CDC Emerger:Dead Drift or Swing?

[Burtbords149]

I've been having some issue with fishing my CDC emergers, the lack of fish on the line. I've been trying to dead drift them but have realized this might be completely wrong. I don't use much CDC because I have to squeeze all the time and/or treat it.

Question is do you folks swing or dead drift your CDC emergers?

 

[AKSkim]

I don't use much CDC because I have to squeeze all the time and/or treat it.

Question is do you folks swing or dead drift your CDC emergers?

Burt:

You don't treat the CDC with anything (floatant). The natural oils of the feather gives it buoyancy. False cast a few times will remove any water.

Either way, dead drift and swinging it. As it reaches the end of either drift the line becoming taught will bring the fly to the surface. Thus an emerger rising to the surface.

If you have enough CDC on the fly to keep in the surface film, then I would dead drift it.

I don't have a photo here, but some use the CDC as an under wing to elk or deer hair wings also, that provides a good deal of buoyancy to the fly.

 

[klg neighbor]

I think the barbules adds more to CDC floating ability then any remaining oils from the ducks ass. CDC is washed and stained, if the oils were still present, then the stain would not take.

Overall (Type 1) CDC feather.

Zooming in on the CDC feather structure, the stem shows, besides the barbs, jagged protrusions. The barbs in turn sport ribbonlike twisted barbules. Flattened barbules maximize the surface area. In the surface film, a larger and water-repellent surface area assists floatation of the dry CDC pattern.

Zooming in even more, this illustration shows a submerged CDC feather. The ribbonlike and twisted barbules retain tiny bubbles of air that add buoyancy to the CDC.
Francis Friesen Illustrations

Burt:

You don't treat the CDC with anything (floatant). The natural oils of the feather gives it buoyancy. False cast a few times will remove any water.

Either way, dead drift and swinging it. As it reaches the end of either drift the line becoming taught will bring the fly to the surface. Thus an emerger rising to the surface.

If you have enough CDC on the fly to keep in the surface film, then I would dead drift it.

I don't have a photo here, but some use the CDC as an under wing to elk or deer hair wings also, that provides a good deal of buoyancy to the fly.

 

[GARYB]

I fish them both ways, if you swing them alot then get some Frog's Fanny.
this will help keep the CDC dry, much more than false casting. If you are
casting to rising fish they are killer if you have the right pattern.

 

[Burtbords149]

I've heard not to treat them with liquids. I use frog's fanny but I find myself treating them every other cast or so because the CDC get's soaked and the fly just sinks. I've heard that the action the CDC creates is very lifelike and this is why i thought maybe it should be swung. I tie with CDC but I'm not a huge fan of it. I would rather take some hollow deer or elk hair.

Any suggestions as to solve my tying/fishing them issues.

 

[AKSkim]

Any suggestions as to solve my tying/fishing them issues.

Now that you ask.. I just started a new thread... entitled (of all things)

"A typical NEFF thread"

I believe that should help you out with your question.. or at least answer it.

 

[NJFred]

Burt,

CDC emergers are great! They float like corks if tied properly. Store bought emergers tend not to have enough CDC tied in because CDC is expensive. I tie an emerger on a light scud shaped hook to match the naturals based upon Jimmy Charron's pattern (Now catching big ones high in the sky) and Joe T's great advice.

Try this... This is for psuedos/Beatis otherwise known as small olives. Use olive thread and dubbing... wind the thread on (for really small flies only need the thread for the body) Dub with olive dubbing to match the natural. Stop about 3/5ths of the way up hook. Strip, with your fingers, the feathers off the stem of about 5 CDC feathers. Put them into a little pile. When done pick the pile up with your fingers and roll into a little, fat but tight, cigarette shape. Tie on to hook across the hook and then post up both sides (like a chute post). Finish with some dubbing for the thorax. Cut the CDC leaving a little brush of CDC protruding upward from the hook. I tie mine really dense so that it's packed in there which is what makes them float like a cork. If it gets wet squeeze in fleece/shirt and treat with frog fanny.

Good luck

 

[khuhner]

Question is do you folks swing or dead drift your CDC emergers?

Both! At the end of a drift, allow the fly to submerge. Slowly retrieve the fly back to you. You'd be suprised how many takes you'll get.

Kurt

 

[onemorecast]

I do both also. But because I allow them to swing at the end of the drift, I voted for Swing because that's usually the action that catches the fish. That and letting it sit in the current afterwards. So that explains the lone "swing" vote.

Lately, I've been catching suckers on CDC sulphur emergers. Wasn't catching them on anything else. What's up with that?

 

[klg neighbor]

I do both also. But because I allow them to swing at the end of the drift, I voted for Swing because that's usually the action that catches the fish. That and letting it sit in the current afterwards. So that explains the lone "swing" vote.

Lately, I've been catching suckers on CDC sulphur emergers. Wasn't catching them on anything else. What's up with that?

Any fish that would be fooled by steel, fur & feathers is a SUCKER.

 

[Corndog]

I do both also. But because I allow them to swing at the end of the drift, I voted for Swing because that's usually the action that catches the fish. That and letting it sit in the current afterwards. So that explains the lone "swing" vote.

Lately, I've been catching suckers on CDC sulphur emergers. Wasn't catching them on anything else. What's up with that?

Jessie,
I always suspected that you were a swinger. :rofl:


Burt-e-boy,

You know me...I never swing, so that only leaves dead drifting.

I love fishing emergers in the surface film to rising fish that are feeding on them. Here's my method: Pinch the emerger's CDC between your thumb and index finger. Then take some sink (Gink) and put it on the emerger body to aid in sinking. The CDC will stay on the surface and the emerger body will ride in or just under the surface film, depending on how long/high you make the CDC post (use NJFred's tying method). Cast it upstream the same way you would a dry. I mostly fish midge patterns or tiny BWOs this way. Very effective on picky and stuborn trout.

Cdog

 

[Randyflycaster]

What exactly is a CDC Emerger?

Randy

 

[Karel]

I always dead-drift and then swing at the end, you never know what can happen the last few feet.

 

[bmcgeehan]

There are boatloads of CDC emerger patterns for both caddis and mayfly species and many of them are outstanding. We fish them multiple ways:

1) greased and in the surface film. Usually the second pattern behind a more visible dun (or elk hair if a caddis hatch).
2) dead drifted like a traditional nymph. most of these patterns were designed to be dries, but they are deadly fished as nymphs
3) swung - I mostly do this for caddis hatches

These flies can be deadly - a must have! I like the Idylwilde patterns - the cdc emerger patterns and Sylvies patterns for caddis.

 

[adamshatch1972]

As I mentioned in another post, I am from upstate NY and have fished the Delaware system extensively - but no place more than the West Branch as it is closest to me. I have found emergers to be one of the deadliest flies available on the sometimes wary browns of the WB (especially in summer). As my name implies, I love to fish with adams flies, both the original and with different colored bodies...it is no doubt my favorite fly. In times where fish are more selective though, the next fly I go to is the emerger. I must admit that I generally use the snowshoe emerger patterns, as they are cheaper to tie and float like a cork!

As to the original question, I agree that I usually fish them with a little floatant in the surface film, dead drifted to a trout that is in an active feeding pattern. I do not generally use them for prospecting ... in fact I don't generally prospect. It is an unusual day on the WB that you can't find a trout or two rising somewhere to chuck feathers at! I also generally let it swing a little at the end as well, probably mostly on accident rather than on purpose, but have definitely caught some trout that way! I think for me they have mostly been overzealous smaller trout though.

But the fact of the matter is that a trout is a trout, and sometimes those small ones make the difference between going home with a smile or being skunked!