Jump to content
Fly Tying
Sign in to follow this  
spiralspey

thoughts on floatant

Recommended Posts

I'm primarily a dry fly fisherman, or at least I try and be on the water when I think bugs will be hatching and/or trout will be rising so I can fish dries and have a decent shot at fish. Floatant is an important item if you're a dry fly guy, and over the years I've tried quite a few products. I've settled on what works for me, but I wondered what others use and why?

 

Personally I like the silicone gels that melt in your fingertips and you smear onto your fly, products like aquel or gink. I have no brand loyalty, I just buy whatever comes in the bottle with the snap-top lid I like. These products float a fly reasonably well with the least effort. If a fly becomes waterlogged all it takes is a squeeze in something absorbant (my shirt) and/or a false cast or two and you're back in business. I might need to change flies after a half dozen fish, but I can live with that.

 

I've found other products that float my fly better, some much better, than what I generally use, but they either don't last very long or require way too much effort and time for me. I don't want to have to replace my fly or re-treat my fly after every fish. When the hatch is rolling and the fish are rising the last thing I want to do is stop to reapply desiccant to my fly.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have been using Dry Magic floatant from Tiempco. This stuff is a little pricy - but a tube lasts me a very long time.

The only drawback I have found is that I have to keep the stuff in a pocket - I haven't found a way to hang the tube

from my vest.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

On a new, dry fly I use Gink. That lasts quite a while or until it gets slimed on a fish, after which I will rinse off the fly, dry off by pressing between an absorbent cloth and then using a product like Frog's Fanny, Doc's Dry Dust or Shimazaki Dry Shake. I wouldn't be caught without (if I could help it) without one of those last three products now when I dry fly fish.

I fished a wild trout stream yesterday for six hours with only two flies using these products. All pocket water and plunge pools in a hemlock ravine and had no problem keeping the fly floating.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I stumbled upon Vick's Lip Care, and it has been the best floatant I have ever used. Costs way less than floatant you buy at the fly shop and last a long time.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the replies, I kinda figured there would be different products in use. I've found something that I like and am somewhat satisfied with, however I've seen how good products like frog's fanny and orvis watershed can float a fly for a little while before a fish or rough water sink things. I just look forward to the day when I can have a fly float like a cork through a day's worth of fish slimings and currents pulling my fly under and come back for more.

 

I'll have to check out that Vick's lip care.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I had never used foot ant (flotatant! Damn autocorrect...) until I fished with a guide for my first trout. He used the gink style that you rub into the fly. It worked and my dries never sank even after my first wild rainbow. So that's what I bought to use on my upcoming trip to Maggie Valley NC

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes, gink is good stuff. It's pretty similar to aquel (what I'm using right now) and some other silicon dressings. I hope you find some willing trout on your NC trip, and maybe some will be on dries.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've always liked Dave's Bug Float when I can get it. It seems to work equally well in very cool to very warm weather, and it comes with a nifty little piece of bead chain built into the container so you can hang it upside-down from your vest or pack.

 

Years back, Gates Lodge on the Au Sable sold some stuff called "Poo Goo" that was kind of nasty to handle, but it floated large flies like Hex and deer hair bass bugs for a long time once you worked it in. I haven't seen it for sale in a long time.

 

I've also used Aquel and Scientific Anglers. Both worked just fine.

 

Strangely, I've never used Gink.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've used Poo Goo. It's still sold in at least one fly shop near me, but I have 7 fly shops within a 30 drive so if it's available someone around here usually carries it. I found it worked maybe a little better than aquel or gink, but it's so sticky and hard to wipe off your hands that I never wanted to use it again.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've used Poo Goo. It's still sold in at least one fly shop near me, but I have 7 fly shops within a 30 drive so if it's available someone around here usually carries it. I found it worked maybe a little better than aquel or gink, but it's so sticky and hard to wipe off your hands that I never wanted to use it again.

That's exactly why I never replaced the first and only bottle of it that I bought -- nasty, sticky stuff. "Poo Goo" is a pretty accurate name for it. :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The only drawback I have found is that I have to keep the stuff in a pocket - I haven't found a way to hang the tube

from my vest.

Wrap duct tape around bottom of tube so it extends past base of tube. Punch hole in duct tape. That is what I do for Dilly Wax.

 

Cheers,

C.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

 

Wrap duct tape around bottom of tube so it extends past base of tube. Punch hole in duct tape. That is what I do for Dilly Wax.

 

That's a great solution! One could get all fancy with the various duct tapes out there......

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...