| I agree with Birdman that Gink works really well to keep the fly high and dry. But more recently (as in this past Nov.), I started using the dry powder floatant a bit more often. The stuff I use is called "Frog's Fanny". It's kind of a pain in the ass to work with - think of powdered sugar - but it does a damn good job keeping the fly on the top of the water. I also think it gives the fly more of an authentic look, plus it "highlights" it since the stuff is white in coloration. The only downfall is that you have to re-apply ever 10 or so casts to keep that nice top-water look. I've actually tried a combination: Gink first, then Frog's Fanny, and had pretty good luck with that.
Another thing to consider when trying to keep your dry fly dry is the old "Shammy and Fanny" method. This consists of wiping off you dry fly with a small piece of shammy cloth, then applying Frog's Fanny. This helps to reduce the amount of floatant you need to apply, and it keeps longer on the fly itself. |