EP Mayfly Dub and Trigger Point...truly 0% water absorption?

[cdmoore]

I just read this claim from Enrico Puglisi while looking at rusty spinner patterns online. Is this true in your experience? I tried looking it up but all I could find were verbatim or slightly modified marketing copy. There were some insinuations that floatfulness was due to some kind of treatment application, so I wonder about floatgevity as most treatments tend to fail with continued use? It's probably a long shot asking here since none of you has an opinion on anything, but...

[Caneghost]

I have used Trigger Point Fibers and now the new Trigger Point Supreme regularly for a few years. I cannot say authoritatively that it retains water or that it doesn't, but it seems to me that the fibers themselves do not. Water can certainly get between the fibers in a wing, etc. and the fly can get waterlogged a bit. You can usually blow it out easily. The fibers do not appear to be soaked themselves. I still apply floatant to the entire fly.

Older ad copy on their site and packaging said it was treated with Watershed, but I did not see that recently.

Great material! I like it for wings on comparaduns, spinners, etc. I love the variegated colors like Dark Dun and Quicksilver for spinners, and they catch a lot of tough fish! My Halo Isonychia pictured is a killer!

[WiFlyFisher]

Quite honestly I don't think it matters with small spinner wings, BUT some technical crap for you...

The degree of "moisture absorption" depends on the type of synthetic material and the current conditions such as temperature, humidity and contact time.

Research "Teflon", which is really PTFE, a fluorocarbon solid, which supposedly is the only polymer with zero water absorption. At least that is what I read months ago.

EP offers a ton of colors which the synthetic fibers have to be either topically dyed or solution dyed. My guess is solution dyed so the colors are sealed into the fibers when it was liquid before becoming solid, very fine denier fibers. Does he then coat the fibers with Teflon? No idea.

I have a couple colors of EP Fibers and never use them.

Note: I had to bleach something for my wife this morning, so I took a clump pf EP Silver Grey Original fibers and poured bleach on them. The color did not come out, so it must be a solution dyed synthetic material. When I rinsed it off under the sink, between the fibers was holding water molecules.

IMHO, chances are adding a liquid or spray floatant to EP fibers will probably have zero effect because it can't stick to it.

BTW, I am not a chemist.

John

[cdmoore]

Thanks for the insights people.

[headwaters]

cdmoore wrote: "It's probably a long shot asking here since none of you has an opinion on anything, but..."

Priceless!

[Loogie]

Rusty Spinners tied with a sparse flat wing, synthetic or not float very well, the ones with natural fibers do well with flotant, I find my rusty Spinners with synthetic material float very well without flotant on the wings. I use EP fibers for all kinds of flies in the salt, and for warm water species; I do use EP fibers for spinners though, it works very well either way. I believe the shape of the fly on a spinner is more important to simulate the effect of the bug laying down on the water. Most of the time I use a Spinner, I am targeting an active fish or fishes, so the float doesn't have to be too long. I dont use a Spinner as a search pattern. That said a fine tippet like a 6x and a nice flat spinner will do the trick, the artificial fiber is 100% easier to see on the water than a natural feather wing. I dont believe EP fiber absorbs much water and its easier to shake off, especially if its sparse. Given a choice I'll use EP for spinners though.

[bassman]

cdmoore wrote: "It's probably a long shot asking here since none of you has an opinion on anything, but..."

Priceless!