Dry Fly Flotation Like Never Before // Tip of the Week

Keep your dry flies dry, and your nymphs wet. Here's a tip to help with the ongoing battle of keeping your flies afloat!

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[noelslater]

Enjoyed this segment. Thanks for taking the time to explain various floatants and when to use them on what.

[farmerbob]

Thanks Joe, very good information on the various types of floatant. A word of caution on your bottle of Aquel. If you’re fishing in the mountains the air pressure differential will make it shoot out the first time you use it and darn near expel an entire bottle!

[npgeorgeuw]

thanks for the video. I'd actually say most anglers would be perfectly fine taking just two products. Shimazaki dry shake/tiemco dry shake (similar to loon top ride but is different in how it coats and blows off, does not in any way change colors of flies, just seems to pull away moisture especially for pre-treated flies and loon fly dip. Loon fly dip does temporarily whiten but it's usually gone in a few casts/wettings. Generally, these two are all I carry and have served me well for both the smallest and the biggest flies. Loon top ride is almost identical to a number of dry shakes (they are all the same, actually, and you can just buy a large bucket of the silica powder--same stuff used to bulk/stabilize epoxy). The shimazki shake adds something else that changes the consistency and coating of the same silica shakes and I like it much better. Course I'm not an expert but I have tried both all of the these products. I've never been a fan of gels but I do like the idea of using them when you are just treating natural fibers on (as in your example) a dropper with a foam base. I do wonder about the dips and the eco-friendliness though, they smell and if you've ever gotten them on a coat or your tailgate or jeans, etc. it's kind of nasty and sticks around a very very long time.

[stevej]

I put some Flyagra in a little spritz bottle and use that out on the water. You can give your fly a good spray without worrying about spilling it.

[patches]

tippet rings are my leader hack. i measure back 18" from the end of the leader (on a 9' 5x leader, adjust accordingly for your leader), i clip that length off then tie it back on with a tippet ring in the middle.

[bok]

Loon Lochsa works great, especially for flies tied with CDC.

[rickybobby]

good info . ( as always). did not know leader weight / length equal fly size. I usually slap on a 5x and go fish. floatant options too many for me. I actually use a makeup remover named Albolene. always look forward to each broadcast. so helpful. thank you so much.

[francoisl]

So true, i used to clean my fline line all the time, but over the years it just lost its floating-ability. Got a new line and it's amazing.

[paulkruse]

Thanks Joe. The tip on the leader diameter reasoning was new to me. Didn't really think about the twisting on the larger wind catching flies. DUH🤪 on me.Already use the toilettes.👍

[brooktroutangler]

I use fluoro all the time with dries and have had no issues with fly sinking

[deanferrel]

Thanks, Joe. Good info as always. I just got my first jar of Fly-Agra a few weeks ago and I can’t wait to try it out.
Also, One additional step I suggest taking before putting the fly in the Powder is to blow as much water off as you can. It definitely seems to make the powder more effective and the desiccant last longer in the jar.

[cachi-]

After applying FlyAgra my fly has been floating for more than four hours. Should I call my guide? 😉

[adventureswithfrodo]

I think you use tippet instead of leader at about 2:30ish. I can not see using a 7 foot tippet, I think you ment a 7 ft leader.

[simonsmith]

That Loon "Top Ride" sure looks dusty ! Would not want to inhale that too often.

[bron]

Aquel: When I'm done with the fly, I run my coated fingers right up the leader and onto the first couple feet of the fly line.

[glenndotter]

The makers of Flyagra stole the idea from me. Phiser Phamacueticals will be sueing.