CDC problem

[Tigereye]

Some help please.

Once again last night I had some excellent success with a sulfur emerger fished in the film. It is a very simple tie in size 16 or 18. A few short wisps of palest dun fibers for tail/shuck, superfine sulfur dubbed body, and 1-2 CDC feathers tied back emerger style.The key seems to keep this fly as sparse as possible.

My problem is after 2-3 fish the CDC gets coated with fish slime and looses its floatability. I have tried numerous concoctions to keep this fly floating to no avail. The best option I have found is to tie on a new fly. This gets to be a challenge with size 18's and fine tippets during the last half hour of light, and not very efficient.

I did some searching and found a product called razor foam from Stockard. I am thinking of using it in yellow for a body to aid in floating, or perhaps just as a thorax, keeping the "sparse" requirement in mind. Need to tie a few in each to see what I, and more importantly, the fish like.

Has anyone used this material. It looks from the pic's to be much thinner than your standard foam sheet and suitable for this application. A foam thorax should keep the fly afloat negating the need for fly change even with slimy cdc.

How else have you conquered the dreaded fish slime on CDC?

 

[Millsertime]

I've had the same issues and I don't have a solution to keep CDC floating after catching more than 1 fish.

Recommendations:

1) Take a headlamp. Use red light so you don't attract the mosquitoes. This should help your low light issue.

2) Try using a sulphur sparkle dun. Apply gink to only the deer hair so the body is in the film. Similar body style but easier to keep afloat.

3) Keep tying on new flies after one gets too slimed to float.

You're catching fish! Could be worse....

 

[troutbert]

What have you tried to dry it?

Have you tried the white powder (fumed silica) products?

 

[Sruflytyer]

I agree with troutbert... Get some frogs fanny (white powder) and/or the suede/leather drying patch from Umpqua. Leave the bug a little damp and then coat with the frogs fanny. I like dusting my nymphs with it too as it traps air bubbles in the material. Looks like an emerging insect. Don't ditch the CDC if it's working for you

 

[Vaughn]

I will generally rinse the fly in the water, dry with amadou patch, and then re-apply Frogs Fanny using the brush applicator to "fluff" up the CDC.

 

[fritz]

Agree with the white powder/dessicant to dry the cdc.

I do use razor foam for split case emergers and it is thinner than the standard foam. Prefer to buy it from a fly shop though so I can look at it. The foam sheets in the pack varies in thickness. At least in the packs that I’ve looked at.

 

[Tigereye]

Haven't tried the Frogs Fanny as it wasn't in the fly shop I frequent. I need to find some and will give it a go next trip. Thanks for the tip.

To the other responses... I have tried the amadou patches, rinsing and drying. Though it does work to some extent, I think the problem is more getting rid of the slime than drying.

What I found better than amadou for drying flies is a piece off an old polypropylene shirt (under garment used when hunting). The stuff wicks water like mad and dries quickly.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

I'll echo frog's fanny style floatant. BUT, first squeeze the fly with a papertowel of microfiber cloth- I find a simple paper towel works best. I even "wash it off" first in the water. This takes "slime" off and makes the treatment more effective. Slime is a glycoprotein that if immediately treated with fummed silica precipitates as insoluble "globs: on surfaces.Treating without some type of action to reduce slime actually leads to buildup and "stiff" CDC.
One more thing. IMO CDC about more than floating. Foam will not mimic the movement and "whipsey-ness" of fluffed CDC

 

[LongLineRelease]

Like you I’m a big fan of CDC and it’s power to pull up fish. But in your situation I would probably replace it with deer hair or a synthetic. There are some fine, whispy synthetics available that float well

I use razor foam quite a bit. You will want the 0.5mm sheets for size 18 flies.

 

[Jlafko3]

I have been fishing a lot of cdc dry flies in the film the last couple months on the Yough and I agree with nymphingmaniac. Frogs fanny all the way, make sure the feathers are coated well and when it starts to get a bit wet from multiple casts or you land a fish on it, squeeze the water out with your fingers, then dry the cdc by holding it in a paper towel. when it dries enough, then reapply the frogs fanny. And if that particular fly doesn't want to dry out completely, tie a new one on and you're back in business. I have 4 colors of these flies I like to fish and about a dozen of each. So if one is being difficult, switch it up and by the time you need to switch again it may have dried out a good bit.

 

[CRB]

try snowshoe rabbits foot. i like it better than cdc.

 

[CLSports]

I have been fishing a lot of cdc dry flies in the film the last couple months on the Yough and I agree with nymphingmaniac. Frogs fanny all the way, make sure the feathers are coated well and when it starts to get a bit wet from multiple casts or you land a fish on it, squeeze the water out with your fingers, then dry the cdc by holding it in a paper towel. when it dries enough, then reapply the frogs fanny. And if that particular fly doesn't want to dry out completely, tie a new one on and you're back in business. I have 4 colors of these flies I like to fish and about a dozen of each. So if one is being difficult, switch it up and by the time you need to switch again it may have dried out a good bit.

With all that work drying the fly, re-applying floatant and changing flies you just missed out on the hatch!

I steer clear of CDC at all costs. I hate it.

 

[RLeep2]

I tend to steer clear of stuff that can require an inordinate amount of fussing at streamside. That's fishing time being fussed away.

CDC is one of those things...

I've yet to find a situation where I can't substitute shoeshoe hare or one of the more wispy synthetics for CDC and get the results I want.

I'm happy for everyone who really likes CDC or feels it is essential, though..

 

[NewSal]

Frogs fanny is key for fishing cdc, and also dont stress so much if the fly isnt "riding high", cdc flys typically arent designed to ride high on the water like your used to seeing a regular hackled fly. If its in the film thats OKAY. Trust me.