Cicadas - did it happen ?

[Bamboozle]

I hate picky fish...

 

[falcon]

One of my area streams has cicadias. The fish were on them. Some very small fish were hanging on for dear life. Everything eats them .... bears, birds, copperhead snakes ... almost everything. Big protein hit.

 

[AndyP]

Thank you all for the information. I will try to rememeber to bring this subject up again NEXT year when it's supposed to happen 😄

 

[Bamboozle]

Thank you all for the information. I will try to rememeber to bring this subject up again NEXT year when it's supposed to happen 😄

Instead, ask the question around the end of February in conjunction with asking if it is OK to trout fish at that time of year...

There are extra points awarded for posting a photo of a supposed catch and asking if it is stocked or wild. 😉

 

[Fly-Swatter]

There are extra points awarded for posting a photo of a supposed catch and asking if it is stocked or wild. 😉

Spoiler: It is! 😆

 

[Acristickid]

Don’t get excited when cicadas start to hatch ( I mean you can if you want to in anticipation) because it IMO takes a few weeks for them to start hitting the water and for fish to get on them.

There is no it will happen here or go here. You have to find them. You might have to drive around your waters to find them. The cicadas certainly do not need my endorsement.

 

[troutbert]

From what I've seen, a particular brood appears in the same locations each time. But it only happens every 17 years. So, by the time you're 90 years old, you should be able to get it pretty well figured out.

 

[salmo]

View attachment 1641237470

From what I've seen, a particular brood appears in the same locations each time. But it only happens every 17 years. So, by the time you're 90 years old, you should be able to get it pretty well figured out.

I’m just hoping to make it until the next emmergence. I’ll only be 91. I hope I can remember where I left my waders.

 

[CLSports]

Even a few years ago when they were supposed to emerge in central PA and they actually did emerge and were everywhere, the fish didn't care and the fishing was lousy.

The carp fishing was stellar.

 

[jifigz]

The carp fishing was stellar.

Glad you found em.

 

[dryflyguy]

Even a few years ago when they were supposed to emerge in central PA and they actually did emerge and were everywhere, the fish didn't care and the fishing was lousy.

Dont know if you're just being sarcastic - but I had great fishing during that cicada emergence several years ago.
The key was simply finding where they were.

A good friend of mine wanted to fish them too.
And we decided that the best approach to locating where they were, was for for us to split up at first.

He checked certain streams, and I went to others.
That way, we covered twice as much ground, as compared to both of us fishing together.

We did this for the first week of the emergence.
And found out where the fish were actually eating
them
Then enjoyed some great fishing for the next several weeks together

 

[jifigz]

Dont know if you're just being sarcastic - but I had great fishing during that cicada emergence several years ago.
The key was simply finding where they were.

I am not kidding at all. They were extremely thick at my parents' place (WW Jam Waters) and were floating down the Juniata River in hordes. The fish didn't care in the least.

 

[PennKev]

Dont know if you're just being sarcastic - but I had great fishing during that cicada emergence several years ago.
The key was simply finding where they were.

Ditto.

 

[dryflyguy]

I am not kidding at all. They were extremely thick at my parents' place (WW Jam Waters) and were floating down the Juniata River in hordes. The fish didn't care in the least.

I dont know how available they would have been to fish on a large stream like the Juniata, other than perhaps one the edges.
Just like terrestrial fishing usually isn't great on large stream too.

I found on them on about 6 south central streams.
The largest of which was Yellow Creek.
Fish were eating them there for sure.
And athough the FFing only stretch was crowded, we fished in relative solitude on sections up and downstream of there

 

[jifigz]

I dont know how available they would have been to fish on a large stream like the Juniata, other than perhaps one the edges.
Just like terrestrial fishing usually isn't great on large stream too.

The cicadas were floating all over the water everywhere. The cicadas were in the middle of the river. The last and only time I ever saw fish eating them, I was on a boat in the middle of Lake Raystown nowhere near the shore. Cicadas were all over the water and fish were eating them.

I also checked out trout streams and found zero fish interested in the abundant cicadas. It was not only me in this pursuit, but other local trout anglers. We all found zero success and interest in Mifflin County when the cicadas were here a few years ago.