Jump to content
Fly Tying
Guest Big E

CDC

Recommended Posts

Guest Big E

I'm tying up some parasols and am having a hard time finding some good CDC.

 

Either that or I just don't know enough about CDC to know what good stuff is.

 

I've tried two well known suppliers and I get a package mainly of these very short 1" long feathers. The 2"+ feathers only are about 20% of the feathers and most of those are pretty wispy. There are only about 3 or 4 nice ones (those 2"+ and full) in a package of about 50 feathers.

 

Whats' the deal? Am I expecting too much? Who's hording the nice CDC?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I agree with Norm's recommendations and also check out seller salar.413 on Ebay....a former fly shop owner from our area that sells materials on Ebay now...he regularly puts up nice lots of large bags of CDC. I have a fair amount of it and it's good stuff.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I get my CDC same as Old Hat. Problem is that harvesting is a pain in the canard! LOL!!! If you are wanting CDC that big you need to find some goose hunters! Why do you need feathers that big?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest Big E
I get my CDC same as Old Hat. Problem is that harvesting is a pain in the canard! LOL!!! If you are wanting CDC that big you need to find some goose hunters! Why do you need feathers that big?

 

With parasols you need quite a long stem. Its hard to get a nice parasol when you can't even tie it on.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Favorite cdc for me is from a mature canadian goose.Very consistent,soft,oily and large.And oh yeah,I harvest them myself.Maybe find someone who hutns warterfowl.

shane

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For big CDC feathers (they may be goose cdc) try the "super select" CDC from TCO in Pennsylvania: TCO Fly Shop

 

(Make sure you order their "super select" cdc ($5 per pack))

 

These are actually larger than I like for using whole feathers, but sounds like what you are looking for. If you strip the strands for your tying, these will serve you well

 

I'm tying up some parasols and am having a hard time finding some good CDC.

 

Either that or I just don't know enough about CDC to know what good stuff is.

 

I've tried two well known suppliers and I get a package mainly of these very short 1" long feathers. The 2"+ feathers only are about 20% of the feathers and most of those are pretty wispy. There are only about 3 or 4 nice ones (those 2"+ and full) in a package of about 50 feathers.

 

Whats' the deal? Am I expecting too much? Who's hording the nice CDC?

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Noob question and no disrespect to this specific Ebay seller, but do you take precautions (as far as bugs are concerned) when buying feathers from Ebay merchants?

 

I agree with Norm's recommendations and also check out seller salar.413 on Ebay....a former fly shop owner from our area that sells materials on Ebay now...he regularly puts up nice lots of large bags of CDC. I have a fair amount of it and it's good stuff.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Dilettante...just spotted your question. I take precautions with all new materials coming in, including things from my friends. As far as salar.413, he's been a commercial tyer for 40 something years and you don't make money by having your material stash getting infected. At a minimum I subject all natural materials to a deep freeze for a day or two. I keep new capes and saddles in a secondary quarantine for a little while in a clear shoe box since having my hackle getting infected would be financially disastrous...I'll spare the gorey details of exactly how much I've got. An excellent, albeit dated book about all of this is my old friend Eric Leiser's book, Fly Tying Materials:Their Procurement ,Use and Protection.

You can get a copy for a good price on EBay from time to time.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
An excellent, albeit dated book about all of this is my old friend Eric Leiser's book, Fly Tying Materials:Their Procurement ,Use and Protection.

You can get a copy for a good price on EBay from time to time.

 

I just picked that up at amazon for $7.99 shipped...as a bird hunter, I think I'll probably get some valuable information out of it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Great deal on the Leiser book....the other excellent book for things such as this is From Field to Fly:The FlyTier's Guide to Skinning and Preserving Wild Game by Scott J. Seymour. Available from Amato publications...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...