Dry out wet fishing flies

[UTExplorer]

Dry out wet fishing flies
"Being an avid fly fisherman, I use silica to dry out my flies when fishing on a favorite stream. I crush or ground the silica into powder form, then place it in a film canister. When my fly becomes waterlogged, I place it into the canister, put the cap on, shake it for a bit, and voilà—my fly is dry again."
Submitted by Tim from Flower Mound, TX

Read more: 8 Clever Uses for Silica Gel - Popular Mechanics
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technolo...silica-gel
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[cpierce]

Silica gel can also be heated to reactivate it.


If you need a bunch of silica gel, then check out some of the silica gel kitty litters.
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[flygoddess]

I get tons of that at work. I use a patch or Frog Fanny. Great tip, thanks
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[Xmlfish]

I am going to try this. I like the frogs fanny stuff but it always seems to spill in my bag i do not know why.. [mad]
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[flygoddess]

But frog fanny is the ONLY floatant for CDC and put some on you nymphs and fish shallow like emergers. Puts what looks like a natural bubble effect. I fish a dry dropper and I put it on both.
The crystals are nice and I used it for awhile, but seems like an extra step when fishing to me. That is why I have a patch as well.
Just asking, but does it really dry the fly. I mean waving the fly in the sir can dry it, but if it has been slimed, that is a different story. Does it help the slime?
Oh and for the record, Frog Fanny does, but I am always up for something new and it sounds like sage hands on opinion here.
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[cpierce]

Most of the time I use a patch, my shirt, or some other cloth first. Then if I need to I may use some silica gel to dry it more. After all that I will dust it with floatant.

If it is too slimy, I may wash it, blot it, silica gel it, and give it a "time out" until it is really dry.
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[riverdog]

How do you slime a fly? Seriously I must be doing something wrong as I haven't experienced it. Do you set the trout right on top of your fly and hold it there or something?[crazy].
I have frog fanny and gink with me 100% of the time but haven't had to replace them in over 5years. I'm very lazy and inpatient with anything that slows me up on the water and use them just a few times a year at most. I generally stick with foam flies now that there are thousands of patterns widely available and not just the terrestrials. Don't have to stop every 5th cast and shake it in some little container to keep it floating.
Here's a link to a nice CDC free and floatant free foam mayfly made with a foam cutter http://www.riverroadcreations.com/MayflyBody.htm
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[flygoddess]

In the few fish I have caught, after a couple have hit the same fly, which has happened to me once or twice, the fly has a film on it from their mouth. This is specially noticeable on CDC.....slimed.
Foam is a good alternative, but hard to use on 24 and smaller. The tighter foam is wrapped, the complete opposite effect.
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[cpierce]

My foam flies seem to get pretty waterlogged after a few fish too. They last longer, but still seem to sink after a while. I usually have to change them out, as they are hard to get dry enough to float good again after they pick up water.
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