world!
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They are, easy mono to handle. The sighter can help you get a better idea of precisely where your flies are when swinging wets, or drifting that tiny ant or Adam's too.
 
I tie a short section of 25lb hot red Amnesia to the end of my fly line with a nail knot, make a loop at the other end, and attach my tapered leader to the loop. The Amnesia section works as a sighter for me.
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PXL_20260526_184329923.jpg
 
Zak said:
I tie a short section of 25lb hot red Amnesia to the end of my fly line with a nail knot, make a loop at the other end, and attach my tapered leader to the loop. The Amnesia section works as a sighter for me.
View attachment 184938
View attachment 184939
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I tried that after consulting in a thread similar to this a while back.
Honestly I couldn't see the red. Thought it flouresces in sunlight ?
 
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Zak said:
I tie a short section of 25lb hot red Amnesia to the end of my fly line with a nail knot, make a loop at the other end, and attach my tapered leader to the loop. The Amnesia section works as a sighter for me.
View attachment 184938
View attachment 184939
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Whats the advantage to attaching it to the end of your fly line? I watch the tip of my line constantly, and figured sighter would be better placed further down the leader, to pick up strikes before the tip of the fly line.

No disrespect meant, just curious! Fwiw my floating lines are bright pink and easy to see.
 
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Pink Nighty said:
Whats the advantage to attaching it to the end of your fly line? I watch the tip of my line constantly, and figured sighter would be better placed further down the leader, to pick up strikes before the tip of the fly line.

No disrespect meant, just curious! Fwiw my floating lines are bright pink and easy to see.
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My fly lines are mostly olive or brown. I have trouble seeing the tip of the line on the water and the sighter helps. Like you, I watch the tip of my fly line constantly!

Also, when I started fly fishing factory loops at the end of fly lines were rare. I was taught to add a section of 25lb mono to the end with a nail knot. I just switched in the bright Amnesia for the clear mono.

I have been curious about the "tricolor sighter" tippet material that could create a sighter farther down the leader. I'll try it out someday.
 
Like Zak, I’ve gotten rid of my main fly line loops. I prefer a 4 inch piece of 10# Ultra green attached with a nail knot and then to a micro swivel. Using a clinch knot from there is much simpler than always tying and threading surgeon knot loops..
 
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