AquaGlo Fly Dressing
By Jason Akl

  Before every spring if you listen carefully enough you can almost hear the anxious sigh of thousands of tiers behind their vices as they try to figure out what they can do to make old fly patterns more enticing to fish. Fortunately enough for them AguaGlo dressing has come to the market providing the answer that they were looking for. Flow Tek Inc, a innovative fly tackle company, based out of Boulder, Colorado has come up with a material dressing which after a few minutes of charging will glow and attract attention from even the most lackadaisical of fish. This non-toxic dressing at first observation looks much like an ordinary tube of lip balm but to the creative tier the uses of AquaGlo are almost endless.

  AquaGlo is great as a dubbing wax for all different types of natural and synthetic dubbing. Simply apply a small amount of AquaGlo to your fingers and pinch dub the thread as you normally do. This dubbed body when charged with light will glow brightly even in the darkest of waters. If you are planning on tying scuds or vinyl bodied flies make sure to treat the underbody with a liberal amount of AquaGlo to have it glow through. In low light conditions or during overcast conditions with stained water treating dry fly wings with AquaGlo will greatly help anglers keep eye contact with flies. If you are going to be nymphing in these same types of conditions then treating your indicator will also keep it visible.

  AquaGlo can be used on a wide variety of materials from metal spinner blades to deer hair and even ultra fine threads in almost any color. For the best results light colors in bright hues seem to glow exceptionally well after being treated with AquaGlo. Light greens, yellows, and whites will all become energetic in dark conditions.

  For more information on Flow Tek products or for ordering information please visit http://www.monic.com/

  Grab yourself a tube, tie your favorite patterns and watch your flies come alive!

  Materials Used in the AquaGlo Emergent Caddis:

Hook: Daiichi 1130 Size 10 Scud Hook
Thread: Black 8/0 Uni-Thread
Body: Green Floss (Coated with AquaGlo) overlaid with 8 lb Mono
Thorax: Synthetic Hares Ear Dubbing
Wing: Wood Duck Marred Feather
Antennae: Wood Duck Barred Feather
Head: Tungsten Bead
Hackle: Soft Grey Under-Hackle from Saddle Feather

  1. Start this fly by placing the bead over the hook point and sliding it up to the back of the hook eye. Secure the hook into the vice tightly, and attach the thread to the hook shank behind the bead. Tie in a six inch strip of eight pound mono and cover it with thread until you reach the bend in the hook shank. Advance the thread back up the hook shank and tie in a small strip of green floss fully-coated with AquaGlo. Wrap the floss down and back up the hook shank creating a smooth, even body.

  2. Wrap the mono up the hook shank carefully leaving no spaces between each successive wrap. Tie off the mono behind the bead.

  3. At the ¾ mark on the hook shank form a dubbing loop with the thread and insert some of the synthetic hare's ear dubbing. Spin the dubbing into a fuzzy robe and wrap this rope around the hook shank creating a thick thorax. Select a light colored wood duck barred feather and tie it over the body of the fly with the quills pulled forward on top of the hook eye. Tie in two single quills from the wood duck feather and separate them with the tying thread so that they form a V extending over the back of the fly.

  4. Lastly tie in a grey soft hackle by its tip and palmer this hackle forward to the back of the bead head. Take a few turns of thread behind the bead head to push the soft hackle into a swept position. Whip finish the thread and cement the head thoroughly.

Text and photos by Jason Akl © 2005