Cicadas Spring of 2021 in PA

[Fredrick]

Its cicada mania in Md right now and they hatched about two weeks earlier there so I'd say expect to see fish taking them by the end of this week in areas that they hatched .

 

[Tucker733]

It's getting very noisy in Western Maryland/Southern Somerset & Bedford Counties. Did very well fishing a Bedford County lake for largemouth yesterday. Under over hanging trees, bass were taking cicadas and flies. Saw many Carp but none seem interested.

 

[Zak]

They are THICK in Williams Township (just sound of Easton PA) along the Delaware River. I'm sure theres some good top water smallie action taking place for those that wanna try. They're are so many and they're so loud you can hear them from a mile away.

 

[Dave_W]

Where you can find 'em, the fish are definitely keyed on 'em. I whacked some stockies earlier today and they were all bloated with cicadas in their stomachs.

Usually this time of year I expect to find crayfish in the stomachs of trout.

 

[flyflicker]

Southern Tract of Tuscarora State Forest had dense patches of them this weekend. Full eruption of nymphs at our campsite. Covering everything, pretty cool. Even had a full life “cycle” on my daughters bike tire in the morning. Nymph, shuck, “dun”, hardened adult! Only thing missing was the egg!

Also the whippoorwills were the densest I’ve ever heard.

 

[Dave_W]

Cicada fishing is off the chart right now!

If you have 'em in your neck of the woods, get out now. They're starting to drop and fish are looking up. In addition to trout today, I got in to some big bluegills that were looking for them (most bluegill strikes were little nips but the bigger 'gills really plowed 'em).

I gutted a stockie a couple days ago and he had, I think, eleven cicadas in his stomach and gullet. Here's a stocked brookie from this morning - released this guy - but you can see the bulging stomach. I could see wings in his gullet. Check the tying forum later tonight for my thoughts on cicada flies/lessons learned. . .

 

[jifigz]

Cicadas are thick where I am at and so far the fish don't seem to care one bit. But the cicadas are flying into me left and right when I'm outside.

I was on a small stocked trout stream today and the cicadas weren't in the water at all. The Juniata is higher than I'd like it to be right now, but I'm hoping when it drops the fish are keyed in on the cicadas.

 

[riverwhy]

I floated the Swatara from Hershey to Hummelstown on Thursday and didn't see or hear any.

 

[Swattie87]

Parked the car and got out to a loud roar on a western Perry County Brookie stream today. They were starting to drop and die and the Brookies were fat on them. They found a foam body Cicada pattern about 2 sizes smaller than the naturals pretty hard to lay off.

Ended up not fishing a whole lot as the stream I picked was the tightest, most overgrown stream I’ve ever fished that didn’t have rhodo, laurel, or multi-flora rose along it. It got to be a real PITA and I bailed after an hour or so and climbed back up to the road. Where a cast was possible, it fished well though.

 

[hooker-of-men]

What up in the Poconos? Any bugs come out to play around the Brodhead? Haven't seen any encouraging info anywhere online.

 

[Dave_W]

hooker-of-men wrote:
What up in the Poconos? Any bugs come out to play around the Brodhead? Haven't seen any encouraging info anywhere online.

I doubt there are many up there. This brood (Brood 10) is concentrated in SCPA and SEPA and states further south.

And even in this range, they are spotty. One stream I have been concentrating on has them for one section of about two miles (they are very thick and the fishing is fast) but upstream and downstream there are none.

 

[hooker-of-men]

Thanks, Dave. I had seen some emergence maps that showed up to Monroe County (though not Pike) and some that even crossed the border into southern NY. Misguided optimism.

 

[rrt]

I don't want to rain on your parade, but there is a down side to the locusts. The kill 'em and grill 'em guys will be out, and they won't target just stocked trout. In some areas, a lot of lovely wild trout are going to bite the dust. and if was like the last time around here, it will take several years for the multiple year classes of trout to come back to normal.

But, if you fish in a c/r area or an area where most guys release nearly all of their trout, it can make for nice fishing without hurting the fishery.

 

[Dave_W]

Or, on the other hand, think of this as a chance to get some fish for dinner while they're still in local STWs.

I'm doing much of my cicada fishing on stocked trout waters that get warm. Every year around this time I take my creel out and harvest some stocked trout as many of these streams lack coldwater refuge and the stocked trout die off over summer. . . happens every year, with rare exceptions. I have seen a few anglers, but not nearly as many as earlier in the spring - again, typical for this time of year (bass season has started).

June is a good trout fishing month and the cicadas are just icing on the cake this year.

 

[afishinado]

Dave_W wrote:

hooker-of-men wrote:
What up in the Poconos? Any bugs come out to play around the Brodhead? Haven't seen any encouraging info anywhere online.

I doubt there are many up there. This brood (Brood 10) is concentrated in SCPA and SEPA and states further south.

And even in this range, they are spotty. One stream I have been concentrating on has them for one section of about two miles (they are very thick and the fishing is fast) but upstream and downstream there are none.

They are certainly in most of Maryland, for sure!

 

[JeffP]

Cicadas all over at Nolde Forest. I think its the headwaters of Angelica or a branch where we were. Perhaps some Cicada fishing on Wyomissing?

 

[Chaz]

There hatching and metmorphing in the Lehigh Valley, but so far they aren't really fall in streams in numbers. I don't think there are as many as in years past.

 

[RRR]

The last time they were around I was having serious health issues and I couldn't fish. This time I was determined to find a stream where they were active so I went in search of them starting last Sunday. Drove out to Chambersburg and got a room. Checked out upper end of Conocoghaue creek (spelling)? Nothing. Monday, drove down to Antietam creek. Nothing. Tuesday, checked lower part of Conocoghaue, then the entire length of Falling Springs, then Big Spring, and then the entire length of Yellow Breeches that holds trout. Nothing. Headed home on Wed and swung by Codorus creek on the way. Nothing. On all these creeks, I pulled over frequently and listened for awhile before moving on. It was a very disappointing and exhausting journey to say the least. I have tons of them around my house, so I know what they look and sound like. Wife was with me on the trip and commented that we could have probably driven to California with the number of miles we drove. So anyone who has found them, God bless you for you are fortunate indeed. Enjoy.

 

[Canoetripper]

I saw my first one at the Blue Mountain rest stop on the Turnpike and splattered many more on the way to Entriken. They are present in Huntingdon County.

 

[riverwhy]

Are they mainly in forested areas? My mom lives in clay township at the foot of the Furnace Hills. They are all over the Hills but I only saw one at her house.