Impressions: When looking at the cornucopia of fishing line on store shelves it is hard to make a decision based on specifications alone. What's right for you will depend on what type of fishing you're doing, and with what type of gear.

The Maxima Ultragreen comes in moss green and is soft and limp when taken off of the spool

Once you take some Maxima Ultragreen line off the spool you will discover that it is actually quite limp and soft. The line slides through your fingers nicely, and when tugged on it has a stretch you would normally find in most monofilament fishing lines. The clear moss green color is attractive and doesn't appear to be a highly visible line, but we'll make that final conclusion after our field trials.

Field Tests: As we discovered in the past, different pound test or even the color of the lines within one type can be a little different, even though the manufacturing process is supposed to be the same. So we opted to test out both the 2lb test for trout and pan fish, and 12lb test for bass and stripers.

Maxima's Ultragreen performs well on both baitcasting and spinning reels

Casting: Straight out of the package and spooled onto the reel, casting the 2lb test line on the TICA Cetus was great, and that goes for the 12lb test on the Daiwa baitcast reel as well. Both lines are limp and flow nicely through the guides. After many more trips is where the performance of this line really begins to show. The 2lb test was fished in mainly lakes and streams, and continued to produce good results with each fluid cast. The thin line had near zero memory and remained as new throughout each fishing expedition. The 12lb test line was fished in freshwater lakes, brackish slews, and saltwater. After a while the line didn't cast as well and after stripping some line off the spool we could tell it experienced increased memory. When tugged on, it did straight out somewhat, but still wasn't as good as we hoped.

Knot Strength: The Maxima Ultragreen line did very well in terms of knot strength. Simple to more complicated knots, never did the line snap at or near the knot, nor did one come lose when fighting fish or trying to undo snags. A good tip is to wet the line with your saliva or water before tightening the knot.

Durability: The durability of a line is most likely determined by how you fish and in what type of environment. The life of the line can be affected by the course it goes through. This includes fishing in fresh to saltwater, around abrasive structure, how well one treats the line, and of course proper care for the line such as a good rinsing after all fishing trips. But as anglers we expect the manufactures to produce a product that can take as much abuse as possible, or at least tolerate what they advertise.

In terms of durability, the 2lb test is better than the 12lb (taking weight into consideration)

The Maxima Ultragreen line in 2lb test did very good in terms of durability. Spooled onto the ultralight TICA Cetus spinning reel, the line went through a few trips at Crowley and nearby lakes, and through

many river systems in Yosemite National Park. And as of today, the line still remains as strong as ever. When looking at abrasion resistance and its limpness, the 2lb test did well staying soft and received little scuff marks from dragging the line over boulders while trout and pan fishing.

Moving into our next set of tests using the 12lb test in bass and striper fishing. The problem that surfaced during the casting tests is mainly due to the line showing weaknesses in its ability to hold the natural state.  After extensive tests bass and striper fishing, the 12lb test line held up in strength like other types of monofilaments. The only down side we found was after fishing in saltwater or brackish water, the line begins to dry out after about half of a dozen uses and that's when the line becomes slightly stiff and degrades the casting performance. Even though the line has reached this state, the line is still fishable but does experience reduced casting performance.

The low visibility Ultragreen is great for all types of fishing including line shy trout in absolutely clear waters

Visibility: This is where the Ultragreen line excels. The moss green clear fishing line has low visibility even in the most clear waters.  Either in a lake, stream, or ocean, the Ultragreen disappears in front of your eyes once it is submerged under water. A great line to be fished with when the fish are shy or the bite is slow. Being nearly invisible in water, Maxima Ultragreen is also a great line to be used as leader or tippet material for all types of fishing.
  
Ratings:

Pluses and Minuses:

Conclusion: Monofilaments are the bread and butter of fishing lines.  These lines have been around for decades and will be around for many more. Maxima's Ultragreen 2lb test excelled in every category and is a fantastic line for ultralight tackle. While the 2lb test produced outstanding results, we saw a difference in the heavier line when used in both freshwater and saltwater applications. The 12lb test line performed like a charm in the beginning, but performance dropped after a few trips. With increased rinsing, the line's durability does improve. Overall the moss green color Maxima Ultragreen is virtually invisible under water and is a terrific monofilament line for your delicate presentations, and an average one for harsher applications.