Cdc secret?

[Squaretail]

Upon moving some things around I've discovered I have an enormous amount of flies I dont know if I'll ever use. I completely forgot about these and a large part are made with cdc.
I never seemed to be able to keep it floating as well as other ties with gink coatings, yet some folks just love the stuff. I know you're not supposed to put anything on cdc but is there any trick I dont know of to keep it floating? Maybe the hooks its tied on could be to heavy?

 

[jayL]

Get a bottle of frog's fanny. I hit it every dozen or so casts, and it's like new every time. With cdc, more is definitely not less. I like to put a healthy clump on there.

 

[Squaretail]

Well that figures. I just threw the bottle I got in WV last year away.
God I hate that crap. And just let it open a little and spill in your vest. Atleast now I know it does have a reason for existence.

 

[jayL]

Yeah, it does come open very easily. I believe one of the gadget maker companies makes a locking lid of some sort. I keep it in a tight elastic compartment, and it seems to stay shut. A good brush or two, then work it into the feathers. It's really wonderful stuff.

 

[gfen]

When I use CDC, I just occasionally take a few very brisk casts to try and air dry it. I'm also told that a chamois cloth can help wick the moisture out.

But, don't take my opinion, I never use it because I'm in the OP's camp.

 

[JackM]

If you have an absorbent sleeve or carry a small swatch of terrycloth, you can blot CDC nearly dry then blow vigorously on it. I have the powdered floatant as well, but without it, the above works reasonably well. If the moisture is slime from a fishes mouth, you need to dip the fly and rinse it in the stream before blotting.

 

[tomgamber]

I will sometimes rotate 2 or 3 flies from my patch to the line. It takes a while before they start sinking for me so the others are dry by the time one gets saturated. I never put anything on cdc.

 

[jayL]

I used to do what Tom did before frog's fanny. If I run out, that's my backup plan.

Tom, I'd consider a bottle of FF. It's basically made for CDC. I don't think it's that great for anything else... though it does revive flies nicely.

 

[tomgamber]

I like gink for regular use...IF I run out I may try it...

 

[jayL]

I carry gink for non-cdc flies. I use FF for cdc and for reviving soaked/slimed non-cdc flies. I'll let you try it if we fish the jam.

 

[jrcll]

rene harrop of trouthunter.com sells a natural preen oil to restore floatation of cdc

 

[Heritage-Angler]

My favorite fly is the cdc/elk, so I wind up dealing with cdc a lot. The best floatant I've found is Tiemco Dry Magic. It comes out as a gel, and when rubbed on a fly that has cdc in it, it dries to the touch seconds after application. Neat stuff, and it seems to float a fly (both cdc and non-cdc) better than Gink, Aquel, etc.

Once a fly gets slimed by a fish, or just gets water logged, the easiest way to dry it that I've found is to pinch it in a folded paper towel. For the past few years, I've been using the Wonder Cloth dry fly patch, and it works just as well as the paper towel thing, but is more durable. After drying, I brush the fly with Froggs Fanny, and it's actually better than having a fresh fly tied on.

Frog's Fanny can be messy, but if you apply it at arms length, it helps keep the mess away. HTH...

 

[troutslammer]

frogs fanny is all i use , love it , supposed to give off little bubbles like a freshly emerging fly , not sure if its true though , works well on all flys and doesn't matte down the wings or disfigure the flys like paste

 

[afishinado]

I use my shirt sleeve and FF. I will give Heritage Ed's suggestion a try though (Tiemco Dry Magic).

Let it sink just below the film, sometimes the fish love that too!

 

[pcray1231]

I'm with Jay. Gink is good stuff, for most dries. But CDC is different, Gink won't work on it, in fact it'll make it worse. Frogs Fanny will work.

But yeah, it comes open. My zippered wader pocket is a mess thanks to that stuff. Can't seem to get it out...

 

[DGC]

This thread has convinced me to spend some Cabela's credit on Frog's Fanny. Thanks for the tips, guys.

 

[osprey]

I don't use any floatant at first on CDC flies , they float well naturally , after they get waterlogged or slimed by catching a fish the powder type floatant brings them back to life pretty well.

 

[Alpabuck]

Frogs Fanny is good but I think the Orvis Hi Float works better.

Once a fish eats it, I just wipe the wing down on a shirt sleeve. Works better with a t-shirt then them fancy fishin shirts though, so I normally care a napkin they work nice!

 

[Dale49]

I agree with Heritage on using Dry Magic. I've used Frogs Fanny for years as well as the other flotant materials (both dry and liquid) and it works really well for CDC and snowshoe wings. I fish very small midge dries tied with CDC and snowshoe and Dry Magic is the best I've use, it keeps them floating.

Dale

 

[jdaddy]

Yep, H-A is dead on with the Tiemco Dry Magic. That stuff is simply awesome. Lasts forever and floats anything like a cork. I put it on emergers and pull it under the surface and it pops right back up. It does not leave a silicon slick on the surface like the Gink type stuff and is not a PITA like the powder desiccant. Down side is that it is pretty expensive compared to the alternatives.