What's the VERY BEST dry fly floatant?

[Petrarch]

Shimazaki Dry Shake, the Shimazaki is far and away the most effective stuff I have ever used and in my subjective opinion it works better than the Frog's Fanny.

[oldfishbrain]

A patch of Amadou and my own design applicator filled with Alboline. Just had a day on the water with two flies that lasted all day and two dozen fish, never a problem keeping those flies on top.

[Wild Skies]

Is all Albolene created equal? Are we talking the same Albolene used as a makeup remover and skin moisturizer be used a dry fly floatant?

[Idahoan]

This is great that this thread has resurfaced. I missed it the first go round.

I really want to give this Bergman's sauce a try. What is the "best" ratio of gas and wax.

Thanks in advance.
Matt

[gmflyfish]

Richard Parks Magic Fly Sauce - has been for 50 plus years and I have been using it for 40 - plus it will not harm bamboo finish....

Gregg

[ChrisinColorado]

This is great that this thread has resurfaced. I missed it the first go round.

I really want to give this Bergman's sauce a try. What is the "best" ratio of gas and wax.

Thanks in advance.
Matt

Two ounces of paraffin per pint of naphtha or unleaded gas.

Chris

[flyfishingpastor]

Bill;

I just change the fly after each cast. I don't get a lot of fishing done, but I never have a sinking dry fly! Sorry, guy! Couldn't help myself. Frankly, I probably have a bottle of every dressing you can get from a catalog or a fly shop and I don't really find them much different. Some leave a dust cloud on the water. Some leave an oil slick. Some turn solid in cold weather. I haven't really found one that I've fallen in love with, so I just grab and go.

They all seem to work about the same for me.

Pat

[gmflyfish]

Pat

Do you borrow it from the Beadster along with flies?

Gregg

[gmflyfish]

Feather-craft in St. Louis made a silicone paste - never hard in the winter or soft in the summer. Do not remember the name. I carry it in the vest to use on my fly line and leader at time....

Gregg

[flyfishingpastor]

Gregg;

Nope. I've got plenty. Don't need the Beadster's bug dope. And, I don't know that he's offered me any though he is a generous and sharing soul. I'm not sure if he endorses any one brand but if there is a recipe out there for making it, I'll bet he's mixed up a batch or two in his day - but I don't know that Joannie would let him play with gasoline or naptha!

Heck, I don't know that he fishes dry flies. I've heard him talk about Cracklebacks like he knows one end from the other but I don't know if he actually FISHES anything other than soft hackles.

Pat

[joners]

If you like "Frogs Fanny", you should try "Fletch Dry" or similiar product available at any archery shop. Same stuff. It's a dry waterproofing for feathers. It say that it is weightless and odorless. The brand that I am looking at is manufactured by "Rightnour Mfg. Co.", Product number A317, Made in the USA.

[DrLogik]

Hi guys,

Hey, let's be clear that naptha and unleaded gasoline are NOT the same thing. Naptha, "white" gas and Coleman fuel are all pretty much the same solvent just with different additives. If you want the straight stuff, get naptha at the hardware store.

Yeah I'm sure unleaded gasoline would probably "work" but the stuff stinks and leaves a stinky smell. Naptha not so much so. Plus, naptha dries more quickly than unleaded gasoline and we MUST stick to Bergman's formula to stay pure, right? The stuff he calls non-leaded gas was most likely white gas and not unleaded gasoline as they didn't have that back then but white gas (naptha) they did.

Formula? One quart Mason jar of naptha add 3/4 of a bar of paraffin (shave the paraffin so that it dissolves more quickly). If there are solids floating around, it's either to cool for the formula, you added too much paraffin, in which case add more naptha.

The key I have found is you really don't need a lot of paraffin to get the desired results.

This should help:
http://www.drlogik.com/flyfloatants.html

[Idahoan]

Thank youall for the ratio. I think I'm going to give it a try with coleman fuel since I can never have enough of it....It is my accelerate of choice for camp fires.

