Floss Blow Line?

[ChrisTheFish]

I was recently reading a book by Gary LaFontaine called "Fly Fishing the Mountain Lakes" and in it he mentioned a technique he terms the Floss Blow Line.

To accomplish it, one takes around an 11' rod and a reel spooled with unwaxed dental floss. A tippet is attached directly to the end of the floss and then a dry fly to the end of the tippet.

The technique is used for really windy days. The rod is held directly up in the air and line is let out into the wind. The fly is supposed to touch in one spot repeatedly to attract any feeding trout.

I was intrigued by the technique and was wondering if anybody has had experience with it. I don't know that I'm going to go out and do it right away, but am curious to know more about it.

Thanks and Happy New Year to everyone!


((((((Shoot. This should have been under the casting and techniques section! Sorry I misplaced it!)))))))
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[riverdog]

Never heard of it but I don't plan on buying a 11 foot rod to trying it. A lot cheaper and probable much more effective just to switch to a subsurface fly of some sort in those conditions. If you do try it let us know otherwise if I see an 11 foot rod you're selling in the classifieds I'll know it didn't pan out.
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[flygoddess]

Sounds interesting and LORD knows we get the winds.
So, with the floss and the wind. the wind is pulling the fly out to the water...right? Does the floss get hung up due to no weight so the speak?
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[ChrisTheFish]

FG, it was the wind that propelled the line, no casting involved. I believe the whole fluttering effect the wind caused the fly to have was what made it so effective. He did not mention having any trouble with the floss getting tangled or hung up. He talked about doing most of this kind of fishing from a flotation device, so I would imagine he did not have to let too much out for it to work.
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[flygoddess]

DAPPING, the English have been doing it for years. I did find some stuff on this. Basically you could use a POLE. The longer the better 11' to 12' and you could tie the floss to the end (I am not sure I would like to try stripping with dental floss LOL) and dapping or dancing the fly off the water.

An Asian guy was doing this on a local pond. I figured out emdiately what he was doing when I saw this 12' to 14' Pole....worked pretty good, but he had a hard tome getting the fish to hand[]
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[riverdog]

You know after I thought about it that was what I was thinking, you could just use a pole/ piece of bamboo since there isn't any casting involved. Sure a lot cheaper than buying a rod for occasional use. Sort of like dapping but the wind has blown the fly out and making it bounce up off the water and then gravity brings it back down. Maybe use a short piece of fly line with the floss tied for the last dozen feet would make it a lot easier to bring in.
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[flygoddess]

That was what I was thinking. My drummer gave me a Bamboo Pole he got at Walmart for pennies. No guides or reel seat just a tip tip.
Humm I think I will have to get some unwaxed floss[]
Worth a shot! I mean a picture LOL
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[macfly55]

Europeans (English, Irish etc) have been using this technique for years.. it is called dapping..

the basic idea behind it is to keep the fly just touching above the water.. the wind will dance the fly around and that motion and surface disturbance is suppose to bring the fish up to the surface..

Irishfloattube on the float tubing board did a big discussion on this a while back..

if I am not mistaken you use regular line.. attach the "floss" like you would a leader (10 - 12 feet long).. and then a short piece of tippet attached to the fly itself..

Ill do some searching and see if I can find the link or other information on the web..

btw.. they do not use dental floss.. the floss they use is more like a very strong small ribbon..

MacFly
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[macfly55]

here is a link that explains dapping as the Scottish and Irish do it. [url "http://lochlomondangling.com/dappinglomond1.htm"][#008000][size 4]dapping[/size][/#008000][/url] ..

I have to correct myself.. you use regualar line (fluro for example.. and that is what you reel in.. you tie the floss or blow line to that.. a short leader.. then the fly..

hope this helps..

btw.. you dont have to buy a really expensive rig.. I got a 12' rod and a crappie reel from BPS.. all I need to get now is the floss and try it on the water (imagine using this as the second rod on a float tube or pontoon as a second) rod

MacFly [cool]
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[Dryrod]

[center][font "Garamond"][#008000][size 4]Will mint floss work? Probably best to use the round floss verses the tape floss. Gosh I wonder how did the originator came up with the idea of using floss? [/size][/#008000][/font]
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[ChrisTheFish]

lol...

