Vest pads are garbage, when I first started fly fishing back in the day i started off using them, but your flies get all tangled up in it.  They just create a huge hastle, now i just use morrell fly boxes, they float, stayed closed, and its more convenient than a chest pad.

harry, et al.

I also use the loon top ride powder/silica canister to "recharge" a fly that's been moistened, or slimed by a fish. You apply your favorite gel/paste/magic spell beforehand, then when it starts to get wet, put the end of your tippet (fly attach) in the canister, hold the lid gently closed (there's a little notch to avoid crimping your tippet), and give it a quick, inverted shake.

Like fly guy's shake-on, you get some excess, but a false cast eliminates it nicely.

Once it first gets wet though, you're fighting uphill. The shake-on helps, but it helps less and less each time. Best thing you can do is temporarily replace it with an identical fly until it dries. I had a few days this year where the action was so consistent, i rotated three parachute adams to ensure I had a dry one on at all times.

I don't understand the issue with keeping a properly construct dry made with good materials floating. 
 
As an example, yesterday I fished a Class A that I had not been on in many, many years.  When leaving the vehicle, I tied on a #16 Adams that was made with old Metz hackle (I haven't tied in about 15 years, so I don't know if Bucky still is the king of quality hackle or not, but when this three hackle fly was tied, it was as good as it got), and gave it a dose of Gink.
 
I fished with that fly for about 3 hours.  During that time I caught 10 wild fish (one was actually a very nice about 9" brookie), got hung up on roots under undercut banks, was in the trees a couple of times, was in the weeds a couple of times, etc., and when I finished fishing, the same fly was still floating high and dry without any further dressing beyond the initial Gink application.
 
I have fished some heavy hatches on the Little J and have had to change far more flies because either the fish finally knocked them apart or I broke a thread or something with the hemostats vs. the fly not floating anymore.
 
I always but a slight end in my hook to aid in hooking fish and there are a number of flies in my boxes that have the slight twist in them.  That means that some of these flies have been tied on numerous times and have probably caught several fish on each occasion with the only treatment being some fresh Gink when first knotted onto the leader.
 
The most I have had to do is reapply some Gink if several large fish in a short period of time kept the fly underwater for an unusual amount of time.
 
I don't see the issue.

ORIGINAL: duncsdad
The most I have had to do is reapply some Gink if several large fish in a short period of time kept the fly underwater for an unusual amount of time.

That's the problem. especially when they are taking bouncing caddis and they want it high and dry. Too flush or just one too many hackle barbs breaking the surface and they turn away. You go to cast-skit-drift-skit and the only thing above the water is the wing.

BTW, I use to use that 3-hackle fly quite a bit but can't remember the 3 original colors.  Cream-Dun and Brown???Can you help?

What is gink?

I use this stuff from Cortland, dab, that seems to work very well.

George Gehrke's Gink Floatant


I emailed fishusa to ask if they carried it (it wasn't in the store). They said that they could get it for me by the case, but not the individual bottles for sale. I suggested that they might want to consider selling it online (individual bottles) as it seems to be a popular choice around here.

I picked up a bottle at a local fly shop today.

Dano,
 
When I was referring to a 3 hackle dry, it deals with construction, not color.  It is a traditional Catskill tie.  All three hackles are tied in at the same place.  The first hackle is wound completely behind the wings, except for one turn in front of the wings.  The second hackle is evenly wound behind and in front of the wings.  And the third hackle has one wind behind the wings and the rest in front of the wings.  This gives a balance of hackle tips behind and in front of the wings; because the tips are wound first, it places the longer barbs to the front; by having the longer bards to the front, this aids in making the three water contact points the hackle tips, the hook bend, and the tail; which in turn means that the type of dubbing material and it getting wet doesn't matter -- it never touches the water.
 
When a fish or several fish have soaked the fly, about 3 or 4 whipping false casts, at a speed approaching cracking -- about 3 feet of flyline and the leader long will shake water off enough to reapply Gink and make the fly float hight and dry.
 
As for Caddis, I typically use either elk wing or an elk wing with CDC as an under wing.  I seem to have more success with a low riding caddis, so I actually trim the hackle flush on the bottom.  And even though it is considered a big no-no, I use Gink with CDC underwing flies.