** UPDATE ** After publishing this article, I’ve settled on Sufix Neon Fire 12 lb as my current replacement recommendation for Red Amnesia. I still prefer Amnesia (and I have more than a dozen spools), but the Neon Fire is a close second.
Tight liners are an eclectic crew. But we share one hallmark across our range of personalities and angler types. We appreciate the details. In fact, we’re often consumed by them. And while a faction of fly fishermen focus on the flies — searching for just the right pattern and tweaking the turns of ribbing on a #16 Perdigon — another group is more obsessed with the materials that we cast through the atmosphere.
That’s me. I’m a leader junkie.
Warning: this article is about to get into the weeds . . .
Sighters and Things
The most critical section in any tight line or Mono Rig system is the sighter. The colored line shows us everything, and without it, we’re flying blind.
I’ve used many, many different materials for a sighter, and not just straight monofilaments. I carried backing sighters, braided, furled and coiled sighters in my vest for many years.
READ: Troutbitten | Sighters — Seven Separate Tools
These days, if you’ve just gotten into euro nymphing, you likely bought whatever brand of bi-color sighter material your local fly shop happened to have on the wall. You tied it in-line. And now you’re sold on the system, because you started catching trout right away.
That’s great. Keep fishing, and love your life. But don’t think that you can understand the nuances of various monofilaments until you’ve spent a good deal of time splicing in pieces with blood knots and trying things out, back-to-back.
Simply because I’m a leader junkie, I’ve taken great interest in testing and re-testing various monofilaments and more through the years. I like the process. Objectively testing and searching for the next great thing gives me something to keep chewing on — something more to dissolve, to pick apart and reassemble anew.
That leads me to this . . .
I Miss Red Amnesia
For all my years, the red of the Sunset Amnesia was a glowing fluorescent color and nearly opaque in design. It was always the brightest and most visible thing that I built into my leader.
But now . . . it’s burgundy.
The glowing red line is no more. Oh, they still sell “Red” Amnesia, but it’s now the deep and darker tone of a good Merlot. And that . . . is just not visible on the river.
I confirmed this with the Kraft Tool Company, who distributes Amnesia. Here’s what they told me:
Unfortunately, we have been unable to get the red color you are looking for. It has been changed to burgundy and we are looking for a solution to get the fluorescent red back in our stock. Until then, we only have the burgundy.
Please, fish gods, help Kraft Tool bring back the bright red stuff.
Photo from Andrew at Fly Fish Food
Photo from Andrew at Fly Fish Food
Same and Soft
I lamented the sudden disappearance of the neon red material to my buddy, Smith, the other day.
“Who cares,” he said. “I just use the Rio sighter stuff, or the Orvis — whatever they have at the shop. It’s way more visible, and all of it is pretty much the same.”
That’s just the problem. Yes, it all is pretty much the same. All the bi-color sighter material is wonderfully visible but lamentably limp. Designed to be soft and sensitive, it’s a poor performer for transition sections of a leader and for thicker sighters. It’s designed for subtlety and not for power.
We could argue that point together over a beer sometime, but I’ve already done it here on Troutbitten. (I’ll still drink your beer though.)
READ: Troutbitten | Is a Soft Sighter Best? Not Always
Someday, I’d love to manufacture a leader material to my own specs. It would cast exactly like Maxima Chameleon, with its remarkable ability to lay flat once stretched hard, even in cold weather. Chameleon remains stiff enough to preserve the power that is so important in a casting style that focuses on tuck casting, a fly-first entry, pushing indys into position, throwing streamers and even casting dry flies on a Mono Rig. But yeah, instead of being brown, like Chameleon, I’d offer it in red too — old school Amnesia Red.
Ah. I miss it.
Options
I’d build the whole leader out of the miraculous Chameleon, if I could. But nobody can see a brown sighter. So Amnesia and Gold Stren have been my sighter choices for decades. Trust me when I tell you that I’ve tested at least fifty other monofilaments for the transition and sighter sections, in diameters from .015” to .009”, and nothing matches it. Plenty of materials are stiff enough and pretty visible. But none are as bright as neon red Amnesia (was).
