Field Tested | Maxima Ultra Green Tippet

The Maxima Ultra Green Tippet

The largest steelhead I’ve ever seen was landed by Jim Trainer while on a Deschutes River guide trip with me a few years ago. Jim hooked the fish late in the evening in a beautiful pool about eight river miles up from the mouth of the river and the boat ramp. I saw Jim hook the fish from a distance. It immediately cleared the water I could tell it was a good fish. A really good fish! This was a little concerning because it was getting dark and we still had eight miles of river to run in my jet boat with four massive rapids to negotiate on our way down. When I reached Jim, he was visually “goosed”. Which was weird because he’s landed a ton of steelhead with me over the years. Usually he’s smiling and enjoying the ride. Now I knew we had a real monster on our hands.

As darkness fell on the canyon, I urged Jim to pressure the fish for our own safety of getting down the river. He bent his spey rod deep into the butt section and could barely move the fish. It took a while but we finally got the fish close enough to where I could see it. “Holy %$$#@ Jim! That thing is %*$#@&% HUGE!!!” Now we were both goosed. We finally settled down and brought the fish into the shallows. As I slid my hand around the massive wrist of the tail, it felt like I was gripping a fat ladies ankle. I slid my other hand under its belly and lifted forty-two and a half inches of beautiful steelhead out of the water. The head on the massive buck was as big as a Labrador retriever’s!

As I slid the fly out, I noticed something that still blows my mind… A wind knot in the 8Lb. Maxima tippet!!! (Wind knots, really casting knots, reduce the breaking strength significantly.) We had just landed the biggest steelhead either of us had ever seen with a wind knot. With all the pressure we put on that fish, I’m still not sure how it didn’t break.

We made it down the river that night. Barely. Years later we still talk about that night, the ride down the river, and the twenty-five pound steelhead on 8Lb. Maxima with a wind knot.

Tom Larimer

Larimer Outfitters