Fly dust or Fly gel??

[hooked]

I am about as new to this as you can get, learned how to fly fish 3 days ago and caught my first fish fly fishing just yesterday! (12 inch brown trout). All of which by using my buddies fly gear, so now im 'hooked' on fly fishing and am looking at getting gear of my own.

Here's my question: when looking at stuff that will help keep the fly afloat, what are your guys opinions on "fly dust" or "fly gel"??

Fly dust:
http://www.flyshack.com/DisplayItem.aspx?ItemID=22405


Fly gel:
http://www.flyshack.com/DisplayItem.aspx?ItemID=22406

 

[shakey]

i use neither.as a floatant i usually use albolene(a makeup remover,sold at places like rite aid) or red tin mucilin. i use red label mucilin because the green has silicone which can be detrimental to the finish on cane rods and silk lines.

if you are using a graphite rod and plastic line,green mucilin can be fine.

other traditional floatants are butter,bacon grease and deer tallow.

many semi-modern dry fly fishermen use a product known as gink.

be aware that a properly tyed dry fly will float sans floatant.you can dry the fly out by false casting.then it floats fine.

warning:i pride myself in being a wet fly angler.

also FYI,there is a gear section and a beginners section you may find useful.

 

[shakey]

oh yeah,other floatants people use are wd-40 and parrafin wax mixed with lighter fluid.

hope this is of some help.

 

[SonOfMartin]

I use a product called Frogs Fanny. It's a dust product that does a fantastic job of keepign flies floating. I've been using it for several years and it's a product that just plain works. Nothing fancy or magical.

The advice you received above about mucilin, etc is accurate and I tried it. I just settled on Frogs Fanny and never looked back.

Oh - a single bottle will last for several seasons unless you drop it and it goes everywhere....

 

[Foxgap239]

+1 for Frogs Fanny. I think there is a new product out there to compete with FF, I think it is called Doc's Powder (or something like that). A bottle costs about $5, although I bought a quart container of it for like $20 and refill so I use it liberally.

 

[STONEMAN]

Welcome to this addicting pastime that will become an obsession. As a newbie, spend a few bucks on both. You can't use gink or any paste on cdc so you'll want the dust or frogs fanny for that.

 

[Volksnurse]

I've mostly converted to FF as my Fishing Sensei likes it. But I've always wanted to try Ray Bergmans parafin and gas mix. I'd think though that this might melt synthetic materials...Maybe I'll try it out. But here's a link to the site I found this on: http://www.drlogik.com/flyfloatants.html

 

[delta_dog]

Personally is use moth dust. It is scales of chitin from which the wings are constructed. I just carry a jar of 13 or 14 moths in my vest and when I need to dry off a fly I just shake the jar SLIGHTLY with my fly inside to make the moths flap thier little wings coating my fly with moth dust. Just make sure your fly isnt to realistic or the litlel buggers will try and eat it. I like be go elnatural. Lol. Serious deer tallow carry that around in your vest for a while and see how it smells. The poor guy wants what's the easiest to use and most available. Gink and Frogs Fanny is all you need.

 

[PennKev]

I suggest buying gel/liquids that contain silicon rather than buying Gink. After using Gink for many years, I tried Poo Goo and Orvis Hy-Flote. Both are longer lasting, less oily, and IMO float a fly better than Gink.

Kev

 

[teacreekfreak]

i use the gel before even getting the fly wet. I use powder after the fly is in the water. All the products available seem to work about the same to me. And as stoneman said, only use powder on cdc feathers, I use cdc feathers quite a bit, floats great and easy to tie flies with. Not sure if there are other materials where liquid floatant should not be used?? snowshoe hair?? maybe??

 

[Volksnurse]

delta_dog wrote:
Personally is use moth dust. It is scales of chitin from which the wings are constructed. I just carry a jar of 13 or 14 moths in my vest and when I need to dry off a fly I just shake the jar SLIGHTLY with my fly inside to make the moths flap thier little wings coating my fly with moth dust.

If they're all male moths do you get moth balls?

 

[delta_dog]

If they're all male moths do you get moth balls?

I use that jar for nymphs. It helps them sink......but man is it messy.

 

[hoyt-tec201]

im like you just starting out and i jut bought a bottle of gink. Its a gel and it couldnt be simpliar to use. I would say go with the gel i bought it because i used my buddies powder and had to reapply twice as much as gel

 

[studiomule]

Mucilin red-tin on hackled and deer hair flies like stimulators, comparaduns. Frog's Fanny on everythind, especially CDC.

 

[pratt]

I use gel mostly (have a tube of the orvis hiflota right now) - but have some powder to dry out waterlogged flies if they get there (depends on the fly/material, imo).

the gel has worked really well for me....coat it before it hits the water and the fly has no issue floating. a few false casts every few drifts and you float hi and dry!

 

[MKern]

As a newbie, just get Gink.

 

[ryguyfi]

liquid for pretreatment


powder for after the fly is wet.



get both.


*no liquid for CDC

 

[hooked]

thanks everybody, great to see so much response so fast. I will def be using this site more for information/help.

 

[SBecker]

If you are going to use CDC, use Tiemco Dry Magic.

 

[dubthethorax]

Orvis Hye float and shake n' float for me.