In discussing the treatment of dries the comment was made about using Rain-X windshield treatment. A this point a suggestion was to go ll the way and use WD-40 aerosol that is a superior water displacing material. That’s what the “W-D” stands for.
Has anyone tried this ?
I just tried it. Flies sink like a stone !!! Ray
Can’t comment on the effectiveness of those two products for our purpose, but I wonder if those (and plenty of other floatants like lantern fuel) are chemicals we want to put in our lakes and streams.
Does anyone know of any effective non-toxics? There is some speculation and suggestions (but less experience) in this thread.
Yes, it’s called false cast!
not only is wd40 a good water repelent, it is also a good fish attractant
I really am a gnubee when it comes to dry fly fishing but I used zipcast as a floatant because the directions said it was good for drys. ( and I had left my regular floatant at home ) It worked quite well. I sure hope it is environmentally safe because my whole collection of fly lines is coated in the stuff.
WD-40 is considered a good attractant by some people So if it worked as a floatant you would kill two birds with one stone.
At the 2006 Lowell Idaho fish in someone said that Scotch guard in the aerosol can was a very good floatant. I can’t remember who it was but they had a can of it with them . I scotch guarded my whole fly box with one quick squirt. God knows what chemicals are in that stuff. It seemed to work.
False casting can put the fish down and I like to keep it to a minimum.
“I sure hope it is environmentally safe because my whole collection of fly lines is coated in the stuff.”
WD-40 is a petroleum distillate, and should NOT come in contact with your fly lines. Sorry.
Chuck
Any water-PROOFING product like Water Shed, Camp Dry, NU Fly Coat, etc works on dries but most or all require overnight drying. That plus the extra step of treating the flies made the use of the stuff not worth to me but YMMV.
Water displacement is a not the same as water repellency as you already discovered with WD-40.
Floatability is greatly improved with waterproofing products initially but all it takes is a few fish and the effects seem to disappear. Unfortunately an eternally floating dry fly is as elusive as a fly line that never sinks. Dirt, trapped water and fish slime easily overcome the miniscule amount of buoyancy of a fly.
No matter how hard I wish for or how many products I try, re-drying and re-dressing a floating fly is part & parcel of the dry fly experience for me.
Joe, you are totally evil, but funny! Keep up the good work! 8T 
You have to very carefull with some of the flotant agents you guys are talking about here as some of them will melt or at least destroy the fibers in some dry flies like CDC, and then your fly becomes worthless. I feel that no more than flotant cost i will stick with the stuff recmmended for the flies, not some concotion. I mean really how much of this stuff do you really use each year, compared to the relaxation, enjoyment, piece of mind that you get from treating your flies, no mentioning your Creeks and rivers right?
Floatability is greatly improved with waterproofing products initially but all it takes is a few fish and the effects seem to disappear. Unfortunately an eternally floating dry fly is as elusive as a fly line that never sinks. Dirt, trapped water and fish slime easily overcome the miniscule amount of buoyancy of a fly.
Sounds like a dose of reality. Accurate expectations are worth something – thanks.
Fly design will do more to help float a fly than anything else. A soft presentaion will help keep the fly on the surface as will a drag free drift. If your fly sinks, just continue fishing it like a cripple that has since crossed over. I forget the name of the stuff I use, but it is basically duck preening oil (not sure if is it natural, synthetic or a blend). It is not only safe for CDC but recommended. All floatants work best when dry.
Good morning,
Please try 3M’s Sctoch Guard, as a waterproofer.
and NOTHING EVER on CDC type feathers as you will fill and therefore destroy the wee little pockets on the CDC feathers that make flies float like a real bug.
Kind regards,
UB
CDC are feathers from around the oil glads of waterfowl. They float because the do not absorb water and keep all its air pockets full of air, also why they keep a duck warm and dry. During processing and dying some to most of this oil is removed from the downy feathers. It is sometimes best to reapply something to the CDC to make it water resistant again. While it is true that if the floatant used is wet the CDC will sink, but this is also true of many other materials. You MUST let CDC that is treated compleatly dry before fishing it if you want it to float.
Over the years, I’ve been turning placid stream water into beer foam, I’ve found the easiest way to dry any fly, is to hang it exactly 11.765 inches out of one’s reach in a stream, lake, or river’s bank side foliage.
Do this on the backcast, ONLY,or the muchly needed 13 inches of tippet material, badly needed to secure the fly tightly in place, won’t break at the precise location along its length.
If the urge is strong enough, YOU CAN, with practice and stealth, also place a well tied and productive fly, into matching foliage on the OPPOSITE bank, from where you’re standing, but this takes proper casting techniques and superior accuracy so don’t be too disappointed if you can’t do it right at first. Plus, when that far away, you cannot always see the fly, as it dries, back to its original buoyancy and fully dressed state.
MAKE SURE, too, that when drying a fly in this manner, that it is the ONLY FLY in your fly box that the fish are currently fighting one another to get to when it lands on the water. (and before it becomes so soaked, it needs drying). If you have two, or more, of the exact same fly this technique WON’T work, so don’t even bother and maybe you can try another method.
If,however, I find myself fishing in such a place that’s completely void of all aforementioned vegetation, then I will use what I’ve used for many years to quickly and very effectively, dry any fly… CDC or otherwise.
I "fold over patch of “Amado”. (looks like one of those leader straighteners).
I’ve tried the “powders”, the “crystal crystals”, the sprays, dips, drips, pre-treatments and life rings cut to fit.
"Amado" is a natural "fungus", (seriously!), and is usually found in most fly shops. ONE "squeeze" between the two Amado pieces and any fly, no matter how wet, will spring back to life, 95% drier than it was. It takes two seconds to dry a soaked fly and your not polluting your waters with things like Scotch Guard, WD40, Hi & Dry, Float-A-Goat,etc. etc. Also, you can't spill it, by "not replacing the lid properly"!
Unlike EVERY floatant made, Amado never runs low, or runs out, when needed the most!
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.
“Wolf Mountain Fly”(.com). sells sheets of Amadou, (sorry, mispelled the first go-around!)
for $12.60. These are large enough to make several “drying patches”, from.
I made, mine, from an old boot tongue. Epoxy the Amadou to the leather tongue, after trimming both, to the shape you prefer, then after folding in half, I punch a hole in the leather, to make a place to attach a zinger to.
They also carry the pre-made Petit Jean. Amadou fly frying patches, for $23.40
I’ve never used it, but don’t they make a Dry Fly Floatant? I seem to remember seeing it in Cabelas catalogs.
My flyshop carries Samadou, a synthetic amadou. Has anyone tried this?
Hi Gene - Check your PM’s…Ed
Hmmm…where did I hear this before? lol. Gene, your still looking for that stuff, eh? Just fish nymphs, its easier! lol.