Mint floss and fly fishing.... it sounds like a match that was mint to be... j/k []

The author of the book I was reading said he used the regular flat, unwaxed, dental floss. It sounded a bit odd to me, but he swore that when it got quite windy, there was no better technique. It certainly sounds more practical to me to attach a piece of floss or ribbon to the end of a regular line, but what I read sounded like he had the whole spool filled with dental floss that he suggested one buy in bulk from a dentist.

Thanks for all the thoughts. It is always interesting to learn of new ideas.

He also had a technique where he used leadcore line and a foam fly. This was used in lakes and the line would drag along the bottom kicking up a kind of chum-line. Any thoughts on this technique? Has anyone done this before?
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[flygoddess]

Never thought of the chumming aspect. I do however fish foam flies with a fast sink line...works great!.
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[Scruffy_Fly]

I have read of Gary F.'s technique but I have never talked to any one that has used it.

Al Beatty or Paul Simpson would be ones to ask if they knows much about the technique since they knew Gary LaFountaine rather well. Maybe Eric Peper.
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[macfly55]

lol. when I get to a point where I can try this technique.. Ill save my dental floss for my teeth and order in some fly fishing floss to use.. []

MacFly [cool]
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[Dryrod]

[font "Garamond"][#008000][size 4]Just checked my floss dispenser and it stated that the roll contains 43.7 yards or 40 meters of tape floss. That is more than enough to get anyone started. Can't imagine why anyone would load up a whole spool with floss! Look at the size of a typical floss dispenser, it is quite small. A fly spool it would appear could hold several hundred or more feet of floss.[/size][/#008000][/font]
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[flygoddess]

The average fly line is 90 feet (30 yards) The rest is backing. So, I guess more backing to make up for the smaller diameter of the floss.
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[macfly55]

you can use a fly line if you want.. but it is not neccessary..

generally the set up is backing.. then fishing line 12 - 15 lb test.. then the floss 10 - 12 (length is dependent on wind conditions).. then a leader (fishing line).. then the fly..

here is a link posted by one of our own (IrishFloatTube) when he was asking if anyone had ever tried or thought of using a dapping rig from a float tube or toon..

[url "http://www.fish4ituk.co.uk/articles/lugg/dapping1.htm"][#005000]DAPPING[/#005000][/url]

an that is all I know about dapping in the traditional Irish/Scottish way.. but it is suppose be a very effective way of catching fish...


MacFly [cool]
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[Dryrod]

[font "Garamond"][#008000][size 4]Was surprised to find out how much stuff there is on-line about dapping. Here is one page [since it is copyrighted material] that provides additional insight on this subject:[/size][/#008000][/font]
[font "Garamond"][size 4][#000080]Jon the Daptist returned in May with a rod that he bought for me at Bennett’s of Sheffield, a big British tackle dealer, along with a 50-meter spool of Bob Church's blowline. The blowline cost $6, the rod $200 the same as the French rod, but it was 20 feet long, came in four 5-foot sections, and had guides. Unable to buy a telescoping dapping rod, Jon assured me that the 20-foot length made it ideal for dapping, For the record, the rod, made by Silstar, was an Executive Class Match 600 pole designed for one of those match fishing competitions I previously mentioned, If I wished, Jon said, I could have a. much longer one, and he broke open the Bennett’s catalog that he'd brought along and, with a laugh pointed to a 47½ foot pole for $6,000 U.S.
I declared my satisfaction with the 20-foot pole, or rod, or whatever you want to call it, and he and I immediately marched out to the lawn for my first lesson in up-to-date dapping, on the lawn, Jon rigged up the rod. He put an old fly reel of mine on the butt and snaked the fly line through the guides, Next he attached an 8 foot length of 12-pound-test mono-filament to the fly --
[/#000080][/size][#800000][/#800000][/font]
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[macfly55]

you are correct mi amigo.. lots of info on line.. in that article that I linked they said you could use a fly line.. or simply use regular fishing line since you dont "cast" the fly in the conventional sense..

MacFly
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[ChrisTheFish]

Just hope there's no lightening when someone whips out one of those longer rods!! [crazy][]
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