CDC Biot Spinner
ABDOMEN: Tan Turkey biot
THORAX: Tan superfine dubbing
| The mayfly is unique in that it
is the only insect who has two adult stages, the dun and spinner.
The wings of the spinner are folded along tight pleats inside
the body of the dun. When the dun molts and the spinner emerges,
these crystal clear wings open up like fans with pleats intact.
When the spinner has layed her eggs and lies spent on the water�s surface, the wings trap bubbles within the pleats and water gets drawn up and around these bubbles. When viewed from a trout�s perspective these bubbles turn bright silver and light shining through the wings becomes refracted into wild rainbows.
Most spinner patterns use opaque materials for the wings that looks entirely out of place when seen from underwater. The CDC feathers of the CDC biot spinner trap bubbles and they look very close to the real thing. CDC feathers are small spiracle oil trapping feathers that surround a waterfowls preen gland. Not only are the natural feathers impregnated with oil, their helical shape tends to hold tenaciously to pockets of air.