Green Amnesia is still a thing. It’s as bright as ever, and I currently use it for my transition piece. But an effective sighter needs some contrast. It can’t be all green and yellow tones.
I still have two spools of old-school red Amnesia in 12 lb, which is what I use for my personal Troutbitten Standard Mono Rig stash. But honestly, the burgundy stuff is one of the main reasons why I haven’t had Mono Rigs for sale in the Troutbitten shop for a while. I’m still looking for a replacement that I can fall in love with before I sell it.
River doesn’t seem to care about any of this.
Currently, I’d recommend Sufix Seige Tangerine and Sufix Superior Neon Fire. The latter is a little brighter. Both are stiff enough, but neither is nearly as bright as original red Amnesia.
The OPST Lazar Line is very bright, very visible, and it’s offered in pink and green. The Lazar Line makes a good butt section, but it’s not perfect. I use it in my videos because it’s easily seen, but I swap back out to Chameleon for my daily fishing since it’s more powerful per-diameter, and it holds less coil once stretched.
The pink OPST Lazar Line would be a great substitute for red Amnesia, but it isn’t sold in the smaller diameters necessary for a sighter.
Truth be told, I’ve taken fourteen inches of the thinnest Lazar Line (.017”) and spliced it into my standard sighter right where the 12 inches of red Amnesia 12 pound (.012) would be. What’s the difference in the monofilament weight of .005” over 12 inches? Not much. And truthfully, the tiny bit more weight added takes away only a few inches of casting range and sag-less distance. Inserting it there negates the continuous taper of a “normal” leader, but I don’t care about that. I’ve used many different leader formulas with thicker line in the middle, to great effect.
How It Started | How It’s Going
So, what are we going to do about all this? I’m not sure yet. I mentioned the current best options that I’ve found, but I’m not satisfied. If real red Amnesia returns, then the problem is solved. But I’ve been alive long enough to know that when something you love leaves, it’s best to start moving on.
I talked with Chris Stewart from TenkaraBum about all of this too, as I thought he might’ve had a solution that I’d overlooked. I’ve also been in touch with multiple companies, some fly fishing and some otherwise, discussing the possibilities.
You might be surprised how few companies actually make their own lines. Also, the dyes added to the monofilament do change the characteristics of stiffness and castability. With the Lazar Line, OPST has something that could be extruded thinner and sold as a stiffer sighter material. Cortland makes a very good line they call Euro Nymphing Leader Material. It’s camouflage, which is a great choice for butt sections — sometimes. But if they offered the same material in bright colors, they’d make a lot of leader junkies pretty damn happy.
If you know about a big stash of the OG Red Amnesia, whisper it to me. If you have a solution for a red or bright orange line that maybe I’ve missed, email me or comment below. Word of caution though — lots of lines look bright when rolled up on a spool in multiple layers. But the only test that matters is what it looks like as a sighter, hanging from rod tip to the water, against the backdrop of the riverbank.
Sometimes the journey is the reward, right? But honestly, the search for the right leader material wears me down over time. My friend, Sawyer, can tell you, we’ve been wishing and hunting for the perfect material for decades. Then again, none of the fly rods are perfect either, none off the waders, the boots or much else.
But maybe someday . . .
Fish hard, friends.
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Enjoy the day.
Domenick Swentosky
T R O U T B I T T E N
domenick@troutbitten.com
This has been an issue for some time, I have spools of red amnesia from 25 all the way to 6lb, some purchased 3-4y ago, and the issue is apparent with some of the older spools. Wish they would fix it….honestly these days a 1” tag backing barrel on the fluoro tippet section is what I rely on most if I don’t want to use a limp sighter.
Right on. I saw it about a year ago. When I was stocking up for selling leaders in February of ’21, is when I first ran into the burgundy. I was told that it was a bad batch by a couple of fly shops. But ever since, it’s gotten very difficult to find the real red. That’s why I got in touch with Kraft Tool Company. Their quote above doesn’t make me very hopeful.
I also agree with you that a Backing Barrel solves the problem almost always.
This issue has become more pressing for me as we’ve started filling a lot more. I really want viewers to be able to see the sighter.
Cheers.
