"Mike Connor" wrote in message
...
This might also be of interest;

Uhmm...
Yeah. Interesting stuff, even if I didn't understand most of it.

All dry material like feather, fur, synthetics etc, floats when it is dry.
It is keeping it dry which is the problem.

snip

Some "floatants", rely on the material being soaked with a hydrophobic
material, or at least a material which is immiscible with water. ( Gink,
Paraffin, silicone grease, wax dissolved in various solvents).

Others are hydrophobic in their dry state, ( Watershed etc). The material
thus does not soak up water. The principle is the same, but the dry
materials don´t wash off as easily as the liquid ones.

I plan to use "Water-Shed" on my flies. You write that it doesn't wash off
as easily as fly floatant (ie.Gink) How long would it take to wash off if
using a couple drops on say, a size 14 fly using poly yarn? Roughly. I know
there is no given formula. Just interested if you have noticed. Maybe
several hours of being in contact with the water?

The specific gravity of the material in use is not the main problem, the
main problem is surface tension.

This is where you start to get me confused with the scientifc jargon. So...

snip

In order to float a fly well, a synthetic yarn must be less dense than
water, and also hydrophobic.

Many synthetics are less dense than water when dry, but will actually soak
up water. These are useless on dry flies, unless treated with floatant.

If you want to tie flies using these materials, then test them yourself in
the bath etc. If they float up to the surface after being submerged, they
are less dense than water, and also hydrophobic. ( Although some may soak
up
water over time). This is an excellent device for floating emergers etc
"IN"
the film. The fly displaces water, but will still not sink, and it has the
advantage of being a more natural presentation.

For flies that you wish to sit "ON" the surface film, it does not really
matter what you use, although the same synthetics will stay dry
indefinitely, even without floatant.

If you use flies like Klinkhammers etc, then you can get them to "float"
at
very precise depths in the film. To whit, the body below the film, and the
"post" in the film, by using the right fibres.

Tying emergers will be something I'll have to get into real soon as I was
skunked today by having only dries and the fish were interested in something
else. They looked like they were taking off the surface, but I didn't see
any hatch occuring. I figure what ever they were hitting had to be in, or
just under the surface tension.

(Of course I could just stick to fishing for bass and pike, but I would like
to try catching trout. So I have to learn all this stuff.)

Although the density of many fibres is only a little below that of water,
one may still use the positive buoyancy. BUT the fibres MUST! be
hydrophobic
as well.

TL
MC