Famous Swiss fly tiers: Albert Bise

Albert Bise tied flies over 70 years and was member of the most famous fly tying club of the time in the french part of Switzerland. He told me, amongst many others, the true story of the invention of the first no hackle CDC.

Flyfishers had for more than 40 years a good success with the classic full hackled CDC as tied by Bickel, Joset, Veya and other fly tiers (CDC araignée). Nevertheless, there were moments when these flies did not work well.
Fréderic Matthey (named FéFé), the most successful flyfisher on the Orbe river at that time, burned therefore with his cigarette the lower part of the CDC hackles of his flies- and took like this even the most difficult fish..

But the fly tiers of that time had another problem (like we have today) : the good CDC was very expensive- as expensive as gold- and difficult to get. If you have the genuine Jura CDC, you get all the cul-de-canard feathers around the preen gland of adult ducks. You will therefore always have a few very big feathers, but with stiff stems, and some very little feathers. Both are not those which are good to tie the CDC hackle collar of a classic CDC "araignée". If you do not know what to do with them, you throw them away as waste.

Innovation of the Split wing no hackle CDC

Albert Bise remembers the day very well:

«It was in 1964, on one of our fly tying evenings in our club in Lausanne, Switzerland (Club vaudois pêche mouche). We had made some very nice flies, but as usual, there were some CDC feathers left on the table, which we were about to throw away. That moment, one of our fly tying enthusiasts, a restaurant owner from Geneva said "no- lets try to use them!" After several ideas which did no give good results, we finally decided to make from the small feathers two bundles. We tied them with the waxed silk, making figure of the eight windings, as separated wings on the hook. The fly seemed to be nice, but we were not sure if this new fly would take fish. The next weekend we tried the new fly on the Orbe river. The success was tremenduous. »

"La Mienne" (Original Bise), olive- beige
The first ever made split wing no-hackle CDC fly

La Mienne (Original Bise), olive- beige

Swiss no-hackle split wing CDC- probably the first ever made

This no hackle CDC, is still catching a lot of good fish.

If you ask for the name of the fly, Albert says "c'est "La Mienne" (my fly)".

Hook size 14, handmade in Lausanne, Switzerland by Albert Bise using still the same Swiss Jura CDC, the same silk waxed with beeswax. Available in limited numbers only.

Fly tying video: Albert Bise ties "La Mienne"

Sedge verte (Original Bise)

Sedge verte (Original Bise)

Double hackled classical sedge, handmade by Albert Bise with green handwaxed silk body, marbled wings.

Will catch you fish even in fast water and in the night.

Available in limited numbers only. Size 12

Typ/ Type

Original Double hackle 4.20 CHF

CDC Sedge (Original Bise)

CDC Sedge (Original Bise)

This CDC hackled sedge is falling slowly down to the water surface, where it is swallowed eagerly by trout and grayling.

Body made with green handwaxed silk, marbled sedge wings, hackle CDC from the Swiss Jura mountains.

Original Bise, Size 14

CDC Sedge Emerger (Original Bise)

Emerging caddis flies, when getting out of the larval skin, dry their wings for a short moment before folding them backwards- that's the moment trout are waiting for.

Body made with green handwaxed silk, marbled sedge wings, hackle CDC from the Swiss Jura mountains.

Size 14