Waterproofing flies

[Bruce Derington 0]

I have used rain x, scotch guard and Bohning Archery Feather-Dri and all work fine. In the old days we had white gas and parafin wax which did the job.

The feather dry will take a water logged fly and dry it quickly. Put it in a film canister and shake it( i actually have a small brush and really apply the dri shake)

[Kudu 0]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="JSzymczyk" data-cid="557143" data-time="1373019350"><p>

I have heard the WD-40 "attractant" story many times, but do not and have not ever used it. <br />

<br />

If you drive 5 miles to your fishing spot, you have introduced more hydrocarbons, CO2, and other pollutants into the environment than what is in one or two drops of WD-40. <br />

<br />

All the Cool Kids and Jocks who just love to drop their fly reels into the water to take fish pics? How 'bout the oil slick that comes from the lubricants on/in their reels? <br />

<br />

In the last 10 years, volcanic eruptions have released more CO2 and other "greenhouse" gasses into the atmosphere than humans have in all of humankind's time on our planet. <br />

<br />

I would wager that the amount of pollution caused by Fly Fishermen using WD-40 on their flies amounts to about a fart in a cat-5 hurricane.<br />

<br />

<strong class='bbc'><span style='font-size: 18px;'>Do everything you can to prevent pollution, but be real about it. Please show some evidence that Fly Fishermen's use of WD-40 as a floatant or attractant is jeopardizing an "entire micro ecosystem" and "killing more than a few fish"... </span></strong></p></blockquote>

[Kudu 0]

I agree. I don't use wd 40 but have been with those that do, no big deal. I believe in conserving the environment but am also a realist as well. If you want to help save the environment join an organization that buys land and sets it aside.

Btw, I used to bass fish competitively. We would dehydrate crawdads, run them through a coffee grinder, and them mix with garlic oil. This would then be applied to soft plastics. Smells like ass but works great!!!

[JSzymczyk 0]

Why would you defend something that hurts the environment, especially when there are better products to use to help keep your flies floating?

 

I'm not "defending" it, I'm just pointing out that the effects of this PARTICULAR controversy are utterly inconsequential. Stupendously miniscule.

 

Maybe but take a good look at all the oil on the roads and parking lpt and when it rains. Umm no comparison to using a small amount of wd40 . I dont use it.

 

What about fisheries that are miles from the nearest road or parking lot?

 

It's not a good idea to use wd-40 no matter the situation.

 

Go buy some floatant.

 

And who is to say any of the other floatants cause less pollution than the subject of this discussion? In the incredibly small amounts used per fly, how do we know for sure ANY of the commercial floatants are any less impactful? Several other floatants contain petroleum distillates. MANY others in fact. The silica dust floatants are inhalation hazards. On and on.

 

I would wager that the vast majority of fishermen willing to hike miles from the nearest road or parking lot are not toting a can of WD-40 to use on their flies.

 

ANY chemicals we use are introduced into the environment, and none of them are naturally occurring, and none of them are "good" for it!

 

NO, WD-40 is not GOOD for any aquatic environments. The amount introduced into those environments by fly fishermen is very, very, very small. I don't use it, in fact I've NEVER seen a fly fisherman using it on flies. Just by the very act of going fishing, you are having a negative impact on "the environment"! No, I don't litter, no I don't spill oil into the waterways, yes I do whatever I can to leave a place better than when I came. I also know that bitching about environmental damage CAUSED BY FLY FISHERMEN is almost pure folly.

 

If you don't want to have ANY negative impact on the waterways or the creatures who live in them, STAY THE HELL AWAY AND DON'T FISH. Otherwise, try to cause as little damage as possible, and get a clue.

 

How much hazmat and carcinogens end up in our waterways from the millions of TONS of discarded cigarette filters which are thrown out every year? How about suncreen which washes off into our waters? What about insect repellent we all wear? Do you ever use a boat with a motor or back a trailer into the water which has petroleum lubricants on the hubs and pivots? Do you ever take medicines, then pee in the toilet and flush it? Point being, there are about a bazillion other things which have more impact on our waterways than WD-40 on flies!