Dom
Who was it that said “I change my leader formula more often than I change my underwear”…Loren Williams? That’s how I feel about colored mono’s and even colored fluoro level lines…glad you got in touch with Chris from TB…he’s got a lot of knowledge. I still have pretty full “good” spools of 12 and 10lb red amnesia. I need to try that sufix superior neon fire…
Right on.
And yeah, I think that was Loren.
I think for a lot of us, it’s how we learn — to just try everything. Sounds like you’re a leader junkie too.
Hi Dominic
I’ve stated using Loon bio strike in fluorescent pink, orange and chartreuse rolled into very small and thin cigar shapes on the tippet end of my sighter. I use all three colours about 3 inches apart and it’s really improved sighter visibility for me. It weighs nothing and works well.
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for your input. I’ve used the Loon Biostrike. I still use the glowing stuff at night sometimes. But the main trouble is that it weighs the sighter down a bit. Yes, even in very small pieces.
The Backing Barrel is a better solution and much more visible. It also adds a third dimension to the sighter. If you like the Biostrike, I think you’ll love the Backing Barrel.
https://troutbitten.com/2021/10/08/the-backing-barrel-might-be-the-best-sighter-ever/
Cheers.
Dom
I like how you move on- but I did buy 4 spools of Seaguar Finesse 5.2 lb before it was gone. I store it in my basement fridge to keep it cool or in case someone robs me- not sure if that’s the right thing to do. I wish I had a stash of Amnesia to tell you about. Thanks for the heads up though. As Rosanne Rosannadana used to say “Well Jane, it just goes to show you- it’s always something. “
Hi Domenick. I sent you an IG message about this too, but there is a flouro level line made by Tenkara USA that is pretty stiff and incredibly visible orange and comes in 3 sizes. I have not tied it into a mojo rig as I still have some red amnesia also, but I may give it a shot and thought I’d bring it up as an option as it is by far the most visible line I’ve found.
Hi Kramer.
Thank you for the recommendation. I’ve used about four different Tenkara lines. The trouble with fluoro in this case, is that it sinks easier than nylon. Yes, I usually have my sighter above the water, but a large part of what I do is floating the sighter occasionally. That kind of rules out all the fluoro options, even though some are bright enough.
I know I could grease it more often, but that’s not a trade off I want to make.
It’s a rough life. 🙂
Dom
I have that level line, it is nice and stiff, but it is not as visible as the old red amnesia. It is also heavier and denser than amnesia.
Agreed. That’s what I’ve found with all the Tenkara fluoro lines that I’ve tried.
You’ve probably already experimented with this, but I’ve found that Cortland Trim-Color sighter material to be stiffer than most other brands.
I don’t know Alex, at least in 4x (the only diameter I have it in) it’s still pretty limp, at least the 2 spools I have. Maybe slightly stiffer than Rio, but nowhere near as stiff as 6lb amnesia. Maybe in the thicker diameters it is stiffer?
I agree about the comparison to 6lb. Amnesia. But, it’s important to compare like to like. 6lb. Amnesia is .009″ whereas 4x Cortland is .007″. I don’t have Cortland in 2x to compare with Amnesia. I suspect that the Amnesia will still be stiffer, but it would be good to know via an actual comparison.
That’s, “tri-color.”
YES! Me too. I think Cortland makes the stiffest sighter material. I almost have myself convinced that I’m happy with it in .013″. . . . Almost.
I take it that the “Almost” is because, although stiff, the Cortland sighter material is not quite stiff enough. Is that correct?
Yes.
Here’s another possible solution: Use stiff mono (I like Zebco Omniflex) and then color it with Sakura paint marker. As opposed to wax, paint marker isn’t a seek and stain missile for everything in its proximity. When it dries, it gets a little stiff, which is a good thing. I don’t think that it’s as bright as old school Amnesia red, but we’re talking about compromises here.
Alex, you always have some great insights. Thanks for contributing.
Sakura paint marker — I never heard of it, but I’ll look it up.
“As opposed to wax, paint marker isn’t a seek and stain missile for everything in its proximity.”
Ha. I really don’t like the wax! And it is just unnecessary for anyone not competing.
