What's the Deal with CDL?

[turkey]

Coq de Leon. Seems like it's a little scarce these days. I was looking at some tailing options for dry patterns. Any opinions from the PAFF faithful? I've been a micro fibbet user for years, for pure dry flies. Anyone using CDL a lot with your patterns?

Disclaimer, apologies if this has been discussed. I miss a lot of threads.

 

[sandflyx]

it comes from spain mostly and they dont let alot out, i heard whiting has some now

 

[JLB]

Have some CDL tailing packs from whiting which is nice and stiff. Not sure if they‘re available anymore. You can get CDL capes and saddles if you look around but idk if I’d buy one just for tailing material. Best bang for your buck is to get a small ziplock bag of spade hackle from Charlie Collins for 5 bucks.

 

[troutbert]

Are the cheap Indian necks still available? They have longer fibers for tailing than necks from the modern hackle chickens, which have been genetically selected for short fibers.

 

[dudemanspecial]

whiting tailing pack - Google Search

Most of the stores in this google search have it in stock.

 

[Nocktavius]

Coq de Leon. Seems like it's a little scarce these days. I was looking at some tailing options for dry patterns. Any opinions from the PAFF faithful? I've been a micro fibbet user for years, for pure dry flies. Anyone using CDL a lot with your patterns?

Disclaimer, apologies if this has been discussed. I miss a lot of threads.

Good quality CDL has a distinctive fine barring that makes it well suited for tailing patterns where you want to have this particular trigger. It’s also stiffer and more durable than many other barred hackle types so the patterns should last a bit longer.

I use it a lot on nymphs, but it seems adult mayfly naturals also have barred tails, so definitely with a shot!

 

[just_jon]

I use it quite a bit as I‘m finding most newer capes lack feathers with long tailing fibers. I also like the barred look and use it for spinner and caddis wings.

 

[turkey]

Thanks for all the replies. I saw some packages of 10 feather bundles but they seemed awfully expensive. The Whiting Euro Nymph tailing packs looked like a lot more feathers not much more $. They seem to be scarce. I'll probably grab up a regular pardo tailing pack and give em a go.

JLB, I had forgotten about Collins hackle. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

Jim’s Fly Co has quite a bit of CDL. He also sells tons of capes and saddles on Facebook in the private group called the Fly Tying Hackle under his Facebook user name “House of Hackle”. In fact he just sold several nice CDL rooster capes there yesterday.

 

[turkey]

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll check out Jim's. Thank you.

 

[Facemelted]

The real deal stuff from Leon Spain is very nice for tailing. It dyes nicely as well. The stuff from Whiting is... not the best for tailing on dries. It's not as stiff. It doesn't dye very nicely either as the underside of the feathers are very pale.

Now what the Whiting stuff is good for is tailing on nymph patterns. Nice for hackling swing flies as well, larger ones.

 

[globug15]

I bought a cape several years ago at a fair price.. something of a medium shade. I don't plan on running out in my lifetime. Figured those tailing packs were just a rip off with how many flies I was tying.

Imho I still think a mottled hen back and/or pheasant tail fibers are superior for most patterns. They breathe and flow in the water more like the natural. There are many nymph and emerger patterns I won't even consider tying on CDL.

 

[Facemelted]

I bought a cape several years ago at a fair price.. something of a medium shade. I don't plan on running out in my lifetime. Figured those tailing packs were just a rip off with how many flies I was tying.

Imho I still think a mottled hen back and/or pheasant tail fibers are superior for most patterns. They breathe and flow in the water more like the natural. There are many nymph and emerger patterns I won't even consider tying on CDL.

Yea, Hen and Pheasant do tie nice tails. Problem with Pheasant is, it's weak and easily gets shredded. I will say one thing for all "CDL" is that it's a very strong feather.

 

[Thunderpole]

I bought 3 of those 10 feather packs different pardos from Spain. I got them for dry fly tails , since been using them on hundreds if not thousands of euro nymphs I still haven't rain out there's alot there. And I'm super picky with my materials

 

[redietz]

The real deal stuff from Leon Spain is very nice for tailing. It dyes nicely as well. The stuff from Whiting is... not the best for tailing on dries. It's not as stiff. It doesn't dye very nicely either as the underside of the feathers are very pale.

Now what the Whiting stuff is good for is tailing on nymph patterns. Nice for hackling swing flies as well, larger ones.

True CDL -- from Spain -- is harvested from live birds, from the "shoulders" of the bird, which are neither on the cape or the saddle. If you're buying capes, you're not buying CDL, but a substitute.

 

[Facemelted]

True CDL -- from Spain -- is harvested from live birds, from the "shoulders" of the bird, which are neither on the cape or the saddle. If you're buying capes, you're not buying CDL, but a substitute.

True.

 

[turkey]

Great info. Thanks everyone.