I dislike Gink

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

Without thinking about it, I've purchased Loon brand floatant since I began this journey in 2017. This year, while fishing with my buddy, I ran out of floatant and he had a few extras in his gear bag, so I began using Gink for the first time. All was good, with similar results to what I experienced using Loon...until the cold weather hit. The Gink brand solidified to the point where I couldn't squeeze any out of the tube. Keeping the Gink next to my body helped, but I will be going back to Loon as the Gink will prove unacceptable for the next 5 or 6 months!

I hope that this helps someone out there.

Cheers,
Joe

[driftless angler]

Frogs Fanny for me, especially in the cold. I don't have to remove my gloves to apply and then a lot of my dry flies have CDC for wings.

That's good to know about Gink and the cold though, thanks!

[carl otto]

I have found treating my dry flies with a liquid floatant before going afield eliminates the need for floatants on stream. I blow my flies out frequently and employ the dry powder desiccants. The cold hardening (and liquification in hot weather) of the gels and pastes, as noted in the original post, are an inconvenience. Also, the residue paste/get on your fingers ends up on your vest, clothes, glasses, etc.

Carl

[GerardH]

I've used Gink for about 30 years now and yes, it does gel up when it's cold. Other than having it in an inner pocket where it can stay warm, the only other suggestion I can offer is make sure the container is topped off (I have a lifetime supply of Albolene for refills) so when you squeeze it, something will come out and it liquefies pretty quickly in the palm of your hand.

[kevinhaney1]

I’ve always thought that the best thing for dry flies would be if you could find one of those little cans of compressed air to blow the water out of them. I’ve never been able to find one small enough to fit in the tube pocket of my fly vest. Has anyone else?

Kevin

[ffftroutbum]

Carl, would you mind sharing with liquid floatant you are treating your flies with?

[LeeO]

Albolene makeup remover and fumed silica

[diamante]

Albolene makeup remover and fumed silica

[16pmd]

Otherwise known as Gink and Frog's Fanny.

[kingstu]

The Silver Trout floatants are way better than the silicone based floatants. It’s funny how people accept the use of floatants that don’t work that well. Liquify-X is the best all around gel floatant on the market.
Stu

[ffftroutbum]

Stu, I have been using the Teimco Dry Fly Magic and it’s not too bad. Do you know how it compares the stuff you are using? I have been using it after a few of the floatants, Hydrophobe and then later on Fly Sauce, were no longer available.

[nuchamps5]

I've started using Loon Fly Dip, and I'm not sure I'll ever go back to paste. The only downside is that it leaves a white residue on waders and hands, but that washes right off. I still love Frog's Fanny for drying out after a fish, though.

[billems]

I like Fly Agra. It's the old Bergman Kerosene recipe.

[kingstu]

Dry fly magic and the rest mentioned are silicone based floatants.
I have used them all and they don’t work very well. I thought dry fly magic was the cats meow but on a warm day the formulation just simply separated the wax from oil. Silicone oils are classified as a class 2 hazard to the environment. So all of that dipping floatants with silicone oils are not good. That is why I developed
The Silver Trout floatants. If you are using cdc flies I say stop and use hackle type flies with Liquify-X. You can get at least 5 hookups with a single fly.
Stu

[ffftroutbum]

Thanks Stu for the info. Your stuff looks interesting and I think will be ordering some soon. One other product that I tried the summer before last was this High and Dry liquid that one just uses on the stream. But it seemed to get all over your equipment, especially the grip when you handled your fly.

[PT48]

I use Loon because I have blind faith in their environmental credentials. Also, when I buy a new bottle, I empty half of it into a spent bottle because I have had a gutful of losing new bottles!

[PYochim]

I like Fly Agra. It's the old Bergman Kerosene recipe.

FlyAgra stiffens the hackles nicely.

[blackdog]

Stu, thanks for your post. I need a new bottle of floatant so ordered your product. I’ll be glad to provide feedback once I get to use it. Looking forward to trying it out.

[mrampant]

Like Carl says; I treat the flies when I make them with a floatant and let them dry. then I pack them in the required fly boxes. On the water the dry desiccant or whatever you use double treats them; no problems.
Cheers,
Mark

[Brooks]

Flotant and it’s application is a sub-set skill, IMO, like much in flyfishing, whether it be reach cast, knots, choice of tippet, or fly selection.
Frog’s Fanny works great, but if the particles are left in the hackles, water gets sucked to the dubbing and hackles and the fly turns into a sponge on the next cast. Kerosene and paraffin work great on big ol’ sofa pillows, but destroy cdc spring creek delicate flies. Fly Magic works great as a micro thin film on your finger tips, but will glob a cdc fiber if over-used. Gink is fine if not used as a fly bath.
Personally, I haven’t found the silver bullet, but can get by with all of the above if used judiciously.