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3. Leader "grease"

Guys;

I was wondering what you use to float your leader better while fishing a dry to keep it up high. I usually just put some gink dry-fly ointment on there that I squirt out on my fingers; is there better stuff for that??

I just use Gink, too.

Whatever I have I guess. I was cleaning out a university lab at one time and took home a little jar of "silicon vacuum grease" (used for a lubricating a medical pump) and have used it ever since. Sticky silicone that floats the leader for a while. I re-grease throughout the day.

Mucilin

Martin;

Is Mucilin a type of dry-fly ointment? Where do you get it?

Thanks,

Adirman

Adirman -

To those of us fishing before the 70's it was the only fly floatant in common use, other than Ray Bergman's old lighter fluid and paraffin formula that you made yourself (horrible stuff). It is an English product that used to come in little red tins before the silicone days. To stay competitive , they eventually came up with a silicone formula that came in a green can. I think the packaging doomed it's populaity more than anything else as the litttle tins leaked in warm weather and in cold weather your fingers were apt to drop the lid in the drink. I assume the green variety is still available somewhere, but I haven't seen the original red formula in years. The thought of it brings back some great memories!

Kurt

I had started to post: "I USED to use Mucilin (red can) but found that it eroded my vinyl flylines." Now, putting it on leaders only is probably not an issue. And...I could be wrong about what caused it, but I stopped using it.

Ha! You are absolutely right Paul. The reds primary purpose was for the treatment of silk flylines. It's mineral formula didn't get along with vinyl very well. I ruined more than a few 444's in my day. My bellyaching helped me get a couple of replacements out of Leon Chandler who was Cortland's rep at the time until it was determined what caused it.

Cortland has been a really good company. And Leon was a wonderful man.

Yes and yes...

At the time, nobody knew. We just assumed it was faulty production formulas. Most guys just washed 'em with dish soap and ran 'em through those little yellow cans of whatever-it-was that came with the lines. Only a few anal retents like myself actually greased their lines with Mucilin. If I remember, it took awhile to get the result so it wasn't readily apparent (though mixing with bug dope residue probably accelerated the process).:)

I use the Mucilin green, putting a bit of it in one side of a flip top contact lens holder, which seals it up well; The other side has some tungsten putty. Float and sink. Mucilin paste is also a great fly floatant, but don't use it on CDC. I've never dressed a line with it, just the leader. I recently bought some Loon Payette, which is more temperature stable than Mucilin, and will probably switch over to that.

A guide I fished with recently uses liquid Mucilin floatant (comes in a glass jar--it is not the same as Mucilin paste) and swears by it. I'll be giving it a try too. So many products, so few vest pockets!!

I know what you mean; I already carry a couple diff. types of fly ointment, now I'm gonna have to go and get some of this mucilin stuff and try it!!

Does anyone know what the composition of GINK is??..funny story about how I found out, and I won't tell it because it is too long, but it is mineral oil, and paraffin. If you went into a Rite-Aid store (I think they are still around) It is the same stuff as women's facial, makeup remover. Has a blue jar top, and named Albolene, or Alvolene..now that I wrote both, I think it is Albolene. I melt some, and refill up my containers. Very low heat, as it melts at body temp..and you need a small funnel, or you get it all over. I'd be better off to use a bigger applicator container I guess.

Sayfu;

Is it more cost effective to buy the Albolene as opposed to the gink?

Sure is. Think I paid around $8 for a jar, and you could fill up a container of Gink 30 times probably. I'm just grabbing numbers, but a whole lot of times. Umpqua buys the facial makeup remover in 5 gal. drums and melts it down into their containers. A question of how much does a guy need? Could guys go together on it?

Hey Sayfu,

There's no silicone in it? I always assumed it was a silicone formula... If it is make-up remover, could they doctor it by adding the silicone?

Kurt

No silicone in it...jus paraphin and mineral oil...mineral oil used because it has no smell. Some floatants are composed of silicone, but not the creams usually. But if you want to increase your takes?...add some shrimp oil. :)

Now, now, boys! We can't have this less we want them attaching "Power Bait" adds along the sides here...;)

Spence

Shrimp juice? That's an affront to my ethics and esthetic sensibilities. Harrumph! Though, I have been known to rub my flies in old salmon carcasses and such, just to moisten them of course. Hmm...

Regards,

Kurt

PS - Spence, Powerbait works really well as a strike indicator. Mold a dab of it on the tippet about a 1/4" above the nymph. The takes will be much easier to detect and timing can even be off a little.

Hello All'

I use the green Mucilin on my braided uni thread leaders. This stuff is awesome, one application floats it all day long. When you use a nymph rig the leader acts as a really good strike indicator. Caution mucilin does not play well with any kind of heat and melts down to nothing, and covers everything in your satchel. I even use it to float my flies. Try it and you will not go back to your old floatant.

Ben