Choosing the Best Fly Floatants
One key to successful dry fly fishing is keeping your flies floating high and dry. With numerous floatants available, choosing the best can seem daunting. Here’s a quick guide to some top-performing floatants and how to best use them:
- Type: Liquid
- Pros: Excellent flotation, environmentally friendly, easy to prep day before by dipping flies and allowing them to dry.
- Cons: Slightly higher cost, but the performance is exceptional.
2. Loon Aquel
- Type: Gel
- Pros: Masks human smells. Silicone based and long lasting.
- Cons: Thicker consistency requires careful application.
- Type: Gel
- Pros: Long-lasting flotation, easy to apply, environmentally friendly.
- Cons: Slightly pricier than standard gels.
4. Loon Fly Dip
- Type: Liquid
- Pros: Environmentally friendly, works with CDC, pre-treat flies at home.
- Cons: Requires drying time after application.
5. Frog’s Fanny
- Type: Powder
- Pros: Quickly revitalizes saturated flies, and enhances realistic presentations.
- Cons: Pricey, powder is easily spilled and can be messy.
- Type: Powder
- Pros: Quick and easy application, effectively restores buoyancy and dries wet flies.
- Cons: Can be messy, and powder can blow away in windy conditions.
Recommended Strategy:
For best results, use a combination approach:
- Initial application: High N Dry or a premium gel/liquid floatant for long-lasting performance.
- On-the-water maintenance: Revive saturated flies with powder floatants such as Frog’s Fanny or Shimazaki Dry Shake.
This combination ensures your flies stay buoyant, lifelike, and effective throughout your day on the water.
In years past, we had no choice but use some very toxic floatants. With modern advances, anglers no longer have to choose between green and great products.
