Mataura Emerger

[Ythanjoe]

Nice one Pom, I could have done with some of those recently  :roll:
Joe

[Tim]

Im always confused about the locaton of CDC and the preen gland ?

Run your fingers down the ducks back towards its tail and a couple of inches from the bottom you will feel a very distinct 'pimple' which is the preen gland - the CDC feathers are around it. I spend my winters haunting the sea marshes of Essex (its what passes for wilderness round here) and harvest the wild duck. Quantity is not huge...how much CDC to the kilo? I'd want $5,000 I think...but I do get quite a variety of species.

You will all have seen mallard CDC, widgeon is a bit darker, teal the same colour but smaller so good for little f-flies etc, Canada Goose huge and very light. I've also been experimenting with woodcock cdc. They have very few feathers, about 8 per bird, but they are perfect for sedge wings.

I'll try and be disciplined about CDC harvesting this winter and should then be able to offer some alternative species CDC to support forum funds.

Tim

[whinging pom]

Tim it would be great if there was a good 'fresh' source available here, as apparantly they do deteriorate quite quickly with age and your never sure how long the shop bought ones have been hanging about.

I have been trying Canada but havent really found its got much to offer ( for the types of paterns i use). i must check with David what he charges as thinking about it 1 kilo is a lot of feather!! is there a particular wild duck type that you prefer?
It would be really interesting to see some pictures of what you consider a really good CDC feather (I guess what i am saying is how to grade them... what to look for), as it seems that for most of us its a case of accepting what we are sold and not knowing any better.

Look forward to the exclusive Wild Fishing Primo Essex duck CDC available for this winters tying sessions. I'd certainly buy some.

[River Chatter]

That's interesting that CDC deteriorates over time.  Bad news too, as some of flies don't see the light of day from one year to the next... they just wait quietly in my box for their day to shine.  Perhaps I should focus on snow shoe or McFlylon type materials instead. 

[Tim]

wp

Three important things for me with CDC...type, size and shade

Nearly all the CDC flies I tie are best with type 1 CDC - the ones with square ends. The only stuff I've bought is dyed and that tends to be mainly type 4 which has limited use. There seems to be a good proportion of type 1 feathers in wild stuff and if you've got lots of CDC you'll have enough of the right type.

Article on CDC types here: http://www.danica.com/flytier/articles/cdc_types/cdc_types.htm

Size - especially with the CDC and Elk, which is my staple, the length of feather is crucial. In smaller sizes mallard or domestic CDC is too big. A nice little teal CDC feather wrapped on a size 18 partridge with a pinch of bleached coastal deer hair = trout heaven.

Shade - widgeon tends to be lot darker, teal lighter so you get some options to match what's on the water.

I'll try and do some photos as winter progresses. Roll on Wednesday and the start of the duck season.

As for deterioration I just tend to use good fresh CDC and most of my flies are tied as needed and disposable. Most complicated CDC pattern I tie is a mayfly with deer hair tail, dubbed ribbed body, CDC wings and a grizzle hackle. Deadly but I'll just do half a dozen for the season.

Tim

Tim

[whinging pom]

Tim thanks so much for that link, It was reasuring that i was using the best bits and for similar uses.... some good tips on there also.
Now I think i may volunteer to do the brewing up for some of the local duck shooters, so I can get the pick of the teal and wigeon.... However I am still looking forward to Buying some wildfisher forum CDC ready for winter........from what i have seen of the local guys fly casting i have  serious doubts about their shooting and will probably need a reliable source.

[Darwin]

WP, Very nice fly.  I wish I had a few for my trip this week.  I am keen to give this a try next time on the river.
Thanks for the SBS. 

[scotty9]

Managed to get some of my first NZ CDC yesterday on the drive home. Came across a paradise duck that had tried to fight a car, a big duck but you do not get a lot of feathers, still it saved me $8! NZ is really a wonderful place for a fly tier who wants to do it on the cheap, not because fly tying material is cheap (its not) but because kiwi drivers swerve to hit every animal they can as they are all considered pests. Free materials of every sort imaginable. Got some great looking mottled feathers from the dukck too.

I had wanted to go out after some ducks but it turns out its not duck season for a good while yet. Interestingly there's a mallard population of around 4.5 million never mind the other birds! Rabbits are also a pest, they have a population explosion so loads of rabbit fur going around! Need to get out after some rabbits soon too.

[whinging pom]

Last time i was there I found a freshly stunned Kea, ( perfect for the original Mrs simpson) still warm, I got a few choice feathers but have kicked myself for not attempting to get the wings off or skin it and risk a divorce all in one morning.


I lost count of the ammount of possums squashed after about half an hour out of christchurch.
And one night's 'lampin' with a farmer bagged 40 what i thought were rabbits, but were all hares.

Your right about fly tyers paradise.

The local pub in Mossburn have a 24 hour shoot up once a year where they go off and shout everything they see and bring them all back to the pub to pile them up. Bonus points are given for Pigs and particuarly tricky alpine goats, but no points for pets and farm animals thankfully.....it's actually quite horrific. ( but so many wonderful pelts and feathers).
I certainly wouldnt want to be anywhere near Mossburn in the open when after 18 hours the grog fueled yokels are shooting everything that moves in a last ditch attempt to win a slab of lager and a tray of steak and venison.

Funnily the event doesnt feature in the tourism leaflets.

[Wildfisher]

NZ is really a wonderful place for a fly tier who wants to do it on the cheap

Bob Wyatt told me he has a life supply  of free hare's ears. The European hare is apparently considered to   be such a pest in NZ they are shot on sight.