emerger
CDC Emerger
- Sizes
- #16
- Imitates
- mayfly emergers · BWO emergers · PMD emergers · Callibaetis emergers
- Origin
- European tradition, Jura Mountains, Switzerland/France
The CDC Emerger exploits the natural oil in CDC (cul de canard) feathers to hang a sparse mayfly emerger perfectly in the surface film. The loop wing and trailing shuck create an exact imitation of a mayfly struggling to emerge from its nymphal shuck — the moment when trout feed with the least caution.
Recipe
Workbench
Variants
Swipe to see In box and Add
| Size | Bead | Body | In box | Add to box |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #16 | — | Olive | — | — |
At the vise
Tie a Z-lon trailing shuck, dub a sparse body, and loop a CDC feather over the thorax as a wing that sits in the surface film.
Tying video
Fishing now on
Rivers whose hatch chart names this pattern this month. Names and sizes only.
Not named on this month's hatch charts.
On the water
Fish the CDC Emerger dead drift in the surface film during mayfly hatches. It is particularly effective when trout are refusing conventional dries — they're likely feeding on emergers stuck in the shuck. Dry the CDC between fish by false casting, never by squeezing.
History
CDC patterns originated in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland and France, where anglers discovered that the preen gland feathers of ducks naturally repelled water. CDC emerger designs became widespread in European fly fishing by the 1980s and reached American tyers by the 1990s.