[DLM]

Admin, If there's some other forum for complete newbie type questions please relocate this there.

Tried to post this a minute a go and something went wrong. Sorry if it's double-posted.

Please forgive the complete lack of the right lingo.

After a couple years of so-so salmon fishing, wishing I could drift a bait under rapalla-eating trees, wishing I could throw a lighter bait, I finally bought a cheap fly outfit.

Man is this fun! Popped a few flies off, fixed my back cast and haven't popped one since.

Targeted a dinner plate at about 25 ft in the front yard. Switched to a trash can lid. Feeling much better about my abilities now.

Got a couple pan fish with a popper over a weed bed, so I tied on a fly and headed for the river.

Thew a fly about where I wanted to. Drifted over a nice hole, under the branches of a tree holding 4 or 5 rapallas (one was mine from a previous trip).

Had a couple rolls, but didn't hook anything.

Now the questions:

The first couple casts the fly looked like it should. After a few times, the fly wouldn't float anymore. If I worked it a lot before placing it it would dry a little and float some.

The same thins happened with the last 10-15 ft of line.

Is there some obvoius procedure I'm missing?

Is this a cheap equipment issue? rookie issue? or?

They don't wax flies to keep them afloat do they?

Is there some Orvis hip-mounted blow-dryer that I havent heard about.

Also, Is there some website that addresses the MOST BASIC types of issues for rookie fly fishing? Like the "little golden book of flyfishing" online?

Thanks in Advance,

-Dan

[OregonStreams]

Dan... Welcome to the obsession known as fly fishing. I treat any new dry fly with a sealant. This takes at least 24 hours to dry. If you want the absolute techniqe, you can then treat the fly with floatant on site _before_ the fly gets wet. False casting is a quick way to get the fly to refloat. Once the fly stops floating, I would dry it off with a small piece of reuasable camp towel and place it in a combination dessicant and floatant and then blow off the floatant. When that fails, I would change to a new fly and let the old fly dry out complelely.

[BigCliff]

Welcome to the group. The search function will get you lots of info. Just put in "beginnner" and you'll have plenty of good stuff to read.

[ezamora]

dessicants and floatants can be purchased at fly shops. often even at regular fishing stores with a small fly section since floatant is considered general equipment when fishing dries. the liquid type of floatant is for regular hackled flies, flies which use whispy CDC feathers should be dried with a dessicant then dust type of floatant instead of gel.

while fishing, often i'll simly blow hard on a fly to lose most of the water on the fly then apply floatant. false casting dries flies, but if you do it in the wrong place you'll spook some fish.

eric
fresno, ca.

[cowboy]

I just take about 12 inches of leader between my fingers and twirl the fly around. Will dry a dry fly dry with 20 or 30 twirls.

[Surfin the Susquehanna]

I had the same problem. I bought a bottle of fly treatment and it seems to work for a while, then I get the same problem after I catch a fish and that fly was underwater for a few minutes, they always end up waterlogged and don't want to sit up, floatant or not. I did recently find a better floatant other than the stuff they sell in fly shops.

I was waxing my car a couple weeks ago and thought... hmmmm. So I got my fly box out and worked a little Mother's Carnauba wax into one of my Caddis flies for a minute or so, let it dry to a haze and then buffed(LOL) A bit of an exageration but I really did rub some wax into that fly and let it dry then worked it a bit more after it dried to get the excess crudd off. I tell you what, that worked better than the floatant stuff I got from the fly shop. Even after a fish, and it was submerged for a few minutes, i shook it out and that baby sat up on the water like a "jesus bug"

I don't know it the wax will have any ill effect on the life of the material used on that fly, but I have used it twice since I applied it to that fly and that baby still repels water like a freshly waxed sedan. I have yet to do it on all my dry flies as I want to make sure there's no negative effect.

[stevensj2]

lol..."jesus bug"

That's an interesting method. I can't see how the carnuba would damage the fly material, especially if it is the coarse material on top of many flies.

Flies are also pretty inexpensive...I think I might have to test out some of my Macguire's products haha

[Roughrider]

Cowboy, now that was funny!! Yeehaw!!