This is something every dry fly angler desires. You may have noticed that when you cast a fresh fly right out of the box, you often get a bite immediately. A fresh fly floats differently on the water's surface than one that has already been wet by a caught fish. After catching a fish, the fly is not only wet but sometimes covered with a layer of fish slime. Once it’s soaked, the materials used and the construction of the fly become crucial. These two factors determine how well you can dry the fly to restore it as close to its original state as possible.
Briefly, I'd like to go over some of the rules and requirements for individual materials.
Hook – The thickness of the hook, and therefore its weight, must be adjusted primarily according to the size of the fish you intend to catch. The weight of the hook significantly affects the fly’s buoyancy. Therefore, we try to use the thinnest hooks possible. A thin hook also allows the use of finer tippets.
Key fly elements – legs, wings, tails, and other components.
Modern flies are tied relatively simply using high-quality materials. Above all, CDC feathers are indispensable. From CDC, you can create not only wings, which are very attractive to fish, but also legs and even the body using CDC dubbing. Such a fly is almost unsinkable, provided you use quality, naturally-colored CDC. Natural CDC feathers have not only a vast surface area due to their fine branches but, if naturally oily, they repel water. The fine fibers of the feathers can also bind microscopic air bubbles, making this material indispensable. Dyed feathers tend to lose their original properties due to the dyeing process, so they need a little help with a quality floatant.
Legs are primarily tied with rooster feathers. Again, the feathers must be of high quality, meaning they should be mature, taken from 2-3-year-old roosters, preferably in spring.
To make the body, you can use a wide range of materials, both natural – feathers, fur – and synthetic – threads, dubbings, foils, etc. This is a very extensive topic, and each material would need to be described individually, as there are no general rules. Some synthetic materials are very suitable, while others are not. The same applies to feathers. In my opinion, the quality of the feathers is crucial – whether CDC or those used for legs – CDC should be natural, undyed. The more you invest in quality, the fewer problems you will have on the water. Another important factor is the hook’s weight – it should be as light as possible, chosen based on the size of the targeted fish. For example, for small fish, use BL404 and BL450. For larger fish, BL 454 and BL 400.
Whether we've made the fly from high-quality or somewhat inferior materials, it’s crucial to care for the fly before and during fishing so that it floats as if it were freshly pulled from the box. It's advisable to gently preserve the fly with a floatant after tying it, such as CDC OIL, by lightly coating the fly and blotting off the excess oil with a paper tissue. A fly treated this way will float superbly, even if you use dyed CDC or another less-than-perfect material.
After catching a fish, it’s essential to remove any fish slime from the fly by rinsing it in water. Then, remove excess water using false casts, amadou, or a paper tissue. The fly may appear ready for more fishing after drying, but this is often not the case, as it still contains a small amount of water that hinders the buoyancy of the materials it’s made from. Consequently, the fly does not sit on the surface film but is submerged beneath the water. Fish are very sensitive to this, especially in calm water, where it can greatly affect fishing success.
We then have two options – tie on a fresh fly or dry the existing one with Dry Wing Powder. This is a white powder with strong absorbent properties, which quickly extracts any remaining water from the fly – essentially sucking it out. The best method is to sprinkle a bit of powder onto the wings and/or body of the fly and rub it in with your finger. Blow off the excess powder, and if necessary, repeat the process. It’s best to hold the fly by the hook between your fingers. If you dip the entire fly in the powder, the hook itself tends to float, causing the fly to tip over. Additionally, dipping the entire fly in the powder can transfer some of it to the tippet, potentially damaging the line against the edge of the container, which negatively impacts future fishing.
Dry Wing Powder also solves the problem of drying flies in rainy weather, where false casts are less effective. This powder will always remove all moisture from the fly.
So, I wish your flies to float beautifully...
Your Hends Team