Dry Fly Floatant

[MarineFlyFish 0]

I would really love everyone's opinion on the best dry fly floatant. I would like brands and what everyone thinks about gel, liquid, or powder. Thank you and tight lines!!

[mikechell 0]

Wax and white gas. Put some white gas in a small glass jar with a good lid. Start shaving pieces off a cake of unscented candle wax. continue until you have about the equivalent of a "tea candle" in the solution. Shake or stir until all the wax is "gone".

 

With just about anything except marabou, you can dip the whole fly in the solution. By the time you get done false casting to your target, the white gas will be evaporated, and the wax will float that fly so high you'll swear it's not even sitting on the water.

 

Wax will turn your marabou into a thin line ... do not dip marabou. If you have something like a Dahlberg diver ... hold it by the tail material and just dip the deer hair.

[McGnat 0]

it works very well. A couple additional notes. You want a paraffin candle, not beeswax. Don't plan on making up a batch of this stuff an hour before you need it. It takes quite a while for the paraffin to dissolve.

[FlaFly 0]

Here's a really interesting one... I've never tried it yet but plan to. It uses silicone lubricant.

http://flyanglersonline.flycom/flytying/tyingtips/part49.php

[wschmitt3 0]

I purchased a little tube of Loon Aquel last year for like $6 it works great. I use it on my the New Zealand Strike indicators I make and on dry flies. A tiny bit goes a loooooooong way. I use it quite often and still have more than half the bottle.

 

In addition I also keep a little shake thing of Loon Top Ride (purchased specifically for CDC Flies but I have used on standard dry flies and the like). I like it ok. I'm not really sure how I feel about how the white powder sticking to the fly but it does dry the fly and it does float quite well after treatment and I haven't noticed the white powder keeping the fish from biting the fly. It was a little more spendy at around $9.

[spm 0]

Wax and white gas. Put some white gas in a small glass jar with a good lid. Start shaving pieces off a cake of unscented candle wax. continue until you have about the equivalent of a "tea candle" in the solution. Shake or stir until all the wax is "gone".

 

With just about anything except marabou, you can dip the whole fly in the solution. By the time you get done false casting to your target, the white gas will be evaporated, and the wax will float that fly so high you'll swear it's not even sitting on the water.

 

Wax will turn your marabou into a thin line ... do not dip marabou. If you have something like a Dahlberg diver ... hold it by the tail material and just dip the deer hair.

 

I have never heard of this, which doesn't really mean anything. I love DIY stuff. But, how much is "Some white gas"? Can you give some specifics?

 

Thanks,

spm

[FlaFly 0]

When I was in shop class in Jr. High, in mechanical drawing, someone would invariably ask the teacher how long, when he told them to draw a line. To which he would answer: as long as a piece of string.

[phg 0]

White gas is simply unleaded gas. I would assume un-alcohol-ed as well.

 

When I was a kid, in the '50's, some hardware stores carried it as a cleaner, at a premium price, but you could get the same thing at an American Oil gas station (now Amaco) by buying their premium gas. I think it was 105 octane, but the memory there is a bit fuzzy....

[shoebop 0]

I use Naphtha which is essentially white gas minus a few additives. The proportions are not all that specific or important. Basically, you want enough Naphtha to fully dissolve the paraffin at room temperature. If it gels then just add a little more Naphtha.

If you fish in cold weather, keep the floatant next to your body to keep it from thickening. I make it up in a jelly jar. Fill the jar 1/2 to 3/4 full and use one or two tea candles (depends on the size). I use a vegetable peeler to shave the candles into the naphtha. I dip my dryflies ahead of time at home and let them dry overnight before putting them in a fly box.

 

Do not use on CDC or marabou...the same for any other floatant.

 

 

One more important thing. DO NOT heat up the mixture in the microwave or on the stove! It is very flammable.

If you want to speed up the absorption of the wax, just hold in hot water under the tap.

[shoebop 0]

White gas is simply unleaded gas. I would assume un-alcohol-ed as well.

 

When I was a kid, in the '50's, some hardware stores carried it as a cleaner, at a premium price, but you could get the same thing at an American Oil gas station (now Amaco) by buying their premium gas. I think it was 105 octane, but the memory there is a bit fuzzy....

Not so! unleaded gas is completely different.

[McGnat 0]

Coleman fuel or lighter fluid will work.

[phg 0]

 

White gas is simply unleaded gas. I would assume un-alcohol-ed as well.

 

When I was a kid, in the '50's, some hardware stores carried it as a cleaner, at a premium price, but you could get the same thing at an American Oil gas station (now Amaco) by buying their premium gas. I think it was 105 octane, but the memory there is a bit fuzzy....

Not so! unleaded gas is completely different.

 

I'm sorry you feel that way, but I AM CORRECT!!! From Wikipedia (but you can find the same information from other reliable sources)

 

 

White gasoline, also called white gas, can also be a name for pure gasoline, without additives. This was commonly used when leaded gasoline was the norm, to prevent fouling in situations where the properties of the lead additive were not required.

 

Coleman fuel is Naphtha, which some people mistakenly call "white gas", because Coleman used to sell quart tins of white gas for their stoves and lanterns. Today, Coleman fuel is naphtha, although you can purchase "dual fuel" stoves and lanterns that are designed to burn unleaded gas as well.

[mikechell 0]

Then the mistake is mine. Not white gas ... Coleman stove/lantern fuel, which I've just learned is Naphtha. So, see Shoebop's recipe above ... it's what I do.

[SilverCreek 0]

Here's a floatant test:

 

http://troutster.com/fly-floatant-test/

 

The homemade formula using paraffin is Ray Bergman's in Trout, and writes that he used "unleaded" gasoline. His original recipe is here at the bottom of the first page.

 

http://www.drlogik.com/scans/bergman_formula.pdf

http://www.drlogik.com/flyfloatants.html

[mikechell 0]

I have to inject a warning here. Do NOT use pump gasoline. Even non-ethanol gasoline from the gas station is filled with additives to meet EPA and engine manufacturer's specifications. For safety, some of the additives are aromatic, to make the gasoline less "attractive" to ... sniffers.

Using pump gas will leave deposits that might make fish refuse to bite.

Coleman stove/lantern fuel has a few things going for it. It is not as volatile as gasoline. It will not leave odorous deposits. It is less likely to effect the colors and chemicals used to tie and finish your fly.