Alex, ever tried Fox’s Magic Marker?
Dom
I have some Fox’s Magic Marker. It’s the brightest braid I know of, but it’s quite thick, perhaps the equivalent of 30lb. I’m not sure if the extra thickness matters, especially given the increased visibility. I might try it next time I go fishing.
So what you’re really trying to tell us is there is going to be a TroutBitten line company in the near future. This is one of the great pieces of hobbies that we truly care about. We can always find something that we keep tweaking to get just that little bit more out of it.
So yer a leader junkie too . . .
Actually, I meant to say Fox’s Marker Elastic. Have you used that yet?
Dom
Dom, what you think about using skafars neon colored wax on top of the burgundy Amnesia (or on the Maxima Chameleon)?
I’ve used the Skafars wax on top of other sighters and I like it. It doesn’t seem to change the performance of the material much, at least in my limited experience with it.
Hi Michael,
I give my thoughts on a the wax a few comments down.
Cheers.
Good to know. I will be parsimonious using my red amnesia from now on. Currently I’m experimenting with a whole leader and sighter made of the green #8.
Do it
Hi Dom, good article. What about Skafar’s wax? (Please pardon me if you’ve already dismissed wax in another article.)
Fish on!
Roger
Hi Roger.
Thank you. I’m not a fan of the wax. It’s never as visible as I wish it would be. But I’m comparing that to the visibility of the Backing Barrel. That’s the problem solver for me:
https://troutbitten.com/2021/10/08/the-backing-barrel-might-be-the-best-sighter-ever/
The wax can be good for an angler fishing under competition restrictions. Most of us are not, and I find a Backing Barrel a much more versatile, visible and useful tool.
Thanks again, Roger.
Dom
Try Cortland bi-color or Tri-color. I now use approximately 30 foot of 4x Tri-color as my “fly line” and for the sighter tie in blood knots 6 inches apart for approximately two foot. I use fluorescent Skafers Neon Wax on the blood knotted Tri-color sighter and it pops. Another advantage to the Tri-color especially in the 4x or 3x range is I can dip the Sighter to achieve depth without inducing drag that thicker sighters would create. This approach gives you excellent sighter visibility, less drag inherent in thicker Mono rig approaches and the flexibility to go to depth. Use the circle cast or more direct back cast (wait for the tug) approach. Like most things in life excellence doesn’t come easy, so go to the back yard and practice throwing the micro leader with this prescription. Practice it a lot and you will gain accuracy with all the other benefits of less drag and flexibility. Get over the Amnesia and take the next step up to catching more fish. Trust me on this.
Hi Terry,
Thanks for the advice. You’re goals and desires are much different than mine. I’m glad you have a system that works for you. I do to. And that does not mean that we couldn’t make each others rigs work or cast them just as well. I’ve spent a ton of time with thin and micro thin leaders. I fish them a good bit.
https://troutbitten.com/2021/02/07/thin-and-micro-thin-leaders-for-euro-nymphing-and-the-mono-rig/
But your assumption that micro thin means more advanced is a mistake, in my opinion. It’s just another tool. There are many liabilities with any leader. Having a system, knowing it well and fishing hard is what catches more trout. It’s not the leader. I would imagine that it’s your talent that catches the trout and not the leader.
Cheers.
Dom
This is a bit off topic but being color blind to the point that red is invisible I find that Sufix Gold works very well for me but 17lb is about the diameter that 20lb Chameleon is for you
Understood. Also, out of curiosity, do you have any trouble seeing the in-content links in these articles? They are an orange color, and I’ve wondered if everyone can see them well.
Cheers.
Dom
I have a very poor distribution of cones that let me see red if i have a large block of red and its well lit and close I can see red. Something like a strand of red mono even well lit is unlikely to be something I would notice on the stream. The HOME ARTICLES at the top of this page appears more like orange because the black background is high contrast but my mind often gives me the illusion of color at times that are not true for example I might be convinced at times that it’s green. When I got married I explained to my wife that I had two kinds of socks made of the same fabric but when I was matching them after take them out of the drier until I got at least one of each color I never new whether the sock was green or brown but once I had one of each I knew what color they both were. I see chartruese backing knots as pure yellow and see them quite well. I keep my fly tying materials separate and labelled and do very well with them most or the time. Thanks for asking sorry for being so long winded.
