Overview
Marc Petitjean revolutionized CDC fly tying with his innovative techniques and specialized tools, including the famous MP Magic Tool. This pattern demonstrates his signature "one twist per wrap" method that prevents the delicate CDC fibers from breaking while creating a beautifully segmented body. The split-thread dubbing loop technique for the wing is a Petitjean hallmark that creates maximum floatation with minimal material. His patterns are renowned for their effectiveness on technical spring creek trout.
Related patterns
Behavior & presentation
- Natural Behavior
- Newly emerged mayfly duns sit motionless on the surface as their wings dry and stiffen, drifting downstream with the current until they're ready for flight. These helpless adults concentrate in foam lines and eddies where their extended drift times make them easy targets.
- Where Trout Eat It
- Fish rise in feeding lanes and surface film, focusing on slicks and tail-outs where duns collect during extended hatches.
- How to Fish It
- Cast upstream with a drag-free drift, allowing the CDC wing to ride naturally in the surface film without additional floatant.
- Best Water
- Work tail-outs and slicks where duns accumulate, targeting seams and foam lines that concentrate surface insects.
- Strike Type
- Watch for subtle sipping rises and delicate takes as fish intercept the drifting dun.
Fishing strategy
- Rigging Suggestions
- Fish on a 9-12 foot leader tapered to 5X-7X tippet depending on conditions. Long, fine leaders are essential for fooling wary fish.
- Seasonal Timing
- Most effective during mayfly hatches . Particularly productive during morning and evening dun emergences when trout are keyed in on the surface.
- Pro Tips
- The Coq de Leon tail and body give a realistic mayfly profile. Avoid applying floatant directly to CDC as it can mat the fibers.
Where to fish it
Rivers anglers pair with this fly, with local shops that stock it.
River details and fly shops from River & Run, our sister site.
Entomology
Mayfly spinners return to the water after mating flights, falling spent onto the surface with outstretched wings forming a cruciform silhouette. Fish consume these dying or dead adults during spinner falls because the insects are completely immobile, nutrient-rich after reproduction, and concentrated in predictable surface lanes.
- Order
- Ephemeroptera
- Common name
- Mayfly
- Organism
- insect
- Life stage
- adult
Pattern details
- Moving Water
- Stillwater
- Europe
- Rocky Mountain
- dead-drift
- baetis-hatch
- modern
- low-clear-water
- tailwater
- freestone
- spring-creek