What's the VERY BEST dry fly floatant?

[joners]

And then of course there is the idea that if you roll you're own, materials that have the specific gravity (or whatever scientists use for explaining such phenomenon) required to "float" (or sink), work better, and are more traditional. Natural materials are more appealing, but un-natural materials are often more floatant. Personally, I rely on drying my fly occasionally to keep it afloat. However, I do tie some flies that I soak in a floatant after tying, and let dry overnight. But you still have to suck out the moisture once in awhile.
But that's just me.

Cap'n Bob

[gofish60]

What Boobie forgot to mention is that the albolene is really Joanie's (and perhaps his) makeup remover, avaliable at Walgreens for about $10 for a big tub. Works great for waterproofing and floating braided leaders.
For the flies, I heavily scotchgard the dries during the winter, then falsecast and use gink on the stream.
gofish

[cutthroattroutnm]

From my perspective, the best liquid floatant is Troutsmen. I've never found anything better for reviving a fly that has been slimed or one that has just gotten waterlogged. Trouble is, you can't get it anymore. From it's properties, it may be the same stuff that Ray Bergman described in Trout, from the many previous contributors to this thread. Below fifty degrees, it starts to gel up, but is still usable, just not sprayable. As for solid floatant, fumed silica in its many manifestations and labels is the best. As others have said, getting it by the quart or liter is the way to go. It's how I get it. To get a fly really dry, start with the Troutsmen, and then after it dries apply the fumed silica. That combo almost repels water.

The photo below shows the Troutsmen (in the refill and the original spray bottle - the label has been dissolved over time on the spray bottle) and the container for the fumed silica.

[TimM]

Four pages in and no mention of Flyagra?!?

Galloup put me onto this stuff a few years ago at The Slide Inn. If my nose can be trusted it had kerosene as the solvent but otherwise I'm betting it's darn near Bergman's formula.

Alas, I didn't dare take the bottle on the plane for fear of public strip search/probing at the Bozeman airport. Last year I found a bottle somewhere in Michigan but it doesn't use the same solvent it didn't work as well for me. (Maybe it's our lower elevation waters here in Michigan?)

*edit* see below

[wb4tjh]

Don't use ANY modern automotive gasoline because it contains detergents and additives that will NOT evaporate. Use ONLY Coleman lantern/stove fuel or even the generic stuff Walmart sells. Dip a piece of cloth into automotive gasoline and another into Coleman and let them dry outside for a couple of days. You will immediately know which is which when you sniff them a few days later. You sure don't want that residue from auto fuel on your flies. Of course if you have another source of pure napatha, you're home free.

[ChrisinColorado]

The debate rages on and on and..........on.

Good reading though.

Chris

[ChrisinColorado]

Four pages in and no mention of Flyagra?!?

Galloup put me onto this stuff a few years ago at The Slide Inn. If my nose can be trusted it had kerosene as the solvent but otherwise I'm betting it's darn near Bergman's formula.

Alas, I didn't dare take the bottle on the plane for fear of public strip search/probing at the Bozeman airport. Last year I found a bottle somewhere in Michigan but it doesn't use the same solvent it didn't work as well for me. (Maybe it's our lower elevation waters here in Michigan?)

[ChrisinColorado]

Four pages in and no mention of Flyagra?!?

Galloup put me onto this stuff a few years ago at The Slide Inn. If my nose can be trusted it had kerosene as the solvent but otherwise I'm betting it's darn near Bergman's formula.

Alas, I didn't dare take the bottle on the plane for fear of public strip search/probing at the Bozeman airport. Last year I found a bottle somewhere in Michigan but it doesn't use the same solvent it didn't work as well for me. (Maybe it's our lower elevation waters here in Michigan?)

Never tried it.

But flyalis does make my fly stiff.

Chris

[midge 7X]

I would like to try out Bergmans floatant. What small container to you guys use for your vest that is leak proof?

Thanks
Ray

[DrLogik]

Ironically I use an old Mucilin liquid bottle as it has the small reservoir to soak the fly in. I also use a small nalgene bottle. For safety sake, better to use a plastic bottle.

[ChrisinColorado]

I would like to try out Bergmans floatant. What small container to you guys use for your vest that is leak proof?

Thanks
Ray

I can't confirm it, but somewhere I heard that a Gerber's baby food jar works well.

But be advised... nothing is leak proof.

Chris

[Idahoan]

I just mixed up a batch last night. I used napatha. I checked it this morning and the gas and wax have completly seperated. Half the jar in a big goo of "melted/disolved" wax and the top is gin clear napatha. I can shake it up to get a cloudy white mixture but it still seperates.

Is this normal. Shake well before use?

Thank you,

Matt

[TimM]

Oops, I owe a retraction from my post above to the Flyagara people. I bought the bottle and used it on 8-10 flies ... all from the same professional source and they didn't float so well.

This week I tried it on several flies from other sources and they all floated like corks - popping to the surface after being submerged. The solvent may be different but the effect is still better than anything else I've used.

[DrLogik]

Idahoan,

Thinking you used too much wax or it may be a little too cool or not enough time has elapsed. I use about about half a bar of wax per quart of naptha.

[midge 7X]

I followed DrLogik 1/2 bar of parafin to a qt. of naptha & it mixed in about 1 hr.
Might have something to do with living in Tucson, 104 that day. Got to love it!!

[greenie]

I thought the original Bergman was a pint of the solvent (naptha now) and two onces of parafin, or roughly 1/4 block. While the ratios may be same as Doc's, I wonder if the smaller amts somehow make it work? Of course, the ingredients in the wax and naptha may be different from the same products in Bergman's time?

[bighornangler]

I have used many licquid fly flotants over the years including a homemade floatant similar to Bergman's. They all worked to some degree, but although I still might have a bottle of Agua Gel in my vest or something similar, I almost always use Frogs Fanny or now that the word is out fumed silica. I could be wrong, but most of the powders including powders used on arrow feathers is probably mostly fumed silica. If if you use cdc in your flys it's a must. I even use it on compara duns with deer hair and it works for me. I will say however, I use it mostly to restore the fly (particularly cdc) after bloting it.

[Idahoan]

Thank you all who took time to answered my question about the ratio.

All is well...gin clear!!

Matt

[Eric Peper]

I have used many licquid fly flotants over the years including a homemade floatant similar to Bergman's. They all worked to some degree, but although I still might have a bottle of Agua Gel in my vest or something similar, I almost always use Frogs Fanny or now that the word is out fumed silica. I could be wrong, but most of the powders including powders used on arrow feathers is probably mostly fumed silica. If if you use cdc in your flys it's a must. I even use it on compara duns with deer hair and it works for me. I will say however, I use it mostly to restore the fly (particularly cdc) after bloting it.

Like you, I use the fumed silica to restore the fly. For CDC flies, I haven't found anything better than Dry Magic as the first application. On all others I use Loon Aquel (primarily because the Dry Magic is so expensive). After soaking or a fish, I blot with a Wonder Dry Fly Patch and then go to the fumed silica.

Eric

[Flykuni3]

I fume too, but worry about particulate. Try to make sure particles aren't floating into my breathing zone, try to blow excess off fly and fingers away from me and into breeze.

They say "it's not toxic...". But.