The viscoelastic behavior of aqueous solutions of an ionic complex formed from poly(sodium 2-(acrylamido)-2-methylpropanesulfonate) and rodlike mixed micelles of dimethyloleylamine oxide (DMOAO) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) was investigated under oscillatory conditions. The DMOAO/CTAC mixed micelles exhibited high zero-shear viscosities (η(0)) depending on the mole fraction of CTAC in the mixed micelle (Y) in the range 0 &LE; Y &LE; 0.25. The addition of the polyanion had no effect on the rheological behavior of the mixed micelles when Y < 0.02 at an ionic strength (μ) of 0.2. However, when Y was increased to a certain level (Y-C), η(0) decreased drastically; Y-C depended on A but not on the polymer concentration. These observations indicate the formation of an ionic complex between the polymer and micelle when Y > Y-C. The reciprocal of steady-state compliance (J(e)(-1)) began to decrease gradually at Y &AP; Y-C and then leveled off at Y > 0.06. The relaxation time (τ) was found to be more strongly dependent on Y. Thus, the large decrease in 110 was attributed mainly to a decrease in τ while the number density of junctions decreased only slightly. Therefore, it is concluded that polymer-micelle complex maintains a rodlike structure with some entanglements remaining at Y < 0.12. © 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.