CDC Emerger

[Boris]

Re: Some soft hackles
by Old Hat » ndam30. AprilUTCb 23, 2009 08:28 p04

The emerger intrigues me. I see this design a lot and have tried it often but have never had any luck with it.

Carl,

I have found this to be the best mayfly emerger pattern I've ever used.

To illustrate a recent incident; about a month ago I was in Tasmania fishing a stream in the Derwent Valley. First day we saw plenty of fish nymphing just under the surface in open water in fact in all parts of the water. We couldn't detect significant numbers of flies on the water or in the air but we tried many different patterns, which ordinarily would work in Australia, but nothing worked. It wasn't until I climbed in the water and screened the drift that we found small shucks of #18 olive nymphs in large numbers. I looked in my fly box and found a small olive CDC emerger fly which looked just like them. To test it I fished it under a dry fly for the indicator since I started fishing a run in the head of a pool where the water was quite rough. The fly was impossible to see as it was taken down into the water column. it was very soon that I hooked the first trout of the day. My fishing companion was impressed but his eyes popped after I extracted the second fish from the same run. From then on it was one after the other and it soon became clear that the CDC emerger drifting in the water was the key.

Here's one of those fish.


Then last weekend a river known for black mayflies which were hatching. iIt was clear the same fly in black was needed. Selected fish were taking emergers and duns from the film in the bubble lines and the same fly in black did the trick over and over again that weekend. There was no need for the dry as indicator, in this case the water was quite slow and placid so the emerger was visible in the film. You can see the water slowly moving and the foam line on the right wher the fish were working.





A slow eddie where the fish were mopping up the duns and emergers at leisure.


The result...


It just works, the trick is make them slim. The body below the surface and the CDC in the film or just above it makes it a perfect 'trigger' fly and a good representation of an emergering mayfly. One thing I did learn from experience is that the amount of CDC is important to how the fly swims. Too much and it sits too high and starts to look too bulky, too little and you can't see the fly as it will sink.



Give it a try.

[William Anderson]

Boris, what a fantastic post. thanks so much for adding this. This is a fly I've tied and fished a bit, but it will probably get fished more often after reading your post.

w

[letumgo]

Boris - What type of leader/tippet set-up were you using for these two locations? I would be interested in knowing what length leader you were using, and if you were using a specific leader formula. What a treat it is, getting to see a glimpse of your fishing trips. I made the mistake of reading this at work, and will have a problem with my mind wandering all afternoon, along your streams...sigh...

[Mataura mayfly]

Neat report Boris, beautiful spot and Tasmania should be on everyones "bucket list".
CDC, unheard of maybe 30 years ago to most of the fly fishing public, now a very important material for the very reasons you have discovered. A couple of weeks from now I hope to have my own supplies re-stocked.
The CDC emerger is right up there with those other two Aussie icons- the Possum shaving brush emerger and the Possum roll wing emerger.

Good to see Simms well patronised in that part of the world as well, but what is up with that yellow rod? Takes a brave man to fish yellow.......

I really like the way there are a few stray CDC fibres in your emerger, they give the illusion of legs, often overlooked with that style and the CDC is all pulled tight over the eye as the "post", if there is no straggly dubbing in the thorax or stray CDC they just look too regimental to me.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Boris,

Nicely dressed. The CDC emerger is a favorite of mine, either in the film or sunk. I usually don't use a wire rib, but instead leave the tag end of the tying thread long and rib with that. I change the color of the rib using some permanent markers, including some in metallic colors.

I, too, like a few loose fibers of CDC to give the illusion of legs moving about.

This fly tied on a size 18 hook with olive thread (ribbed with black), grey dun CDC and a thorax of olive beaver dubbing works very well fished on the Deschutes River in Thurston County, Washington if you stand on the third rock upstream from the Waldrick Road Bridge. You must cast across and up stream near the foam line to entice any trout that are actively feeding. Of course, this only works if it's an overcast day between the hours of 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM.

Seriously, nice fly.

[JohnP]

Great report. Could you post the pattern details?

[Boris]

Boris - What type of leader/tippet set-up were you using for these two locations? I would be interested in knowing what length leader you were using, and if you were using a specific leader formula. What a treat it is, getting to see a glimpse of your fishing trips. I made the mistake of reading this at work, and will have a problem with my mind wandering all afternoon, along your streams...sigh...

Ray, in the first instance where the water was turbulent I used a Blue Sky furled I think it was 7' from memory I usually add a few feet of 3X then a foot of 5X Rio tippet. The dry was attached to the 3X and the CDC was attached by the 5X to the bend of the dry. That way I could see the take even if it was subtle and below the surface. The rod I used was a Sir D which is noticeably subtler than the 7613.

The second scenario was different as the water was reasonably slower and the surface was smooth. I used a Rio tapered mono 10' with a couple of feet missing so I added some 3X then 5X tippet, then the fly. There were times I when I covered my eyes as the leader and fly crashed down on the water. That was really my fault as I was still getting accustomed to the rod. But I'm looking for a better approach for that rod. I've got to improve my casting with it and I'm toying with the idea of trying a Stroft leader which has the reputation of being very limp yet strong. So I'll let you know about it when I try it. I like furled leaders too as above.

Speaking of leaders or tippet - I reckon in some scenarios they are the issue that will make the difference. On the upper Mataura the fishing is tough but in some of the currents a 6X tippet is critical otherwise the fly is hampered by the tippet in the clear water with complex currents.

[Boris]

A couple of weeks from now I hope to have my own supplies re-stocked.
The CDC emerger is right up there with those other two Aussie icons- the Possum shaving brush emerger and the Possum roll wing emerger.

Good to see Simms well patronised in that part of the world as well, but what is up with that yellow rod? Takes a brave man to fish yellow.......

I really like the way there are a few stray CDC fibres in your emerger, they give the illusion of legs, often overlooked with that style and the CDC is all pulled tight over the eye as the "post", if there is no straggly dubbing in the thorax or stray CDC they just look too regimental to me.

If you have some spare CDC I'm happy to relieve you from any over supply....

Yes, the yellow rod gets many comments. Loop Opti #4 is actually a nice casting rod and very delicate presentations are not hard to get. He broke his 5wt



The bloke in the photo is the fellow responsible for my CDC preoccupation. Although, he uses a more conventional shaped hook I like the curved hook as I'm convinced it imitates, or exaggerates, the body in the water without being bulky.

Down in Tassie they say that fish will invariably take is a slim shaving brush before any other fly.

[Boris]

Here are the black mayflies, this one had already moulted and was now a spinner.

[Boris]

Great report. Could you post the pattern details?

There's really nothing to it.

Hook - #18 G Black magic but you could use others with a similar profile. If you use a heavier hook you'll need more CDC than one feather. You'll have to try it in a glass of water to see how much you need.
body - black or brown thread 8/0
rib - fine silver wire
Thorax - black antron
wing/post - natural CDC

Tie the body with the wire in place. With the wire add a rib. Tie in the CDC with the tips back over the hook shank and dub the thorax. Bring the CDC forward over the thorax and tie in at the hook eye.