Amadou is primarily composed of a mushroom, "Fomes fomentarius", and its primary purpose is taking soggy, water-logged, good-for-nothing dry flies and getting them ready to fish again. A simple squeeze between the two pads of this magical material sucks out water from a drowned fly, restoring its ability to float. Though it stands alone as a means of keeping flies floating, it is best viewed as a piece of the dry fly puzzle that includes some kind of dip or gel, and/or a powder floatant.