Morning,
As we pass into July, this is the time for those idyllic fly fishing afternoons & evenings and what better flies to fish, for both Rivers & Stillwaters, than CdC emergers.
We've been asked numerous times if we can re-create this selection, over the last couple of years we've had issues getting the best grade CdC feathers. But I'm pleased to say that we now have them again and we've upped the CdC content of each pattern - plus, they're working really well at the moment, I've been testing them out on my local small stream and the wild trout love them! Especially the CdC Midge Emerger in a size 18.
Our selection has now been updated for 2026 to include much more CdC in the plumes (helping them float in more riffly and choppy water) - towards the end of this email you will also find some great tips and advice when fishing with CdC patterns:
We have created this selection of Shuttlecock CdC Emergers which work perfectly on both rivers and stillwaters:
Rivers - I fish these with a Furled Leader on a 9' 2 weight rod (our own specialist Pisces 1 9' 2wt to be exact). It's what fly fishing is all about!
Stillwaters - Fish them exactly as you would buzzers (using 2 or 3 on a cast), let them drift with the wind when the trout are feeding on the top.
Our CdC Shuttlecock Emerger Selection contains two each of the following:
• Holo-Butt CdC Emerger in sizes 12 & 16
• Red-Butt CdC Emerger in sizes 12 & 16
• Once & Away CdC Emerger in sizes 12 & 16; and
• CedC Midge Emerger in sizs 14 & 18
That's a total of 16 flies in this CdC Shuttecock Emerger Selection.
The Shuttlecock CdC Emerger Selection is a selection of 4 different patterns, we are supplying 2 of each pattern in 2 sizes (ranging from 12 to 18). This 2026 Shuttlecock CdC Emerger Selection is now available from our website, for only £24 - which is roughly a 15% saving on buying the flies individually and also includes FREE delivery to anywhere within the UK.
We've reserved some of our Shuttlecock CdC Emergers to be bought individually for only £1.75 each, great if you want to add to (or top-up) your selection:
Holo-Butt CdC Emerger - is available in sizes 12 & 16
Red-Butt CdC Emerger - is available in sizes 12 & 16
Once & Away CdC Emerger - is available in sizes 12 & 16
CdC Midge Emerger - is available in size 14 & 18
Go on, you know you want to!
Cul de Canard - "ass of the duck," if we're being literal - has been revolutionising fly fishing since at least the 1920s, when Swiss and French tyers on the Jura rivers began using the small, oil-saturated feathers clustered around a duck's preen gland. The material's extraordinary buoyancy comes not just from the structure of the fibres, but from the natural oils that waterproof the bird itself - oils that no floatant has yet to convincingly replicate.
For decades CdC remained a closely guarded secret among continental European tyers, particularly in France and Switzerland, largely unknown to British and American anglers. It took the writings of tyers like Marc Petitjean and later the wider fly tying press of the 1980s and 90s to bring it to an international audience. Once it arrived, there was no going back. The shuttlecock style - where a tuft of CdC fibres forms an upright post, suspending the body of the fly in or just beneath the film - became one of the most effective emerger representations ever devised. Simple, deadly, and built on a material that genuinely cannot be improved upon.
It is important to care for CdC feathers in the correct way, otherwise, your fly will sink after the first fish is caught.
Here's a few tips on how to get the best out of any fly tied with CdC feathers:
• When using a gel floatant, always check that it is suitable for CdC feathers, as many of them will clog up the feather and make it unusable. In my experience the best gel floatant I have found for CdC feathers is either Roman Moser Miracle Float (which is quite difficult to get) or Loon Lochsa.
• Only apply gel floatant to a fly when it is fresh out of the box, i.e. which it is bone dry.
• Once the fly is wet, dry it with a towel / piece of kitchen roll / elastic band (see below), and then apply a powdered floatant to it, brushing it as deep into the feathers as you can. This will keep the fly floating, once it starts to sink again, then rinse and repeat this step.
How do you dry a fly with an elastic band I hear you ask?
It's a trick the competition guys use to quickly dry their flies.
1. Loop an elastic band onto your vest/pack.
2. Hook your fly into it and stretch it holding onto the tippet.
3. Twang the elastic band a few times (channelling your best Jimi Hendrix).
This quickly removes any water from the fly, ready for powder floatant to be re-applied.
Tight lines.