Hello!
Stroft “Color”has a quite bright red. I didn’t use it myself so far.
THX and keep up the excellent work!!
Ralph Hertling, Berlin
Hi Ralph. Thank you. If you ever use it, please let me know what you think. Most of these lines look great on the spool but they disappoint when put to use. Usually too transparent.
Cheers.
I now bought Stroft Color in yellow and red, since I couldn’t find Sufix Superior/Sufix Siege and Stren in Germany.
In my opinion yellow seems to be very good to see. Red on the other hand seems to me too transparent. The material itself is pretty soft.
I have to say, that I haven’t been on the water yet.
Yes, Stroft is very soft. That’s the point of it, I think. It’s not a good material for my goals.
Cheers.
Dom
Hi Dom, why do you prefer gold Stren over the green amnesia? I find the green amnesia to be more visible and comparably stiff.
Hi Luke,
That’s a very fair point. I don’t have any good answer for you, other than I like the color and I see it well. I do agree, that green Amnesia is a great substitute for that piece. And I certainly wouldn’t argue that the Stren is better.
Maybe I’ll tie up a leader to fish that way tomorrow . . .
Cheers.
Dom
Thanks for the reply. Wasn’t sure if I was missing something. The green amnesia works well for me with an orange backing barrel (which you should patent or something because it’s amazing).
Ha. Thanks.
And therein lies a possible solution. I just came back from fishing with a 24″ length of 12 lb. green amnesia (it could have been gold Stren, btw), the first 12″ of which was painted orange (with black stripes) using Sakura paint markers. The painted part was really visible.
I don’t think i have seen it mentioned here but has anyone tried dying there own stiff mono – by maxima chameleon green would be a good choice to dye bright red. Also black amnesia with a white backing barrel may be worth a try.
Neat ideas. I had a hard enough time dying feathers and hair back in the day. But actually, dying mono would likely be less messy. Let me know if you ever try it.
What is everyone’s thoughts on dying a stiff mono of choice. Maybe even dying Maxima Chameleon green using a bright red Dye. Or I thought about using my black Amnesia with a white backing barrel for contrast.
OK, I listened to your 9 podcasts on tight line nymphing and I am sold. Today ordered 20 and 10 lb Maxima Chameleon, 12 lb Red Amnesia (not the bright red you prefer) and could not find gold stern. I substitued 10 lb Green Amnesia. I will tie my own rig and give it a try. Have planned 3 days on **** Creek in early May.
Hi Jim. I’m glad you are giving it a try. Please follow the resources contained in the links provided through all of the podcast companion articles. There’s a LOT there to help you out.
Repectfully, the Amnesia that you bought is useless. That’s the whole reason for the article above. It’s just not visible enough to make a sighter out of. So I would choose one of the other options listed above.
Good luck. Have fun with it.
Cheers.
Dom
Hi Dom,
I’m looking at Suffix Siege mono in “Neon Tangerine” on the web. It might be an option to replace the old red Amnesia.
In the meantime, I’ve been using a 12″ length of Fluorescent Blue Stren (with a backing barrel) for the section above Gold Stren
I am really enjoying your mono rig system. It’s great to embrace a lifelong passion with a “beginner’s mind”.
Best fishes,
Jim Dowd
Hi Jim.
Right on. I mentioned the Suffix Neon Tangerine above, as my best alternative, at the moment. They have a Neon Fire too. Looks about the same.
Hi Dom.
Have you tried the Maxima Fibre Glow pink? I haven’t seen it in the flesh so not sure how solid or bright the colour is in reality but read a review that said it had very similar stiffness to the Chameleon. It also glows in the dark when hit with a black light which could be interesting for night fishing.
Cheers,
Adrian
Hi Adrian,
The Fibre Glow is GREAT. Unfortunatley, Maxima no longer makes it.
