Flys

maxie · Post by **maxie** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:24 pm

Please pardon my ignorance but just what is a CDC fly. Is this an abbreviation. Cheers Maxie

Trevlett · Post by **Trevlett** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:35 pm

Cul-de-Canard = CDC

French for "ass feathers"

downy feathers from around the preen gland on a duck, come pre-treated with natural floatant.

Cheers
Trev

andy_with_a_rod · Post by **andy_with_a_rod** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:40 pm

Crappy-Downy-Crap feathers are use by fly tiers who only want to fish a dry fly for three casts before they have to snip it off and tie on a new one due to it being waterlogged and sinking.

Trevlett · Post by **Trevlett** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:50 pm

andy_with_a_rod wrote:Crappy-Downy-Crap feathers are use by fly tiers who only want to fish a dry fly for three casts before they have to snip it off and tie on a new one due to it being waterlogged and sinking.

Yeah....what he said!

Marc LaMouche · Post by **Marc LaMouche** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:18 pm

Trev's half right !

hey Maxie,

the original term CDC means 'Croupion De Canard' or 'Rump of Duck'

the vulgarized CDC 'Cul De Canard' literaly means 'Duck's ass', which was the name given to a fly pattern made of Croupion De Canard by the famous french fly tier and fisher, Henri Bresson.

often CDC's flotation qualities are credited to the natural oils mentioned above but what's usually neglected are the micro-barbules in the feather's fibers that trap air, not only helping it to float but the trapped bubbles also imitate the bubbles that a lot of real bugs use to get to the surface in the emerging stage.
CDC feathers are also very good for sinking flies, wets, nymphs and streamers. As Andy mentions, when they're wet they like to sink and as they're very supple they are very 'living' in the water

cheers,
marc

Paul Arden · Post by **Paul Arden** » Fri Mar 11, 2011 10:54 am

I find myself becoming a CDC convert, having despised them for years because of their habit of getting in the way of sequencing. They do very well for me in small sizes, and carrying tissue paper is an easy way of drying them after a fish. In the Balkans they're very much into CDC.

Cheers Paul

Viking Lars · Post by **Viking Lars** » Sat Mar 12, 2011 4:58 pm

I'm much with Paul - and Andy - on this. CDC is very good for very finicky trout and grayling, but I'd rather use say poly yarn if I can!

Lars

Plam · Post by **Plam** » Sat Mar 12, 2011 5:24 pm

Hello,
In tying with CDC, to make the wing, you should keep the feathers rachis and choose the feather size to match the fly size. For a size 16 fly, I use 3 or 4 small feathers (length 2 to 3 cm) and pull them to get the proper wing length.
When you tie CDC small flies with large feathers, pulling the barbules from the rachis, you get a very good looking fly, but while fishing, the barbules have no support and very soon get waterlogged.
With small feathers and the rachis, the barbules have support (the rachis). they stay off the water, they float longer and after a fish, are much easier to dry with a paper towel and some silica gel.

keystone · Post by **keystone** » Sat Mar 12, 2011 10:54 pm

Hi,
CDC flies work well and are very easy to tie.
I reckon you only need CDC flies, the DHE, the CDC and Elk and a few gold heads to catch most wild trout.
Dave

andy_with_a_rod · Post by **andy_with_a_rod** » Sat Mar 12, 2011 11:07 pm

i found two unopened packs of petitjean CDC in my flytying kit, i dont remember buying them.
im gonna tie some beautiful f-flies that will never get used. they look so pretty in the C&F though don't they?! :p

Haggisboy · Post by **Haggisboy** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 5:55 am

Andy,

If you want a more robust cdc fly use watershed b them after tying or are u doing this already? a piece of amadou and then some desicant will have them freshened up in no time.

Campbell

rabbitangler · Post by **rabbitangler** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 8:09 am

Replace the CDC with snowshoe rabbit hair. Use the hair from the bottom of the foot. It's far mor robust than CDC and when you catch a fish give it a quick wash, blow dry and reuse. It takes floatant really well too.

Charlie · Post by **Charlie** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 8:44 am

where do you get the snowshoe rabbit hair ?

Eric · Post by **Eric** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 3:07 am

Pretty common over here Charlie. Hareline supplies it (typically a pair in either natural or dyed shades). Don't let the pics fool you. Colors on the top/side of the foot are not what you'll be tying with. It's the pad/sole color which are darker in the dyed colors. Natural / Light Cream will get you all you really need. It takes markers very well.

t.z. · Post by **t.z.** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 10:10 pm

Paul Arden wrote:I find myself becoming a CDC convert, having despised them for years because of their habit of getting in the way of sequencing. They do very well for me in small sizes, and carrying tissue paper is an easy way of drying them after a fish. In the Balkans they're very much into CDC.

Cheers Paul

.... same here in Norway ... it is not all digital and black and white. I am very happy for the CDC trend as it took people away from these all way to clean and "made for the shop" flies, it seems.

However, getting more and even more into using hare. It´s the bees knees in my eyes.

Thomas

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