thoughts on floatant

[spiralspey 0]

Can't see myself ever using, let alone carrying white gas with me. What a nightmare if you ever got any on yourself, your clothes, or on your gear, and I assume it'll destroy fly line and leader materials. Makes me wonder if you can dissolve paraffin in something less toxic, like alcohol and get the same effect?

[FIN-ITE 34 0]

Naphtha (lighter fluid) works well.

Although Coleman fuel is naphtha.

[whatfly 0]

I will virtually guarantee (unvirtually too!) that Bergman's Formula will float a fly better and longer than any other floatant. No, it's not available in stores.

 

You make it yourself:

 

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

Have also heard of doing the same with Muscilin (which sells a premixed version), but this is essentially Watershed, which is a very useful product for waterproofing at the vise, but as spiralspey has pointed out there are issues, and there is no way I'm lugging around a squeeze bottle of lighter fluid on the stream.

[DrLogik 0]

.

[Sandan 0]

aquel before I even cast. If the fly gets eaten (hopefully, hahaha) wash in the river, a brush with Shimazake powder and back to fishing it. When the fly sinks, wash, powder reapply the aquel.

[PABrownie 0]

I've been told, and it seems true, that Gink is repackaged Albolene... you can get a 12oz tub of Albolene at the drug store for about $13 vs $6 for a small tube of Gink. Plus Albolene has many other uses...

 

Have you personally used Albolene as a floatant?

[TerryMH 0]

 

 

 

 

I've been told, and it seems true, that Gink is repackaged Albolene... you can get a 12oz tub of Albolene at the drug store for about $13 vs $6 for a small tube of Gink. Plus Albolene has many other uses...

 

 

Have you personally used Albolene as a floatant?

I've had a jar of Albolene kicking around for a few years and after following this thread I finally tried it last week. I couldn't see any difference between it and Aquel, which is what I normally use. Anyway, it looks like I have a lifetime supply of floatant for under $20.

[Fisherboy0301 0]

Can floatant like frogs fanny be used with gink?

[spiralspey 0]

It sure can! I use gink or aquel and if my fly starts to get so waterlogged that even using an absorbant cloth doesn't really dry it out for long I use frogs fanny and my fly will float like a cork again. It doesn't last long, though, and you'll have to re apply fairly often, especially if you hook any fish. I carry the frogs fanny for just this purpose, to dry out waterlogged flies that I can't get to dry and float any other way. It works, but it makes your fly kinda white, so I seldom use it, preferring to change flies rather than use desiccant.

[PABrownie 0]

Im with spiralspey when it comes to powder vs gel. I use a gel style when I tie on the fly, then after every caught fish I coat with frogs fanny to dry it out and get it floating again. I see the frogs fanny as more of a "dryer" than a "floatant".

[Fisherboy0301 0]

Thanks guys I picked up both in prep for my trip but I didn't know smithing about frogs fanny. That helps a lot!

[j8000 0]

I primarily fish with wet flies, but occasionally I'll use dries. I like using a small bottle of parrifen was mixed with the right amount of Coleman or equivalent stove fuel. It's fast and easy to use even when soaking wet. What I like best is it doesn't leave the fly all goopy (provided it's mixed well).

[SilverCreek 0]

Several posts have used the term desiccant when they meant floatant and floatant when they really meant desiccant. Do not confuse floatants with desiccants. Desiccants are strongly hygroscopic. They actually attract and absorb water. Almost all desiccants used in fly fishing are silica gel. Floatants are either hydrocarbon based or silicone based and repel water. It is obvious that something that attracts and absorbs water cannot be a floatant and something that repels water cannot attract water from flies to dry them.

Read "Floatants for Dummies or How Floatants Work "

 

http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/general-discussion/345179-fly-floatants-noobies-what-floats-your-fly.html#post642614

[spiralspey 0]

Thanks silver creek, that was enlightening. I guess I've been using the frogs fanny correctly, but didn't know exactly what it did or why it was working. I was already on the fence about the stuff, using it only as my last resort floatant, now I may just pitch it.

I did wonder about your three steps, though, specifically pretreatment. I've tried pre treating flies with a waterproofing agent with mixed results. The flies float amazingly well right out of the box, but if they get wet there's no floating them again, and if I smear them with gink or aquel they sink as well. I like things simple, and this made my fishing too complicated. Now I'm wondering if I should revsit the whole pretreatment thing?

[SilverCreek 0]

Don't pitch the Frog's Fanny.

 

First you must dry the fly before using Frog's Fanny. So get the water out of the fly using a cloth, paper towel, etc then silica get to absorb the rest of the moisture. Then apply Frog's Fanny. FF is one of the few floatants that will not ruin CDC flies.

 

FYI, you can buy bulk hydrophobic fumed silica rather than pay the high prices at fly shops. I am going to save all of you who use FF some $$$.

 

Here is where I buy my bulk hydrophobic fumed silica

To order 2 Quarts:

 

Epoxy USA Fumed Silca

 

After you get the powder, put it in a clean ketchup bottle with a funnel and you can then squeeze it out to refill your bottle of Frogs Fanny, Shimazaki Dry Shake, and Loon Outdoors Top Ride. Please do the transfers in a garage or outside so you do not contaminate your home with fumed silica. Hold your breath and do not breath in fumed silica.

 

Save your silica gel packs you get when you buy shoes, electronics, etc and make your own Shimazaki Dry Shake and Loon Outdoors Top Ride.

 

 

Or you can order/buy a lifetime supply at Walmart

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Silica-Gel-Crystals-1-5-lb-Tub/24547309