Flyman416 0 Report post Posted December 30, 2011 Whats the difference between Marabou and CDC i'm still new to tying and don't have CDC but I've seen pictures of it and it looks like Marabou... so whats the difference? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bluegill576 0 Report post Posted December 30, 2011 well there are a lot of differences but ill just put a few of the main ones. CDC floats quite well and marabou floats just a little. A CDC feather is much smaller than a marabou feather for the most part, so CDC is used more on small dry flies and marabou is used more on larger streamers. CDC is from a duck and marabou is normally from a turkey or a chicken. There are also two types of marabou feathers. One is good for tails and the other is good for palmering for a body of marabou. there are many more differences, but these are some of the main ones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted December 30, 2011 marabou cdc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaydub 0 Report post Posted December 30, 2011 CDC is the small soft downy feathers from near the preening gland of a waterfowl. As mentioned they are useful on dry flies because of their natural buoyancy. Most materials used to help float dry flies are stiff. CDC is an exception, being soft and flowing. CDC is also used on some sub-surface flies because it has a tendency to trap air bubbles. Marabou is mostly used to add movement to sub-surface flies. Think Wooly bugger tails. It has lots of other uses too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voodoo 0 Report post Posted December 30, 2011 the size is also a big difference, CDC is 1-2" but Maraboo is 4-5" with really long fibers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TitanFlies 0 Report post Posted December 30, 2011 marabou cdc I'm pretty sure he know's what they look like CDC is short for Cul De Canard which is French for something to the effect of "from a ducks rump". Most European tiers use this in their patterns as a sub for traditional rooster hackle. It floats quite well and is 1/8 as big as a marabou feather. Marabou is usually used for tailing, wings, or collars. Don't try tying a pattern with marabou if it calls for CDC. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flyman416 0 Report post Posted December 30, 2011 So does CDC always come in a brownish/grey color or are there multiple colors they can come in? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voodoo 0 Report post Posted December 30, 2011 natural yes, but you can get it died in many different colors. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ashbourn 0 Report post Posted December 31, 2011 You can get mini marabou, from a chicken or turkey, that are treated with Water Shed and work well, but not quite as good as CDC. Joe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
