creekfishin 0 Report post Posted February 27, 2010 I see alot of patterns calling for cdc feathers , but have no clue as to what they are . please help and thank you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riffleriversteelheadslayer 0 Report post Posted February 27, 2010 CDC=Cul De Canard or in english from the butt of the duck it is the really fluffy feathers located near the preen gland on most waterfowl and on some other game birds Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZydecoGirl 0 Report post Posted February 27, 2010 Keep in mind there are both CDC feathers and CDC puffs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Futzer 0 Report post Posted February 27, 2010 Check it out, http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/item/N...d-Feathers.html They have a natural oily aspect from the duck preening, so don't add other fly floatant to those bugs. Cheers, Futzer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ridleyffo 0 Report post Posted February 27, 2010 Look at the flies in the database posted by DryFlypurist. He ties almost exclusively with cdc. Be forewarned however as I consider CDC to be the bane of my fly tying. I think is very tough to work with, but produces some amazing patterns once you figure it out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deeky 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2010 In short, ass feathers from a duck, naturally covered in duck butter. It's been a long day. Now the details. CDC are specific feathers that grow right around the preen gland of waterfowl, which is just forward of the tail. You will often see the fowl rubbing their beak through this area just before rubbing their beak through the feathers on other parts of their body. They are spreading the preen oil that keeps them waterproofed. The feathers have a very light, whispy appearance. Their very structure gives them great natural floatability by trapping tiny air bubbles. The natural oils also add great floatability, but are usually pretty well washed out in processed feathers by the time tyers get them in their hands. You can use CDC when you want natural flotation and/or great movement. Don't add any floatant unless it is natural CDC oil. Hope that helps. Deeky Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
neoFLYte 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2010 I see alot of patterns calling for cdc feathers , but have no clue as to what they are . please help and thank you If you are interested, there was a sprited discussion recently here: http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=49980 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oracle 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2010 Wow deeky i have never seen that side of you yet and i got to say its very funny.I agree duck ass feathers are a bit of a pain to work with but o do they work good on drys.I would recommend talking to purist for tips with working with cdc.All i can say is give it a go and see what happens. Marc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riffleriversteelheadslayer 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2010 I hate to be the negative guy but CDC is not just on Ducks there is also turkey CDC which is longer and more full then duck CDC Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oracle 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2010 riffleriversteelheadslayer thats not negative at all i did not know that.Now i know.Ok they are also turkey ass feathers. :thumbup: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deeky 0 Report post Posted March 1, 2010 Knew the waterfowl had CDC (ducks, geese), but didn't know turkey had them too. Just goes to show, you never know where you'll have a discussion about a duck's ass. Deeky Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oracle 0 Report post Posted March 1, 2010 Deeky that's so true.Yea i had no idea either but if anybody ever wants a turkey I have a connections. Oracle Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Firetiger 0 Report post Posted March 2, 2010 A picture is better than thousand words... This is the butt end of a duck with the CDC showing (it is hidden in feathers, so it might take a moment to locate). J. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deeky 0 Report post Posted March 2, 2010 Firetiger - the picture does help a lot. Thanks for that. Want to send the skin to me so I can see it in person? Already being a hunter, one would think I would just get off my duff and harvest a couple of ducks myself in the fall. From what I can see it looks like a mallard. Do you have mallards over there? Or a similar Euro duck? Deeky Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Firetiger 0 Report post Posted March 2, 2010 Deeky, yes the duck in the pic is Mallard Drake. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard). I am of opinion the actual species does not really matter, all ducks have the preen gland and thus the CDC feathers at roughly the same place. And geese and swans (never tried plucking a turkey). If you hunt I strongly recommend plucking your own, that way you can be sure that you get both high and low quality feathers (some commercial suppliers have habit of selling the nice feathers separately at premium) and the price is hard to beat. I would prefer not to get into the relative merits of cleaned and natural CDC again, so I leave that part up to you ;-) Cheers! Jindra Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites