Finding a name for a product is really difficult! We've produced a floatant and needed to name it after something that floats really well - all the obvious ones were already taken. Then I remembered, our local village used to have a Rubber Duck race every year for charity - they never lost a duck, and so the floatant name was born:
Rubber Duck Gel Floatant - is a fly floatant developed by Barbless Flies. Similar in viscosity to the well known floatant brands of Gink et al, this gel style floatant is suitable for all dry flies - including CdC.
Our Rubber Duck Gel floatant is supplied in 15ml tins. One tin will easily last you a full season, no matter how often you fish, as you only need the slightest hint of the floatant on the fly to make it float.
To apply the floatant:
- Unscrew the lid of the tin.
- Gently rub your forefinger on the top of the gel
- Rub your thumb and forefinger together to get the gel on both
- Apply to the feathers/materials of your fly with your thumb and forefinger
- Screw the lid back on the tin.
- Go fishing ...
Before we released this floatant we asked for some of our knowledgeable 'dry fly' customers to give it a test. Here is just some of the feedback we received ... it really works!
"The floatant does its job. Flies sit well on the surface or depending on how you use it, within the surface. My impression was that it lasted longer than my other go-to products, high and dry, or gink. When flies did submerge on the retrieve, the next cast saw the fly re-emerge on the surface, which is not always the case with all floatants."; Wayne
"I am a great user of Musclin and I found your product not as thick and less vaseline like. It melts very quickly on the fingers thus enabling me to regulate the quantities to be applied. I have taken to fishing emergers mostly and it only needs a squeeze on the wings and hackle to ensure they float effectively. I do find that if I dry the fly gently when it does start to sink and then apply one of the floating powers this regenerates the floatability."; Steve
"As part of my trial I have used the floatant both pre-prepared (i.e, applied the floatant some 10hrs prior to use) and I have also used it straight from the tin on the river bank. Both methods gave me success and I am extremely happy with the application method. A much cleaner application, as I find use of the 'well named product' can be quite a messy procedure. Yesterday afternoon I also trialled dragging the fly back quickly so that it got submerged and then casting a few dummy casts prior to casting and the fly sat well upon the next cast without the need to dry using an elastic band or crystals."; Clive
" One interesting point is that when using two rods on one of the stillwaters, I picked up what I thought was my floating line rod and tied on an emerger, which duly floated, but on seeing the line drop below the surface, realised that I had picked up the rod with a Di3 sweep line on it. However, the fly still floated, which struck me as being quite impressive as normally the fly would have gone under. I allowed it to float for a while, both amusing and impressing my wife and I, eventually having to retrieve it as opposed to it dropping below the surface, a testament to how effective the floatant is."; Wayne
TOP TIP: If you are tempting fish with a nymph, applying some Rubber Duck Gel will create a lifelike bubble around the nymph. This will not only provide a more lifelike fly but the bubble will also reflect light to attract fish. It's a great tip that should be used more and we recommend you try it.
Our Rubber Duck Gel Fly Floatant is supplied in a small 10ml screw-top tin.
Rubber Duck Gel Fly Floatant is designed to work on all dry fly types, including CdC.