Cdc flies and floatant

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Martin

Fly fishing - Fish Better

Hello all,

I have a question regarding cdc flies and the use of floatant.
I am using a lot of cdc flies. Now i have noticed that these flies float like a cork but when a fly is taken by a fish it takes me some time to wash it clean and dry it.

I was wondering what the the best floatant for cdc flies is out there.
Do you guys use any floatant for your cdc flies?

In the past i have heard great stories about silicone fly dressing. Just drop the fly in the silicone oil and the fly can be used for a long time. When the fly is taken by 6 fish then it needs to be redressed.

What is your opinion with cdc flies and floatant?

Cheers,
Lino

Hi,

I use [url=http://www.petitjean.ch/eng/CDCFeathers/CDCOil.asp]Marc Petitjeans CDC Oil[/url]. When I have the sensational rare occasion that a fish takes "MY" fly I just wash it out and dry it with a few short casts.

[img:c4b7bd2b61]http://www.petitjean.ch/images/cdcFeathers/cdcOil.jpg[/img:c4b7bd2b61]

However, I have started to mix CDC and hackle which eases this process but also adds a bit more realisms to some [url=http://www.thomaszuellich.de/Fliegendose/cdc-bwo_e.html]patterns[/url] (just what I think of course - god knows what the fish think of it :lol: ).

[img:c4b7bd2b61]http://www.thomaszuellich.de/Fliegendose/images/cdc-bwo.jpg[/img:c4b7bd…]

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for your reply.
How do you use the MP cdc oil? Do you just rub the oil into the cdc fly or do you just use drop of oil on the feathers?

Very nice fly. I can see the benefit of the use of hackle. Do you just trim the bottom hackle fibers?

Lino

Lino,

I do not use any floatant for CDC flies. Good CDC should float well without any floatant. Once the fish is caught, I always wash my fly in water and remove all remaining slime. After that I make some false cast to dry the fly. If the result is still not good, I use my Amadou pad (cheapest variant is a piece of toilet paper :lol: ). Then the fly is ready for fishing again

[quote:28f3f81f16="Lino Catucci"]Hi Thomas,

Thanks for your reply.
How do you use the MP cdc oil? Do you just rub the oil into the cdc fly or do you just use drop of oil on the feathers?

Very nice fly. I can see the benefit of the use of hackle. Do you just trim the bottom hackle fibers?

Lino[/quote:28f3f81f16]

Hi Lino,

that depends on the pattern. I try use very little oil. It also seems to depend on the water. Some waters just have lesser a surface tension than others. Funny sometimes.

Yes, on the fly above I trimmed the bottom hackle in a V-shape to give the impression of legs.

I agree with Pike. I never use any flotant on cdc flies. CDC flies work best when they are in the surface film. In my opinion high riding cdc flies completely defeat the object of CDC. If I need high riding flies, I prefer to use traditional cock hackles.

To dry the flies a few short false casts plus an amadou patch works wonders. I also us a good four ply kleenex tissue. Drying salts are also very useful

Hi,

the oil does not make the fly ride any higher, the design of the pattern does. The oil helps cleaning the fly from fish slime though.

However, I like the use CDC for two things. One is the described lively characteristics with patterns that are sunk in the film a bit. One of the beste certainly is Hans Weilenmanns CDC & Elk. However, I also like the aerodynamic of CDC wings. These flies do land soooooo gently. More than once had fish on these when they were just hitting the water. I wouldn't limit that material to only one use, It has many.

Hi Thomas

Too true. I love the way CDC flies land on water. The fluttering fibers give a great sensation of life to the flies.

How do you use the cdc oil - when you tie the flies or even during fishing? In the past I have tried it while fishing but if you use too much it tends to "paste" the fibres together so I stopped prefering the natural bouyancy of cdc feathers. Then if it starts sinking all I do is change the fly - I usually have a good supply of the same pattern. Understandably changing to cdc from traditional flies can cause some concern but once you're hooked there's no turning back.

Ciao for now

Moreno

Hi,

I use [url=http://www.petitjean.ch/eng/CDCFeathers/CDCOil.asp]Marc Petitjeans CDC Oil[/url]. When I have the sensational rare occasion that a fish takes "MY" fly I just wash it out and dry it with a few short casts.

[img:c4b7bd2b61]http://www.petitjean.ch/images/cdcFeathers/cdcOil.jpg[/img:c4b7bd2b61]

However, I have started to mix CDC and hackle which eases this process but also adds a bit more realisms to some [url=http://www.thomaszuellich.de/Fliegendose/cdc-bwo_e.html]patterns[/url] (just what I think of course - god knows what the fish think of it :lol: ).

[img:c4b7bd2b61]http://www.thomaszuellich.de/Fliegendose/images/cdc-bwo.jpg[/img:c4b7bd…]

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for your reply.
How do you use the MP cdc oil? Do you just rub the oil into the cdc fly or do you just use drop of oil on the feathers?

Very nice fly. I can see the benefit of the use of hackle. Do you just trim the bottom hackle fibers?

Lino

Lino,

I do not use any floatant for CDC flies. Good CDC should float well without any floatant. Once the fish is caught, I always wash my fly in water and remove all remaining slime. After that I make some false cast to dry the fly. If the result is still not good, I use my Amadou pad (cheapest variant is a piece of toilet paper :lol: ). Then the fly is ready for fishing again

[quote:28f3f81f16="Lino Catucci"]Hi Thomas,

Thanks for your reply.
How do you use the MP cdc oil? Do you just rub the oil into the cdc fly or do you just use drop of oil on the feathers?

Very nice fly. I can see the benefit of the use of hackle. Do you just trim the bottom hackle fibers?

Lino[/quote:28f3f81f16]

Hi Lino,

that depends on the pattern. I try use very little oil. It also seems to depend on the water. Some waters just have lesser a surface tension than others. Funny sometimes.

Yes, on the fly above I trimmed the bottom hackle in a V-shape to give the impression of legs.

I agree with Pike. I never use any flotant on cdc flies. CDC flies work best when they are in the surface film. In my opinion high riding cdc flies completely defeat the object of CDC. If I need high riding flies, I prefer to use traditional cock hackles.

To dry the flies a few short false casts plus an amadou patch works wonders. I also us a good four ply kleenex tissue. Drying salts are also very useful

Hi,

the oil does not make the fly ride any higher, the design of the pattern does. The oil helps cleaning the fly from fish slime though.

However, I like the use CDC for two things. One is the described lively characteristics with patterns that are sunk in the film a bit. One of the beste certainly is Hans Weilenmanns CDC & Elk. However, I also like the aerodynamic of CDC wings. These flies do land soooooo gently. More than once had fish on these when they were just hitting the water. I wouldn't limit that material to only one use, It has many.

Hi Thomas

Too true. I love the way CDC flies land on water. The fluttering fibers give a great sensation of life to the flies.

How do you use the cdc oil - when you tie the flies or even during fishing? In the past I have tried it while fishing but if you use too much it tends to "paste" the fibres together so I stopped prefering the natural bouyancy of cdc feathers. Then if it starts sinking all I do is change the fly - I usually have a good supply of the same pattern. Understandably changing to cdc from traditional flies can cause some concern but once you're hooked there's no turning back.

Ciao for now

Moreno

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