THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL... CHOOSE THE CORRECT FLOATANT FOR YOUR DRY FLY AND UP YOUR GAME.
As with many things in sport, it seems it’s those people that pay a little more attention to detail that are the ones that seem to have a little more success. Most of us like nothing better than to be able to target our quarry with a dry fly. It is, after all, the pinnacle of the sport in many people’s eyes. We present a pattern to imitate what the trout are feeding on, resting on the water surface where the trout have all the time in the world to inspect it.
It’s visual, exciting, and at times totally addictive. However, to fool a fish on a dry fly is a skill that requires many variables to come together to achieve the perfect result. Everything needs to be just right; the cast, delivered with accuracy, and the fly must drift naturally at the mercy of the current.
It’s this attention to detail that separates the men from the boys. Of course, all of the above can be perfect; however, if the fly isn’t presented correctly, on or in the water’s surface, the trout will refuse it.
Luckily for us, we have various fly treatments that can heighten our chances of catching. They allow us to nurture and take care of our flies so that we can present them in a way that looks ‘just right’ each and every time!
Essentials for the Dry Fly Angler
Loon Lochsa
Many of us like gels, it’s what we’re used to, and we can see exactly how much we want to treat our flies. Loon Lochsa is a great floatant, a gel that will work its magic on all fly patterns, from hackled dries, CDC emergers and, of course, parachutes. It’s this versatility that makes it a popular choice with so many anglers. The gel adheres to your pattern and then penetrates the materials, feather, fur and yarns keeping that fly doing what it needs to do for longer.
Loon Aquel
Loon Aquel is an awesome floatant and one that’s been a firm favourite of many anglers for such a long time. After being applied, it leaves little or no slick, unlike some floatants. Its other key feature is its amazing ability to hide our human scent due to its odour masking pheromones. This stuff’s ideal option for most dry fly patterns, even CDC, but use sparingly don’t clog the fibres.
Loon Fly Spritz 2
Loon Fly Spritz 2 is the one to look out for when it comes to speed and convenience. This is a spray floatant that can be targeted at your fly, the mist penetrating into the body materials, getting that fly back to its best and fishing again in a heartbeat. As it’s a spray, just give your fly a quick false cast to get rid of any excess and then you’re good to go.
Loon Top Ride
Dry flies and emergers take some punishment; when the fish are up and rising, they can come to the fly readily, and you can land several in just a few minutes. Unfortunately, this means the fly gets soaked and slimed, and its ability to float is gone. Loon Top Ride is the perfect foil for this as it allows you to dry out soaked, saturated flies. It’s fuss-free too; it’s just a case of placing the fly, still attached to the leader, into the container and giving it a shake; job done. The fly is prepped, leaving no slick on the water and ready for some floatant. This is great for larger patterns, big Sedge, Klinks, and of course Mayfly!
Loon Easy Dry
Loon Easy Dry pulls all the moisture from bedraggled, water-logged flies of all shapes and sizes. It gets rid of all the gunk; simply place the fly and a little leader in the tub, close the lid and shake. This little tub of water-absorbent beads can be used many times, and it has a neat little trick up its sleeve; when it’s done and can do no more, the blue indicator beads turn pink. A great feature letting you know when you need a replacement.
Loon Blue Ribbon
Loon Blue Ribbon is a little special as it’s a pure powder silica floatant. It will readily absorb all moisture from your fly patterns, including delicate CDC patterns. It works on most flies, but it has specially designed with the more delicate flies in mind. Once treated, the fly will have a fine coating of powder; this can be blown off or the fly given a false cast. Either way, the pattern will be restored and fish perfectly with no residue on the water after treatment. Be that won’t leave residue on the water’s surface. This is THE recommended floatant for flies incorporating CDC.
Floatant Application
When applying floatant gels, it’s often best to squeeze a drop onto the back of you’re rod holding hand rather than on your fingers. You can then rub the fly or certain parts of the fly onto the gel.Â
Having floatant on your fingertips is never good when fishing dries, it’s all too easy to touch the tippet by accident, and the last thing you want when fishing with dry flies is a floating tippet!