A sinking leader creates drag, makes mending harder, and slows down your hookset — costing you fish, especially later in the day as monofilament absorbs water. Payette Paste is a leader/line floatant that keeps your leader riding on the surface, so your dry fly, dropper, or indicator stays connected the way it's supposed to.
Why Use Payette Paste
It's 2:00 P.M. You've been on the water for several hours. You cast a long leader with a dry/dropper rig towards a pod of super selective trout. After about 10 feet of drift, you try to mend… your leader is about 12 inches under the surface and the effort not only moves your dry fly considerably, but pulls it down below the surface. You see some fish spook.
You try again, this time throwing an excellent reach mend at the beginning of the drift. You wait... You wait… the dry fly hesitates… you sweep the line in your left hand and pull back with the rod in your right to set the hook! But rather than coming tight to the fish, the dry fly is pulled down and towards you by the submerged leader, which you must lift in entirety out of the water before you can even hope of coming tight. You see the flash. Yep, it was a big one. And no, you didn't stick it.
Were you just getting tired towards the end of your float? Were you worn down by the sun? Maybe, but that's not the full story.
Why Your Leader Sinks
According to FlyLords, Berkley, and many other sources, monofilament absorbs water. As it absorbs water, the leader tends to sink (and decrease in break strength).
John Shaner describes this particularly well in his TroutBitten interview on dry fly leader design. Later in the day, your leader has had a chance to absorb more water and tends to sink more.
If you are dry fly fishing, dry/dropper fishing, or fishing with an indicator, this matters to you. If you're streamer fishing and want your leader to sink, this article doesn't directly apply to you, and you can skip the Payette Paste.
What a Sunken Leader Costs You
A sunken leader creates three primary problems: 1) more drag, 2) difficulty in mending, and 3) difficulty in setting the hook.
Drag
Once your leader breaks the surface it's no longer being pulled all over in 2D… it's getting pulled all over in 3D. There are more currents to contend with once you break the surface. Due to the laws of friction, currents tend to be slowest near the bottom (drag from rocks, etc.) and fastest just below the water's surface (the surface also creates a small amount of drag). If you keep your leader on the surface you don't have to worry about it!
Mending
If the leader is already below the surface, you have to pull it up to the surface before you can get it in the air to mend. This pulls the fly (or indicator), and often pulls it under the surface. Sunken Leader = Not Good for Mending.
Setting the Hook
In a perfect world, as an angler sets the hook his line lifts off the water, a direct connection is made between the rod tip and the fly, and the correct amount of pressure is applied to drive the hook home without breaking the tippet.
If the leader is under the water, it must be pulled out before this direct connection is made, which results in an inefficient hookset. That's one reason why it often seems like an angler is slower later in the day… they may be tired, but they are also likely battling a sunken leader.
Options for Greasing Your Leader
There are a number of options for greasing your leader to keep it up on the surface. I first tried greasing my leader after watching Davy Wotton's Midge Magic. Davy used Mucilin to keep his leader and the tip of his fly line floating high. Mucilin, High N Dry Gel, and Payette Paste are all useful for floating your leader.
While I used Mucilin for years, I eventually made the switch over to Payette Paste, at the recommendation of my friend Malcolm, after I had multiple containers of Mucilin melt and completely liquify in my fly vest after being left in the hot car. Payette Paste is currently my product of choice.
How to Apply Payette Paste
How Often?
Depending on a lot of factors, you can often get multiple trips out of a single greasing. If it's been a few trips or if I'm going to be stalking particularly wary fish I grease my leader before stepping on the water. If I greased it in the last day or two and maybe being a little lazy I'll just keep a close eye on it.
How Far Up or Down?
I don't think any fly line manufacturer would advise applying Payette Paste to their lines. While I agree in the long term, if you're on the water and your fly line is sinking you can either go home and clean it (assuming that will work and you don't need a new fly line) or add a little Payette Paste to get you through the day. The choice is yours.
If I'm dry dropper fishing or dry fly fishing, I usually stop about 2 to 3 feet shy of the fly in order to reduce dimples on the surface near the fly. If I'm indicator fishing, I'll often grease the leader right up to the indicator.
Greasing It Up
To apply your Payette Paste:
- Open it up
- Start at one end of your leader
- Put the leader between your thumb and the paste in the container
- Pull the leader through with your other hand over the desired distance
You can also check out our video: https://youtube.com/shorts/p9I34n3Y6po
Other Uses for Payette Paste
Payette Paste isn't just for leaders. It also works well to help float foam-bodied dry/dropper indicator flies like Chubbies, or yarn strike indicators, when they start riding low after repeated casts and fish contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to grease my leader for nymphing or streamer fishing?
No. Greasing your leader is for dry fly, dry/dropper, and indicator fishing, where you want the leader riding on the surface. If you're fishing subsurface and want your leader to sink, skip it.
How often should I grease my leader?
You can often get multiple trips out of a single application. Regrease before fishing to particularly wary fish, or if it's been several trips since your last application.
How far up the leader should I apply floatant?
For dry fly or dry/dropper fishing, stop about 2–3 feet short of the fly to avoid surface dimples near it. For indicator fishing, you can grease right up to the indicator.
Can I use Payette Paste on my fly line?
In a pinch, yes — though it's not something fly line manufacturers recommend long-term. If your line is sinking mid-day, a small amount can get you through the trip; cleaning the line properly is the better long-term fix.
What's the difference between Payette Paste and Mucilin?
Both float your leader, but Mucilin can melt and liquify in heat (such as a hot car), while Payette Paste holds up better to temperature swings.
In Summary
Payette Paste is an affordable way to improve your technique and put more fish in the net. We hope it helps you on the water!