Whatever “floating” synthetic material you might use - poly yarn, Congo Hair, EP Fibers, etc. - it seems that the more you use and the thicker the wing is would help the fly float better, higher and longer, right? But don’t even the most water repellent synthetic fibers wick the water down to where the fibers are bunched closest together at their tie-in point? Therefore, the more fibers you use and the thicker you tie them in, the closer together the fibers would be for a greater portion of the wing, causing more water to hold in them. So, would synthetic fibers tied in very sparsely for a wing not hold as much water between them and actually float the fly better, or would not using very many fibers defeat the whole purpose of using floating fibers?
I hope you understand what I’m asking.
Joe
Great topic. I’ve often wondered about sparse vs dense posts and wings. Here’s my take and maybe others can spot some flaws or add to my thinking.
Upwings and downwings will be different. Upwings are above the water, so their buoyancy will not help float the fly, but lower density means they weigh less than heavy synthetics. Their weight will have to be supported by the fly. So upwings should be as light as possible to help float the fly. Water held by the wings above the surface will add to the fly weight, so the less water absorbed or adhered to the fly is better.
Getting around to answering the question, I think upwings should be sparse - less wing weight and less water held. Many floatable synthetics for wings and posts don’t absorb water and many are treated to shed water both should help alot.
To help the visibility of sparse wings, I think crinkly materials helps show a “bigger” profile with less material. Unfortunately, crinkly materials may hold more water.
Downwings are a whole other story, if they touch the water.
I think that excessively dense wings can add air resistance and contribute to leader twisting. That said, I do tend to put denser wings on flies like humpies that I plan on fishing in rough water. I think that they are still thinner than some of the flies I see for sale.