Matt

[FLAKPA]

A guide by the name of Don Lee on the Deschutes about 20 years ago showed me a Gerber baby jar containing Ronson lighter fluid and a container full of Musselin. Works exceptionally well and is fairly inexpensive.

[16pmd]

Some of the old time guides in Oregon would put a big dab of Mucilin behind their ear to keep it handy for the day! Thank goodness for better packaging these days.

[ChrisinColorado]

Hi guys,

Hey, let's be clear that naptha and unleaded gasoline are NOT the same thing. Naptha, "white" gas and Coleman fuel are all pretty much the same solvent just with different additives. If you want the straight stuff, get naptha at the hardware store.

Yeah I'm sure unleaded gasoline would probably "work" but the stuff stinks and leaves a stinky smell. Naptha not so much so. Plus, naptha dries more quickly than unleaded gasoline and we MUST stick to Bergman's formula to stay pure, right? The stuff he calls non-leaded gas was most likely white gas and not unleaded gasoline as they didn't have that back then but white gas (naptha) they did.

Formula? One quart Mason jar of naptha add 3/4 of a bar of paraffin (shave the paraffin so that it dissolves more quickly). If there are solids floating around, it's either to cool for the formula, you added too much paraffin, in which case add more naptha.

The key I have found is you really don't need a lot of paraffin to get the desired results.

This should help:
http://www.drlogik.com/flyfloatants.html

I'm not sure you are correct. On page 168 of your link Bergman says to dissolve the paraffin in "non-leaded" gasoline. He never used the term "naphtha" or 'white gas".

Wikipedia says white gas is a term for both Naphtha AND pure gasoline without tetra-ethyl lead.

Unleaded gasoline was available in Bergman's time. Sunoco widely advertised a line of unleaded gasoline back in the fifties and into the sixties.

Furthermore, for me, the paraffin dissolved considerably faster in unleaded gasoline that it did in naphtha.

Chris

[joaniebo]

Pat & Gregg

Just about the ONLY dry fly that I fish (as mentioned by "The Pastor") is my version of the Crackleback..... and for floatant, I've been using Albolene for many years (as an added benefit, it's a good hand cleaner and lotion when hands get a little chapped).

The rest of the time, it's soft hackles and bead thorax / bead head nymphs and soft hackled nymphs.

Bob

[DrLogik]

Chrisincolorado,

Thank you for the clarification. I stand corrected. Go ahead and use gasoline. I'm not. I'm going to use what has evolved over the last 74 years, from perhaps thousands of fly fisherman, into a formula that works.

Grant

[Flykuni3]

Pat & Gregg

...an added benefit, it's a good hand cleaner....

You can say that again. once after changing my VW's oil i slathered a big gob on, rubbed it good and dang that oil and grundge liquified and toweled off perfectly. In fact, lots of lotions do that......

[ChrisinColorado]

Hi guys,

Hey, let's be clear that naptha and unleaded gasoline are NOT the same thing. Naptha, "white" gas and Coleman fuel are all pretty much the same solvent just with different additives. If you want the straight stuff, get naptha at the hardware store.

Yeah I'm sure unleaded gasoline would probably "work" but the stuff stinks and leaves a stinky smell. Naptha not so much so. Plus, naptha dries more quickly than unleaded gasoline and we MUST stick to Bergman's formula to stay pure, right? The stuff he calls non-leaded gas was most likely white gas and not unleaded gasoline as they didn't have that back then but white gas (naptha) they did.

Formula? One quart Mason jar of naptha add 3/4 of a bar of paraffin (shave the paraffin so that it dissolves more quickly). If there are solids floating around, it's either to cool for the formula, you added too much paraffin, in which case add more naptha.

The key I have found is you really don't need a lot of paraffin to get the desired results.

This should help:
http://www.drlogik.com/flyfloatants.html

No comment, I'll just let it go.

Chris