 

Preach to me about something that actually matters, not WD-40 on flies.

[netabrookie 0]

Well fellows, this has been some very interesting reading. All I care to add is to be sure of what you are actually putting on your little fly to make it ride high and true on its drift to the waiting trout. When you see rises and you make some decent casts and the fly floats for only a short distance and then goes under you start to get frustrated. You try a fly with a denser hackle because it is a fairly rough section to be drifting a fly to begin with and it sinks about as quick as the first one. Finally, after many attempts and using an extended foam body mayfly I managed to get two browns and one rainbow. The mistake that I realized (later) was that when I switched vests I no longer had my little floatant caddy hanging there where it has been for quite some time. It now resides in a little pocket on the opposite side of the new vest, along with a little bottle of Xink that I occasionally use on my wets. Be sure and grab the right bottle because you can put your fly in the little container of dust and shake until you turn blue in the face and it won't undo what the Xink has done...

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

kind of like using a split shot as a strike indicator

[lykos33 0]

Holy bat poop...if WD-40 raises that much of a stink, I definitely will not tell ya what I use for a floatant....message me if you want the name...that way I can delete ya if ya get to anal about it....

Murray

[JSzymczyk 0]

Murray I know that for many years the standard by which all others were judged was Paraffin Wax dissolved in high-test white GASOLINE. This of course was carried in GLASS bottles by fly fishermen who smoked pipes and cigars while using it. When I was young my Dad worked part-time in a sporting goods store- a REAL old time sporting goods store where they used to let guys pick through jungle cock necks and buy individual pairs of feathers, and sold fly hooks individually if someone wanted to buy them that way. I remember the old-timers in there with their blocks of paraffin and cans of Coleman Lantern Fuel mixing it in jars.

 

Obviously, it caused the total and irreversible destruction of uncountable trout streams, and also resulted in most fly fishermen bursting into flames. Obviously.

[lykos33 0]

[Piker20 0]

I heard that's what happened to bigfoot. Using the old Henderson dry fly and lit up his cigar, rrrwupphhh. One naked bigfoot. That's why no one sees him now. Too embarrassed.

[shoebop 0]

Too much angst among so many dedicated to a sport that usually instills a peaceful meditative state of mind don't you think?

 

B-R-E-A-T-H-E !!!! that's better.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Too much angst among so many dedicated to a sport that usually instills a peaceful meditative state of mind don't you think?

 

B-R-E-A-T-H-E !!!! that's better.

 

I've reached a point in my life where I do not feel any obligation to sit idle when confronted with emotional, poorly considered, unrealistic arguments.

 

In the end though, arguing over the internet is pretty much worthless.

 

Next time I am miles from the nearest road and see a fly fisherman spraying WD-40 on his flies, I will be sure to tell him how wrong it is.

[switch10 0]

In the end though, arguing over the internet is pretty much worthless.

 

There ya go bud, at least you're right about something!!

 

You could spray WD-40 down your throat for all I care, hell it'd probably do you some good!

 

But seriously, just because you have an opinion doesn't mean you have to constantly voice it. Especially since you have never tried using WD-40 on a fly yourself so you cannot vouch for it's use to waterproof a fly. That's what this topic is about after all.... Waterproofing flies.

[Goldenflies 0]

@JS, my arguments were NOT pourly thought out.

 

I am more than familiar with the "other" possibilities that man has made to polute the environment. You are not the only one who can grasp large amounts of information.

 

As for arguing over the internet, if you see it as pointless (this is for everybody), that is your fault. I see it as a possibility to let someone know that a.) there are people who are unaware of another view point and b.) you have the power to help inform a person or people that you are willing to stand up for what you believe is right. If we were having this very discussion face to face (sort of like being at a fishing meeting) then you would consider it pertinent information. So why is this different? The very forum we all share and love is basically a meeting place. So, should we not share our view points if they differ from yours because we are on "the internet?" Or just read it and say nothing because it is pointless to argue?

[Goldenflies 0]

Oh, and for those of us that are worried about environmental impact or think that all fly fishing products are capable of environmental harm:

 

loonoutdoors.com