In a lot of cases fluorocarbon sinks too much and drags the dry down, copolymer is a better bet but as many have said, don't get too hung up about floating tippet as only spooky fish seem to mind.

__________________
“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

Mudding up ones line just seemed like the opposite of making it greasy... I love fullers mill mud. Makes nice exfoliant too!

__________________
http://flyfisherlady.blogspot.com/

no i meen greasing it so that part of the leader floats

id apply mud/fullers earth were the flies are attached to about a foot up the line

you can make some of it float for control and some of it sink for stealth, exfoliant is a new one but its great for washing your hands,

a thing that used to get me every time was applying gink then putting the fullers earth on with the same greasy fingers getting gink on the tippet and wondering why it floated, duh

Thanks for the ideas. I find this less of a problem on still waters as already mentioned by Tinsoldier you can give the line a pull and sink the leader. On Rivers as, Ohanzee says, I can really see the value of casting at an angle or mending the line so fish see the fly first, but I do find this tricky especially on tiny Rivers like the East Dart. Though come to think of it that's what makes them interesting to fish so I will try to concentrate a bit harder on this next time I head for Dartmoor. A chap I fished with recently fished such a short line and cast so often on the Dart that the fly hardly had time to settle so fish seeing the leader was not much of a problem. He was really good at this and caught allot more than me but it was all a bit hectic for my liking.

Thanks again

In a flat calm/glide, the best way to ensure the tippet is sub surface is to use a tiny unweighted nymph or buzzer on a dropper 1-2 ft above the dry. The nymph/buzzer size should be size 16 to 22 depending on the size of the dry. 16 for dry 12/14ish, down to 22 for a size 18/20 gnat, depending on the floatability of the fly. This method is for when the dry is the main fly.

The "duo" method on rivers does the same if the dry is on a dropper above what is usually a weighted nymph. The nymph drags the dropper and some of the leader under as it sinks. This works quicker than the above method, and is best on more faster moving water. The same method, but using an unweighted buzzer beneath the dry works well on stillwaters. Buzzer takes a bit longer to sink, but it still does the same useful job ;-).

If you want the dry to be the main fly, use the dropper above the dry. If the dry is mainly to suspend a nymph/buzzer, use the dry on a dropper. Both methods will sink the line to the dry without sinking the fly if used sensibly. In both cases the dropper pattern is a means to an end, "sacrificial", but still capable of attracting takes.
I don't use flourocarbon anymore, mainly cos it takes thousands of years to break down.

__________________
"Angling may be said to be so like mathematics in that it can never be fully understood" - Izaak Walton

Try using a co polymer leader, sink about two feet from the fly and float the rest, this way your fly will float better because the drag will be minimal and you will make better contact when you pull into a fish. Keep a small towel for wiping your hands between applications to keep floatant and sinkant seperate. And you could try scotchguard on your flies as it makes a very good floatant