Originally Posted by
gzacckey
I'll need to spring for Amadou to see how it compares to other methods.
For the past few years I've been using chamois cloth to dry my flies. I know some anglers who swear by using bounty paper towels. I just buy a large sheet of chamois cloth and cut it into small patches and attach it to my pack. It lasts a long time and you can wash and dry them if they become grimmy.
I also apply frog's fanny to CDC and non-CDC flies to keep them floating longer. The chamois just dries them it doesn't do anything to prevent the fly from absorbing water. Frog's fanny keeps the fly floating longer and removes any remaining moisture. This is especially helpful if you're using small or light hackled flies. The MSDS for Hydrophobic Fumed Silica (Frog's Fanny) doesn't state any environmental hazards and no oil slick is created when the fly hits the water.
I've used the crystals, soaked non-cdc flies in hydrostop, used various sprays and liquids. They all work fairly well but Frog's fanny seems to be the easiest to use for most situations, isn't messy and you can buy almost a lifetime supply (1 quart which equals about 60 small bottles) for something like $25. The cheapest real amadou patch (not Samadou) I can find is $29.99. Still I'm gonna "need" the patch.