Tying with CDC

Cul de Canard has many uses, most importantly (though not exclusively!) as a dry fly material. Purchasing good quality CDC is essential, however it does not stop there. There are a huge range of feathers available in different colors, shape, barb length and barb count... It can become difficult to know which feather to use for which fly. As you practise tying with CDC, you will become more familiar with which styles of feather suits the fly you are tying. I use certain CDC producers for specific flies. For instance, the CDC loop emerger is tied with a different type of feather from the CDC Dun.

Although I advocate trying to keep tying as as simple as possible, it can be useful to know exactly what you are using and what you require. In time I'll add the information to the River Fly Box too. But here, Hans Welenmann has produced a comprehensive guide to tying with CDC and making the correct feather choice. He splits the feathers into types and highlights the sort of flies best tied with the specific feather.

Hans Weilenmann - A guide to tying with CDC

Well worth a read.

~Dave.