Plasti Dip vs Loon UV Clear Fly Finish....

[JanK]

Q for the salty tyers: I have seen some clips of Steve Farrar tying baitfish patterns, and he uses a product called "Plasti Dip" (a clear, flexible coating) that he injects into the fly to help keep it's shape, and also over the head area just you would with epoxy.

Anone know where I can get this locally?

An alternative would be use Loon's UV Clear Fly Finish, which comes in a large tube with an applicator needle so that you can inject the stuff into the body of the fly. Anybody used this stuff?

I have heard good things about it, but my concern is that it is AFAIK basically an alternative to epoxy, so sets rock hard (under UV...sun or lamp), whereas the Plasti Dip is flexible...but how flexible I don't know.

An alternative I suppose, would be to use one of the other Loon UV products - like their wader repair or boat repair (that might be inherently more flexible due to the intended use; i.e. waders / float tube bladder) INSIDE the fly, and to use the Fly Finish over the head and eyes...

What I am trying say is that I don't want to end up with an overly stiff "saucer plate" of a fly...like some of the commercial Hi-Tie's you see...

Or as suggested by MC in another of the salty thread, should I just be sticking with the good old Chartreuse Clouser in 2/0, 3/0 and 6/0

(I have a day trip planned for offshore Durban sometime early in the New Year, and would like to tie up some large baitfish patterns for whatever we might come across - hopefully some Dorado / bonnies / mackerals etc.)