selfmade flydressing/floatant

[moskito_01 0]

I`ve read somewhere that it is very simple to make your own floatant for dryflies. Just mix lighter fuel with vaseline and there you go.

 

Well, I`ve tried it. I took some lighter fuel and dropped several spoon of Vaseline in it. (About two to one)

It took several days for the Vaseline to dissolve and I had a milky looking liquid in my bottle.

 

Despite the strange look of the stuff I dropped some dries in there, let them soak for a few minutes, took them back out and left them on a piece of cloth to dry.

 

Well, what can I say. I am pretty positive, these flies will go to hell before they will ever sink. But they will also never be taken by any fish, even if he`s blind and/or deaf.

They look like s.... The whole fly is covered with a not very subtle film of Vaseline. The tails and hacklefibers are all in junks. It`s bad. I would post a picture but I want to spare you. I might get excluded from this forum.

 

Now, was my mstake to have used too much Vaseline? (now THAT sentence I was sure would never come out of my mouth) Or should I not bother with it any more, hit the flyshop and buy some of the real stuff?

 

Andy

[Crotalus 0]

buy some Rain-X. Great results for a small price.

 

 

When i am finished tying a batch of dries i put them in a small glass dish and douse them in Rain-X then let them dry.

[nedbm3 0]

how long does the rain ex last? does it leave anything visible on the fly? I have two different kinds of rain ex. one is for interior glass and the other for exterior. i might have to try that.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pennsylvaniaflyfishing/

[Guest]

Interior is an anti-fog. You want to use the exterior.

 

I found I do have to reapply the rain-x to the fly but it seems to last about three times as long as watershed.

[FloydianSlip 0]

That's a cool idea to try to make your own floatant.

 

I have no clue what effect those two had but it looks like you have napalm flies on your hand. Light em up and chuck em in.

 

Maybe try to make the solution thicker and apply it at streamside instead?

 

[LeftyPa 0]

 

 

In the Old Old days they used carbon tech and paraffin for fly float, till they found out carbon tech caused cancer.

 

L-Pa

[Al Beatty 0]

Hi Andy,

 

If you want a floatant that's almost identical to gink then go to a drug store and in the area where women get their cosmetics look for a product called Aboline. As near as I can tell it's the same stuff as <G>. You get a many year supply for less than $10.00. By the way, the cost of floatant is in the bottle not the product inside. The bottles tend to break after several refills.Take care & ...

 

Tight Lines - Al Beatty

www.btsflyfishing.com

[Flyweaver 0]

After you tie your flies hold them with forceps and spray with a aerosol water proofer,it only takes a very short shot If you don't want to use a floatant streamside just use a drying agent when they get wet . Been doing it for years and it works.

 

[BigBugger 0]

seems i've heard somewhere of grinding up the little packets of silica gel from shoeboxes to make a dessicant powder. Can't say as i've tried it yet, but i've got a few of the things collected, so we'll see. Has anyone tried it?

[Brewer 0]

QUOTE (Flyweaver @ Mar 15 2005, 05:35 PM)

After you tie your flies hold them with forceps and spray with a aerosol water proofer,it only takes a very short shot If you don't want to use a floatant streamside just use a drying agent when they get wet . Been doing it for years and it works.

do you mean like a sealer, when you buy new boots, or a jacket ??

[troutgeek 0]

I, too, use the Alboline. Make sure that you purchase the unscented version. It really works great, and it will last a loooooooong time. I also use it for Uni-thread constructed furled leaders.

[lewy271 0]

QUOTE (moskito_01 @ Feb 16 2005, 09:09 AM)

Just mix lighter fuel with vaseline and there you go.

Fly floatant or napalm?

[skeet3t 0]

Fly floatant or napalm?

Sounds like a winner here. Use the floatant on flies that you want to float and the napalm on the people fishing in your favorite honey hole.

[blackdog1101 0]

QUOTE (Brewer @ Mar 16 2005, 06:38 AM)

do you mean like a sealer, when you buy new boots, or a jacket ??

3M Scotch Guard. I put a few flies into a black plastic film canister and give 'em a shot of Scotch Guard. Shake them around a little to get them coated all over. Then let them dry overnight. If I need to "de-slime" them on the stream I rinse them in the water, then dry them with Frog's Fanny.

[flymaster 0]

i also use silicon spray. I buy it at walmart comes in a can of abou 12oz and cost about $3 or $4 and on the good side also works great on boots! I spray some in a bottle cap and as I tie I dunk them in until they absorb it. I then blow off the excess and let set over night on a piece of paper or something. HTen as Blackdog said use the almiighty Frog Fanny on the stream I do this to all flies except of CDC ones it will gum up the CDC. So just use the Fanny for them.

 

 

FM