Euro NymphsCDC Frenchie
The CDC Frenchie is a modern variation of Lance Egan's popular Frenchie pattern that adds a CDC collar for enhanced movement and attraction. Designed by Cheech from Fly Fish Food, this euro nymph combines the proven effectiveness of pheasant tail and hot-spot collar with the lifelike action of CDC feathers. The pattern excels in competition fishing and technical presentations where subtle movement triggers strikes from selective trout.
Year Round
Intermediate
Trout
Dec 2025
Overview
This pattern was created by Cheech while Lance Egan was competing at the world championships. The addition of a CDC collar to the classic Frenchie design provides subtle movement that enhances the fly's effectiveness without compromising its slim euro-nymph profile. Cheech used the Swiss CDC Multi-Clamp tool for this pattern, which allows for precise control when wrapping CDC feathers. The UV shrimp pink hot-spot head remains a key trigger point that has made the Frenchie series so successful in competitive fishing.
Materials
Hook: Umpqua U560 BL-BN Jig Hook, size #14
Thread: Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread, 70 Denier, red
Bead: Hareline Slotted Tungsten Beads, gold, 1/8" (3.3mm)
Tail: Whiting Coq De Leon Tailing Packs, Medium Pardo
Body: UV2 Ringneck Pheasant Tail, black
Collar: TroutHunter Premium CDC, Caddis Dun
Head: Ice Dub, UV Shrimp Pink
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Generalist mayfly nymphs colonize diverse habitats from fast riffles to slow pools, adapting their drift behavior to seasonal temperature and flow variations. Fish consistently take these nymph imitations across varied water types because they suggest multiple prey species simultaneously, triggering recognition responses from trout conditioned to diverse mayfly assemblages.
Where Trout Eat It: Trout intercept this along the streambed in deeper runs where the CDC collar adds lifelike movement.
How to Fish It: Fish as point fly on tight-line euro rig. Maintain contact with high-stick presentation keeping fly vertical.
Best Water: Deeper runs and pocket water where the slim profile and CDC movement work in moderate currents.
Strike Type: Contact with feeding fish appears as momentary tension loss, color change in sighter material, or unnatural pause in drift; respond with quick but controlled upward motion to hook fish on tight-line presentations.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Fish as the point fly in a euro nymphing setup on 5X-6X fluorocarbon tippet. The tungsten bead provides sufficient weight in most situations, but add a lighter dropper fly 12-18 inches above if needed.
Seasonal Timing: as a searching pattern and during mayfly activity. Particularly productive during spring and fall Baetis hatches when trout are keyed on small dark nymphs.
Pro Tips: The gold tungsten bead provides quick sink rate and subtle flash that attracts attention without spooking fish. The UV shrimp pink head creates a visible hot-spot that triggers strikes.
Entomology
Generalist mayfly nymphs colonize diverse habitats from fast riffles to slow pools, adapting their drift behavior to seasonal temperature and flow variations. Fish consistently take these nymph imitations across varied water types because they suggest multiple prey species simultaneously, triggering recognition responses from trout conditioned to diverse mayfly assemblages.
- Order
- Ephemeroptera
- Common Name
- Mayfly
- Organism Type
- insect
- Life Stage
- nymph