Fly floatants
Make your dry flies and fly lines float for a long time
- Floatant powder
- Application with brush
- Perfect for CDC flies
- Environmentally friendly
The TOP RIDE of the loon outdoors can floatant and drying your dry fly in just a few moments. Simply introduce the artificial fly still wet and connected to the leader, ajar the lid (do not close it completely) and shake gently for a few seconds. The dry fly will come out dry and waterproof ready to fish. If necessary, it will be sufficient to remove the excess powder by blowing it away or by making a few false casting. This treatment is suitable for all types of dry fly but especially recommended for delicate CDC flies.
The LOON DUST of loon outdoors is a silicone powder that can give floatability and shine to your artificial fly. Thanks to its reflective properties it generates a very attractive sparkle for fish. Unlike other loon outdoors powder products, LOON DUST can also be applied to nymphs, creating air bubbles very similar to those produced by the real insect. It is suitable for all types of artificial flies, even CDC flies. It can also be applied on the fly line to increase its smoothness and floatability.
The FLUFF DUST from hunt's original is a pure silica powder and is perfect for increasing the floatability of your dry flies, especially CDC flies. Applying it is very easy, just insert the fly still connected to the fishing leader inside the jar, ajar the lid (without closing it completely) and shake for a few seconds. Then simply remove the excess powder by blowing it away or making a few false casts. Dry the artificial fly well before using the product.
The BLUE RIBBON of the loon outdoor is a powder that can make your dry flies extremely float. Suitable for all types of artificial flies, it is particularly suitable for delicate CDC flies. To apply it, simply insert the fly still connected to the leader, ajar the lid (do not close it completely) and shake gently for a few seconds. You can remove excess powder by blowing it away or making a few false casts. To get the most out of the BLUE RIBBON, dry the dry fly very well before it comes into contact with the powder. The wide opening allows you to introduce artificial flies, even large ones.
DESSPOWD is a silicate powder that can dry your artificial fly in an instant. Once applied to the dry fly it will absorb all the moisture, preparing it in the best possible way for the subsequent application of gels, oils or powders specific for the flotation of artificial flies. The excess powder can be blown away or removed by making a few false throws.
- Dries and impregnates
- Easy and quick application
- Perfect for CDC flies
- Safe for the environment
Floatants are all those products which, when applied to dry flies, greatly increase their floatability. Often using special fly tying material is not enough to keep your imitations afloat, here come into play the floatant, that are able to waterproof the hackles of your artificial flies to make them float even in extreme situations, with strong current or turbulent water.
The floatants are divided into 3 large families: oil, gel and powder.
Although they all serve the same purpose, each of these products has very different characteristics.
Oil:
A good floatant oil is generally extracted from the glands on the tail of water birds. These glands secrete an oily liquid which is then spread over the animal's entire plumage through its beak to make it waterproof. Generally you will find the words "CDC oil" on the product, which means that it has been extracted from the glands of ducks.
This natural oil is very effective in making your dry fly float. To apply it just drop a drop of product on the fly and rub it gently with your forefinger and thumb to cover the whole artificial, or moisten your fingers directly with a drop of oil and then gently touch the fly's hackles.
Although it is an extremely good product, its weak point is the temperature changes that alter its density. In fact it will tend to be more liquid in summer and denser in winter.
The oil, if applied sparingly, can also be used successfully on delicate CDC flies.
Silicone (spray or gel):
Silicone is a good alternative to CDC oil. It can be in the form of spray or gel. Silicone gel should be applied to the fly using the same process as we have seen for oil. The advantage that silicone gel has on the oil is that it does not undergo any variation in density with the change of temperature, keeping its characteristics unchanged both in summer and winter.
However, silicone gel is not particularly suitable for delicate CDC flies because it tends to knead hackles. For this kind of flies it is preferable to use oil or powder, if you want to use silicone also on CDC flies it is preferable to use spray.
Quality gels and sprays do not leave halos in water, even in slow and flat water situations, and are therefore better than poor silicone products, both in terms of effectiveness in fishing and for the respect of environment.
Powders:
Floatant powders are a more recent invention and offer excellent results on all types of artificial flies, including CDC.
Applying these powders is very quick and easy. Generally they are contained inside jars that allow the insertion of the artificial fly still connected to the fishing leader, once inserted, just ajar the lid, without closing it completely to avoid damaging the leader, and shake gently for a few seconds. Once the fly has been removed from the jar, simply remove the excess powder by blowing it away or making a few false casts.
One of the positive aspects that this system brings with it is that during the waterproofing process you will never touch the fly, and this is an advantage when fishing with very delicate flies like CDC flies, because you are guaranteed to always have perfect presentations!
