Floatants

[hpskiff]

Found a link to a floatant comparison and a recipe for an old floatant that appears to be flyagra. http://www.drlogik.com/flyfloatants.html

[Rob909]

I would like to add some silica gel granules but have not been able to find.

You can keep the little packets that come in the boxes of new shoes.....if that is what you are talking about?


Rob

[fly addict]

Found a link to a floatant comparison and a recipe for an old floatant that appears to be flyagra. http://www.drlogik.com/flyfloatants.html

Thanks for the link. I have not tried to make a floatant, but if I did I might be inclined to try acetone as the solvent base because it evaporates so quickly when it is exposed to air. I think that would be good for the fly as it would only leave the silicon or paraffin on the fly.

Mark

[tomsakai]

I don't think I'd want to use acetone. That stuff is NASTY, who knows what it might do to you if you were exposed to it a lot.

[ldr]

I don't think I'd want to use acetone. That stuff is NASTY, who knows what it might do to you if you were exposed to it a lot.

Speaking of NASTY search YouTube...Honey badger badass

[rayfound]

This is the same theory that I have been meaning to test... Use a light petroleum solvent to dissolve paraffin wax, possibly some other additives. Use the liquid to deposit a solid layer of the waterproof material on the fly.

I think acetone will be too hard on the colors and adhesives. Also, since it is not an oil, it may not dissolve wax well anyway.

Would possibly like to try another version, alcohol based, but the waterproofing agent couldn't be wax in that case.

[ptflashback]

Thanks for the feedback all.

[briansII]

I don't think I'd want to use acetone. That stuff is NASTY, who knows what it might do to you if you were exposed to it a lot.

Speaking of NASTY search YouTube...Honey badger badass

It's a "must see".

briansII

[Fishfreak911]

I m surprised no one mentioned Mucilin Green (have not tried the red)

It certainly has its ups n downs (melts in hot weather, get hard as a rock in cold, but have found little tricks that have minimizesd these problems. I simply keep it buried in teh center of my chest pack to keep cool in the summer, and put it against my body for a bit in colder weather.
I find that it floats the heck out of a fly if applied liberally BEFORE getting the fly wet.

I do wish they would come up with a leak-proof container tho. (for when it accidently melts.)

G

[hpskiff]

Just mixed up a batch of the homemade Flyagra. I used 1/4 cup of Coleman fuel and dissolved about a 1/4 ounce of shaved candle wax in it in a mason jar. I dipped in an assortment of flies for a second or two then dried them thoroughly - flicked them around on a leader then shot them with some compressed air. They all float like corks in the "Bucket" test. Takes a few good pokes to knock the air off and make them sink, but one flick on the leader and they are dry as new. I let them float for about an hour and they were all still on top though riding a little low. Again one flick and they looked like they just came out of the flybox. No oil slick either. I will give them a real world test soon!

On a side note, I had a little trouble finding a small plastic 1-2oz container with a large mouth, solvent proof and liquid tight, and am open to suggestions. Best I had was and empty plastic spice jar. Even after giving the jar a good scrubbing the floatant still came out smelling like curry. And it leaked.

...sorry officer, I didn't know trout liked Indian food.

[rayfound]

On a side note, I had a little trouble finding a small plastic 1-2oz container with a large mouth, solvent proof and liquid tight, and am open to suggestions. Best I had was and empty plastic spice jar. Even after giving the jar a good scrubbing the floatant still came out smelling like curry. And it leaked..

If you backpack, try the little bottle that biodegradable soap comes in, OR, visit REI and get one of their little plastic containers made for soap/cooking oil.

Spice containers are made to hold solids, not liquids, so they will have a different thread/seal style.

EDIT: PS- was that the most wax you could dissolve? did you try heating?

[hpskiff]

I will check out REI, thanks!

That was about all that would dissolve - still had some flakes in the bottom. Did not heat it beyond setting it in the sun for an hour. Not sure I would want it much thicker though. I brushed some on a piece of glass to see how much wax would be left behind and it left a rather thick film.

[fly addict]

I got to try the Fly Agra on the water a few years ago and it worked really well. I was out of floatant and a hatch was going off and fish were on the surface feeding. It was getting dark and I had caught a few fish with the fly I had on. There was no way I could try and tie a fly in the dark. It’s not because I can't tie in the dark, but because I could not thread the tippet through the eye of the hook. Call it the old guy who needs new glasses to see close up. I guy came up to me and asked what fly I was using because he was not catching any fish. I said I would tell him if he had some floatant to loan me. Well he pulled out this home brew floatant that he called Fly Agra. I dipped my fly in the stuff and figured it wasn't going to do me much good as my fly was well slimed up from catching a few fish. Low and behold it worked like a charm and I was able to keep my fly up longer, and was able to continue to catch a few more trout. That stuff works great.

Mark

[Bernard]

Pre-treat your flies the night before

Ahhh yes. You mean plan ahead? Oh boy. *Writes on arm with sharpie ....*

B.