Dom
Just to clarify here again / as an info for the (surely) many European readers:
Fibre Glow from Maxima Line as a German manufacturer is still being produced, see https://www.maxima-line.de/shop/Maxima-Fibre-Glow-c52031774
Apparently, however, it is currently not available from the distributor in the USA, see https://www.maximafishingline.com/.
Exactly the opposite is the case with the yellow HV line, which is currently only available in the USA.
Maybe a swap among the users here would be worthwhile 😉
Great stuff. Thank you.
Hey Dom,
Thanks for all your articles. I have only been messing with euro nymph fishing for the past couple years. I am an avid dry fly fisherman by nature, and I do not remember how bright the red Amnesia used to be, but I see the current red color. Question, and this might seem a bit “redneck”, but sometimes ideas that get labeled as “redneck” actually have their value. I have been wondering about some type of spray paint, especially if it were pretty water proof. Take for example maybe something on the order of the bright spray for marking buried utility lines in ones yard before digging a hole. Would that type or another type of spray paint across red Amnesia possibly work? Or would it ruin the strike detection based on making the Amnesia too rigid or too heavy due to the paint? I see some that is a fluorescent pink spray paint as well. Unless there would be water contamination issues but I don’t think there is any lead in any paint anymore, but not positive.
I have some old red amnesia in 10# and 15#. I wonder if trimming down to 8” or oven 10″ would suffice?
Not really. The 15# will be too heavy and the 10# will be a little light. Try Suffix Neon Fire.
Dom,
since e-mailing you about this amnesia issue last spring, a funny thing happened. As my Daddy always says “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good”. I have a wisteria plant in the yard that was misbehaving. In order to get it to “grow properly” around a column I wound up using some 25lb Red Amnesia I had laying around. As winter is coming on and the leaves are falling off the wisteria this year, I noticed that the amnesia has changed. After a few years, different sections of the amnesia have been exposed to the sun’s uv rays at different rates. The least exposed sections are now about the same color as the green amnesia. Other sections are a tangerine color, and the most exposed sections are now completely clear.
This got me to wondering. So I took some sandpaper to a piece of the old red amnesia (about 600 grit works best for you crazies that want to try it yourself). And sure enough, after a little sanding the bright orange comes off to reveal a more yellow center. After sanding, the line is more translucent. Shining a light through the sanded line onto a piece of white paper shows just how yellow it is – actually very similar to Gold Stren.
So then I sanded a piece of the new amnesia. It is that same burgundy color all the way through.
I think that the magic of the old amnesia is a slightly more opaque (but still somewhat translucent) super bright orange over the translucent gold. That’s what makes it really pop. And I guess that coating probably explains why the red and green amnesia don’t have the exact same qualities.
Now if somebody here can just come up with a plan to bind a fluorescent orange coating to some gold stren…
I’m basically a dry fly/wet fly fisherman. But I share your obsession with leaders. I still mostly use the George Harvey formulas, but alter them on windy days or for smaller creeks. But fly patterns, rod makes, and tactics, as obsessive as I can be about them, fall short of my near idiotic obsession with leaders.
Good stuff
Domenick and others. Have any of you tried any of the OPST Lazar Tippet for building out your sighter? I’m new at the whole euronymphing thing and just spent a day fishing after building out my first leaders. I used the BRICK red amnesia, and compared to the green is was practically invisible. I was using some Ovis 0x sighter material (again I’m new to this, and it’s what I already had), and I used a black sharpie to color 1 inch sections between the color changes. That actually worked pretty good as far as visibility. I just saw that you said that lazar didn’t have anything small enough and was just wondering about their tippet materials. Here is the link https://pureskagit.com/pages/tippetmaterial.
Hi Adrian,
I think you’re confused. That’s alright, all of this is at first. The tippet materials that you linked to are clear, so they are useless as a sighter.
Our best option for building stiffer sighters remains Suffix in Neon Fire and Gold Stren. Otherwise, we can use the soft and opaque materials that every manufacturer offers.
Cheers.
Dom
According to the Tactical Fly Fisher website, the original red Sunset Amnesia is back. I ordered a spool from them.
I ordered a bunch of OG Red Amnesia from Tactical Fly Fishing. It’s the good stuff. Looks like we’re back!