1. Troutnut Forum
›
2. Fly Tying Photos
›
3. Compara duns

All this talk about Compara-duns got me to tie some - since I no longer am able to post full size pictures on the regular forum area (something went awry) I'll post them here. I've tied CDC compara-dun wings before but never on any fly larger than a #16. Also included a conventional hair wing March Brown.

The Red Quill/Hendrickson is #14 the March Brown a #10.

Nice Matt! I'll take 20 dozen! ;)

Spence

Very nice, Matt!

Paul, Spence,

Thanks! Spence, I'll PM you with where to send the check LOL!

Matt,

Maybe you could give us some tying tips re: your CDC wings...I am tying up a version of Loren Williams' "Breakout Emerger" substituting CDC for the wing and finding "proper" feathers is like finding a needle in a haystack. I have whole packs of feathers poured out on a table next to my tying area so I can sift through them...Your feather wing looks wonderful and I'm wondering where you get your feathers...

Thanks!

Spence

Spence,

Thanks!

"...Your feather wing looks wonderful and I'm wondering where you get your feathers..."

I buy all my CDC from Trouthunters in Last Chance, ID. They have an on-line store at www.trouthunt.com

I typically buy the bulk bags at $17.50 each. Those wings are "Premium CDC Natural Dark Dun". I also like their "Premium CDC Light Dun" which I think is dyed but it is still easily the best dyed CDC I've ever found.

Those CDC wings are constructed of four select feathers laid one at a time on my tying table - concave side up, you want to lay them so the tips are even - it is a little tricky! Then I pick them up in my left hand and stroke the fibers so they are nice and straight - while holding them tightly lay them down with the tips facing over the eye. Make 3 - 4 loose wraps then make multiple tight wraps (I use Uni 8/0) After I feel they are tight, and won't rotate on the shank, I lift the CDC to a vertical position, build a thread dam in front so the fibers stay vertical. Then I lift up the ends and clip them off short, on an angle, and cover them with thread. Wrap back to the bend, apply a shuck and woodduck fibers over, tie in the rib, dub the body, wind the rib and tie off, add a little more dubbing and build up in front of the wing, half hitch and whip finish.

Ha! I see you got the photo snafu fixed. Those are really nice flies, Matt. Your proportions are perfect.

Thanks Matt...Mr Harrop does it right, no?! I have some of his smaller packs. Four feathers!? Maybe I'm going too skimpy and cheap and should just use more feathers. :)

Spence

Spence,

"Four feathers!? Maybe I'm going too skimpy and cheap and should just use more feathers. :)"

Yes, spend some of your money for crying out loud! You can't take it with you. Besides the bulk bag lasts me a little longer than a year and I doubt if you tie more flies than I do. On #16's I use 3 feathers, on #18 & #20 I use two. However with my downwing caddis in #16 - #18 I do use three tips to get a full silouhette - spelling?

Kurt, No not really, I still can't post bigger pictures of the general forum. I can only put them up when I go to the Photography forum where there is the Browse button that allows me to UL from my computer directly.

Hmmm... You're right. I tried to move the topic over to fly tying for you and it didn't take the pictures with it. There's gotta be something going on with your settings, either on your PC or your Photobucket account.

Matt,
Beautiful flies!!!!! Wish I could tie a decent comparadun.
Leave abox of those Hennies/quills setting out on your porch for Louis and I when we're up that way in late April please. ;)

JW

John,

"Wish I could tie a decent comparadun."

Hey man, practice, practice, practice!

Actually it is much easier to tie a proportioned CDC wing compara-dun than a conventional hair wing. Practice with some CDC or Poly yarn to get the knack of appying the materials to the hook and securing them. Then try some hair but remember you want hair with the least likelihood of flaring too much. I don't exactly know which animal has hair that is less hollow though - but I can tell from looking at, and touching, it.

Oh, BTW what size Hennies do you want? Have you guys actually set aside a trip date? If so maybe I can meet you and give you a couple flies. Hey, who knows maybe I'll even row the boat for you and set you up on some fish.

Impressive!

Matt,
PM inbound
I've tried it a million times and just don't care for my end results. Now parachutes are an diferent story.

I'm an inexperienced parachute tier! Never figured out how to tie off and not get my hackle fibers stuck in the whip finish. I am getting a little better.

Beautiful Comparaduns and Sparkleduns, Matt. As usual. Or is that a Philip's Usual? :)

On the larger CDC patterns (14 and up), I find that a short/fat CDC "under tail" helps them float a little bit longer.
Nicely done!!

I pull em up out of the way to finish -pretty firmly. Then pull em back down after. Helps to leave enough shank for the head to begin with -not crowd the head. I start with the post, tying it in a bit further back on the shank than one might think -about a third way back. Hope this helps.

Paul....Since I've already poked some fun at the dutch side of my genetic pool elsewhere...Hans van Klinken ties his parachutes (Klinkhammer Special)completely on the post. He ties the hackle straight up along the post where it stays up and out of the way. You can then finish a bunch of flies, setting them off to the side, and after place the fly back in the vise, hook eye down. He then wraps "spider wire thread" on to the post, wraps the hackle down and whip-finishes it off on the base of the post...

There are probably a million places to see this done on the web.

Spence

That's neat.