Rubber Legs that Float

[Chrisvst 0]

Question- when  using rubber legs on foam patterns like Chubbys or Chernobyls etc, I notice the rubber legs sink well below the surface. The fly is held up by the foam or hackles but the legs all sink down. With real stone flies or hoppers etc, the legs are always at or above the water surface. A friend pointed this out and I verified it in a water glass with a number of high float patterns. Does anyone think this matters? Any types of rubber legs that actually float better? Appreciate your thoughts...

[vicente 0]

Check with fly tyers dungeon he may have some floating legs. 

[Philly 0]

I really don't think it matters.  At some point the insect's legs are going to penetrate the surface film.   I doubt you'll find floating rubber legs.  I've haven't used rubber legs in years. I use silicone legs  "Sili Legs" is what most fly shops and catalogs call them.  My source for them is spinner bait skirts.   Most of the "legs" are flat rather than round, though I do have some round ones.   I would say they're not as dense as rubber legs and their flatness might make them ride higher in the water.    One solution would be to shorten the legs.  I assume you're drifting the fly, rather than retrieving it.  Another solution is to tie the legs higher on the body.  The fly below is suppose to be a cricket/beetle.    The legs are tied just below the foam back.  They're also fairly short.  

 

[Iroc_Jeff 0]

The round rubber legs from Janns Netcraft float. I just tested some scraps i had in a bowl. 

https://www.jannsnetcraft.com/skirt-making-material/366200.aspx

 

Edited May 5, 2020 by Iroc_Jeff
spelling error

[flytire 0]

Is a static test of dropping in a glass or bowl of water indicative of actual fishing conditions 

I don’t think a leg or two hanging below the surface is a bag thing. Might even trigger a strike plus the legs might even come back to the surface when retrieved 

[Philly 0]

Janns Netcraft is where I get a lot of my spinner bait skirts/layers.  Bad experiences with the old style rubber legs moved me on to the silicone legs.  I just placed an order with them so their catalog is sitting next to the computer.  The round ones are silicone coated which should be an improvement over the old style.   May have to order a pack next time, to go with the life time supply of "sili legs" I've acquired over the years. 

[ScienceGuy141 0]

I can check the legs from FTD that I just recently got. I'd guess the smaller ones would float.

[The Mad Duck 0]

I think the flat sili legs are more prone to float than the round rubber legs. While both have small surface areas, the flat sili legs have more surface area to keep them on top of the waters surface. They will all sink eventually I'm thinking

[Landon P 0]

Shorter legs will float more easily.

[samsonboi 0]

Ok. Had an idea. Take some round tubing. Take some soft open-cell foam. Poke it into the hole in the tube until the tube is full, then cut to leg size and seal off each leg on both ends with superglue or UV resin. Just tried it. Key is slightly stiff tubing with a larger hole than surgical tube.

[Mark Knapp 0]

3 hours ago, samsonboi said:

Ok. Had an idea. Take some round tubing. Take some soft open-cell foam. Poke it into the hole in the tube until the tube is full, then cut to leg size and seal off each leg on both ends with superglue or UV resin. Just tried it. Key is slightly stiff tubing with a larger hole than surgical tube.

Since you're going to seal the ends, you don't need the foam. It's the air that makes it float, not the foam.

[samsonboi 0]

The foam does actually have a purpose. The seal will eventually break or the tube will crack. If it's empty, it'll fill up with water and sink. The foam also gives it color.

7 minutes ago, Mark Knapp said:

Since you're going to seal the ends, you don't need the foam. It's the air that makes it float, not the foam.

 

[Mark Knapp 0]

10 minutes ago, samsonboi said:

The foam does actually have a purpose. The seal will eventually break or the tube will crack. If it's empty, it'll fill up with water and sink. The foam also gives it color.

 

Open cell foam is a sponge, literally. It will keep water in the tube, not help keep it out. The color, I get.

Edit, In fact, the open cell foam will draw water in, that's what sponges do.

[samsonboi 0]

Even when filled with water, a sponge still floats.

46 minutes ago, Mark Knapp said:

Open cell foam is a sponge, literally. It will keep water in the tube, not help keep it out. The color, I get.

Edit, In fact, the open cell foam will draw water in, that's what sponges do.

 

[Mark Knapp 0]

17 minutes ago, samsonboi said:

Even when filled with water, a sponge still floats.

 

What problem are you tying to solve? Have you solved it with a tube full of a waterlogged sponge that floats just below the surface? Since the tube itself sinks, will the tube full of a waterlogged sponge still float?

All questions you must ask yourself, grasshopper.