CDC. Catch. Sink

[JohnWu 0]

When i catch a fish on a cdc fly after i get him in unhook him i can never seem to refloat the fly. Any tips?

[McGnat 0]

Try this trick.

http://thelimpcobra.com/2014/04/11/drying-off-flies-with-a-rubber-band/

[wschmitt3 0]

Check this out, Tim Cammisa just put this up yesterday, just finished watching it a few seconds ago. It covers just this topic.

 

 

Also this thread might help.

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=80236&hl=drying

[Jaydub 0]

Try this trick.

http://thelimpcobra.com/2014/04/11/drying-off-flies-with-a-rubber-band/

Does the rubber band remove more water than false casting?

 

I squeeze out and soak up as much water as possible with a piece of chammois, then treat with a powder floatant. When that doesn't work anymore, I tie on a new fly.

[Dcap240 0]

I use tiemco dry magic when I first tie on a cdc fly. It lasts a while but after a few fish it doesn't float as well as I'd like it to but it doesn't really sink either. When it gets to that point I'll throw it in the dry shake and it's good as new for a while. In my opinion it works best when you use them in combination like that.

[Crackaig 0]

You may have seen CdC oil on sale. This isn't a floatant for CdC in the usual sense, It is a pretreatment for CdC to prevent it becoming slimed and waterlogged when you catch. That with either a good Amadou patch or the rubber band trick should see you right.

Cheers,

C.

[NohackleHS 0]

Charlie Craven wrote an article in FlyFisherman magazine a couple of years ago about the Mole Fly, a CDC pattern. He suggests applying a light coat of Tiemco Dry Magic to the CDC before using it. After catching a fish, he puts the fly into some forceps, forcibly swishes the fly back and forth in the water, and then dries the fly with a Wonder Cloth DryFly Patch (Umpqua Magic Patch). He says that buffing the wing back and forth with the Wonder Cloth restores its fluff and buoyancy. (I haven't tried his technique myself, but I thought I'd pass it on)

[JoeBillingsley 0]

Here is Charlie Craven's description on his website for restoring CDC flies in his tutorial for the CDC Comparadun. I think this was written before Dry Magic (and his FlyFisherman article that NohackleHS noted) came out.

 

"One thing to keep in mind when fishing this, or any other CDC pattern, is to use Frog's Fanny dessicant to treat the pattern both before and during fishing. Once you've caught a fish, be sure to RINSE THE FLY OFF IN THE WATER to eliminate the fish slime, dab it dry on your shirtsleeve and dust with Frog's Fanny. This has been the best process I've found for keeping the CDC wing in good shape and floating high."

 

I know a few famous tiers used to say that they loved the look, properties, and effectiveness of CDC, but on dry flies they were mostly one-fish flies. Their opinions could have changed now since the newer floatants that don't ruin CDC have come on the market.

 

Joe

[feathers5 0]

Use snowshoe rabbit.

[wschmitt3 0]

Snowshoe Rabbit cant get slimed up?

[JoeBillingsley 0]

Yes, it can and does. Even with floatant.

Here is the description of Jim Cannon's great Snowshoe Dun from The Blue Quill Angler website, which Mr. Cannon owns with Pat Dorsey:

 

"The inherent properties of snowshoe rabbits feet make it the perfect material for dry fly wings. The fibers are very kinky which trap air and make it float extremely well.
**Use only powdered type dry fly floatant on these flies. The liquid will matte the fibers and make the flies sink.**

 

Again, I don't know if this was written before Dry Magic came on the market and if it doesn't stick snowshoe rabbit fibers together.

 

Joe

[SilverCreek 0]

 

Check this out, Tim Cammisa just put this up yesterday, just finished watching it a few seconds ago. It covers just this topic.

 

 

Also this thread might help.

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=80236&hl=drying

 

 

 

 

Here is Charlie Craven's description on his website for restoring CDC flies in his tutorial for the CDC Comparadun. I think this was written before Dry Magic (and his FlyFisherman article that NohackleHS noted) came out.

 

"One thing to keep in mind when fishing this, or any other CDC pattern, is to use Frog's Fanny dessicant to treat the pattern both before and during fishing. Once you've caught a fish, be sure to RINSE THE FLY OFF IN THE WATER to eliminate the fish slime, dab it dry on your shirtsleeve and dust with Frog's Fanny. This has been the best process I've found for keeping the CDC wing in good shape and floating high."

 

I know a few famous tiers used to say that they loved the look, properties, and effectiveness of CDC, but on dry flies they were mostly one-fish flies. Their opinions could have changed now since the newer floatants that don't ruin CDC have come on the market.

 

Joe

 

Tim Cammisa's video is very good but he makes a classic error that almost ALL flyfishers make in confusing silicon based dessicants with silicon based floatants. Charlie Craven makes the same error by calling Frogs Fanny a desiccant. A desiccant ABSORBS water and therefore CANNOT repel water.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiccant

 

I have just put up a comment on Tim Cammisa's YouTube video. Here is my comment:

 

The drying beads that change color are beads of silica gel DESICCANT. Desiccants are hydrophilic and ABSORB water; and therefore are NOT FLOATANTS, which are hydrophobic and must REPEL water.

The Frogs Fanny powder is HYDROPHOBIC fumed silica. It is fumed silica that has been treated with silicone oil or siloxane compounds to make it repel water. Because the silica gel desiccant and fumed silica are silicone compounds, fly fishers think they are the same, but actually they are opposites.

A floatant cannot ABSORB water because it repels water and a desiccant cannot REPEL water because it "dries" the fly by absorbing the water from the fly.

What you have made when you add the floatant powder to the silica gel drying spheres is a combination "shake and bake" combination like Shimizaki Dry /Shake and Loon Top Ride.

When the beads turn colors, they no longer are active. The way to renew and drive the water out of the drying spheres is to empty them into a glass or ceramic bowl. Cover with a paper towel and nuke it on high for 15 seconds, let it cool a bit and nuke it again for 15 seconds. You will hear popping and that is steam popping the beads like popcorn.

Google Silica Gel and Hydrophobic Fumed Silica for more information.

I wrote an article for California Fly Fisher titled "What Floats Your Fly". I explained the chemistry of floatants here:

http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/general-discussion/345179-fly-floatants-noobies-what-floats-your-fly.html#post642614

[SilverCreek 0]

Double post

 

[wschmitt3 0]

Oh did he? I must have missed the mistake. I just thought it was funny that I watched the video then clicked over to the forum and saw this thread. I actually posted a link in the you tube comments to an earlier thread where you laid out the info about fumed silica and silica gel.