Shimazaki Dry Shake Powder Dry Fly Floatant with Kingfisher Dry Shake Holder Review (2026)

What It Is

This listing bundles Shimazaki Dry Shake, a powdered dry fly floatant, with a Kingfisher Dry Shake Holder, a dedicated container made by the Missoula, Montana based Kingfisher Fly Shop. Dry Shake is a desiccant and hydrophobic powder rather than a liquid or gel, meaning you drop a waterlogged or slimed fly directly into the container, shake it, and pull out a fly that is both dried out and coated with a water-repellent powder. The Kingfisher holder is sold separately from the powder itself in many listings, so pairing them here saves a step for anglers who do not already own a compatible holder.

How the Powder Works

Because Dry Shake works on a fly that is already wet or covered in fish slime, it functions differently from a paste or gel floatant like Gink, which you apply to a dry fly before it ever touches the water. Independent reviewers who have compared floatants describe Dry Shake style powders as effective at reviving a fly's float after it has been waterlogged, letting anglers get several more good drifts out of a fly that would otherwise need to be dried by hand or swapped out. It works on most dry fly materials, including delicate CDC, without collapsing the fibers the way some liquid treatments can.

The Kingfisher Holder

The holder itself is built to be leak-proof and durable, with a clip or loop attachment that lets it hang from a vest, sling, or pack strap so the powder stays within reach while wading. Kingfisher sells the holder in several fish-pattern color options, which is mostly a cosmetic choice rather than a functional one. Because it holds loose powder rather than a sealed cartridge, a secure, leak-resistant closure matters more here than with a liquid floatant, since a compromised seal can dust the inside of a pack with fine powder rather than just leak a few drops.

Practical Trade-offs

The main downside of a dedicated holder is that it is one more object clipped to a vest that already tends to accumulate nippers, forceps, zingers, and fly boxes, and anglers who prefer to minimize gear hanging off their chest may see it as unnecessary bulk for what is fundamentally a small bottle of powder. Because Dry Shake is meant to rescue an already-wet fly rather than serve as the first line of defense, anglers who fish exclusively with paste or gel pretreatment may find they reach for this less often than someone who dry-drops flies over pocket water and needs frequent mid-drift touch-ups. Anglers who already run a crowded vest might instead keep the loose bottle in a chest pocket and skip the holder, using it only when the powder is fresh.

Who It's For and Value

This bundle suits anglers who already like Shimazaki Dry Shake or want to try it and would rather buy the powder and a purpose-built holder together instead of sourcing a container separately. It is a good fit for dry fly anglers fishing runs and riffles where a fly gets dunked often and needs a quick mid-session refresh rather than a full re-tie. Anglers who mainly fish with paste floatants applied before casting, or who do not want another item clipped to their vest, may not get as much use from the holder half of this bundle even if the powder itself performs well.

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