Cicadas!

[dryflyguy]

MKern wrote:
I know every one swears it's been 17 years, but I remember a huge cicada emergence in '08 in central PA. That's the year I moved to Mifflin County (well Fall of '07) and fished using cicadas.

Is there another large hatch coming in a few years?

And I never even got a look from a fish on the local streams or Penns while fishing a cicada pattern. However, I believe Spring Creek could be some fun.

The last big cicada event in central PA was in 2008.
They were on Spring, Bald Eagle, Penns, and Little J.
And will happen again in 2025.

I've been told be a few people that this years brood - which last happened on 2004 - will be on the Little J.
But I have doubts about that.
They should be on streams a little further south and east of that though

 

[Dave_W]

dryflyguy wrote:
The last big cicada event in central PA was in 2008.
They were on Spring, Bald Eagle, Penns, and Little J.
And will happen again in 2025.

I've been told be a few people that this years brood - which last happened on 2004 - will be on the Little J.
But I have doubts about that.
They should be on streams a little further south and east of that though

This ^

 

[poopdeck]

There are 13 or so 17 year cicada broods. Five of which call PA home. This means that you will see a 17 year cicada hatch somewhere in Pa 5 times out of every 17 years or roughly one 17 year cicada hatch every 3.5 years. They aint that rare in Pa it may just seem like if you don't travel far from home.

 

[jifigz]

I believe that this brood will be present in a big way on the Little J. We had no cicadas here in Mifflin County in 2008 and the cicada were all over Raystown in 2004. I'm predicting that they will be all over the Little J and south..centre county should not see any cicada, really. That will be 2025.

We shall see. I'm excited about it.

 

[tabasco_joe]

MKern wrote:
I know every one swears it's been 17 years, but I remember a huge cicada emergence in '08 in central PA. That's the year I moved to Mifflin County (well Fall of '07) and fished using cicadas.

Is there another large hatch coming in a few years?

And I never even got a look from a fish on the local streams or Penns while fishing a cicada pattern. However, I believe Spring Creek could be some fun.

I forgot which year but I was on vacation for a full week during one of those massive hatches. Probably 2012. I fished from White Deer to Penns to Spring and many small streams in between. I think I caught one fish on Spring with a cicada pattern toward the end of the hatch.

Large mats of cicadas were floating down Penns with very little surface activity. You couldn't buy a fish. I assume they were taking cicadas below the surface and refusing anything else.

I'm more interested in experiencing that massive hatch again. Yes, I'll take a few flies I tied back then just in case.

 

[Steeltrap]

So....who knows? Do Cicadas float or sink?

 

[wgmiller]

Steeltrap wrote:
Do Cicadas float or sink?

They definitely float. At least until they get tired! :-D

I had a lot of luck with the Loren Williams pattern before and it's what I'm sticking with. The patterns need not be complex or hard to tie; the fish are smitten when the food conveyor fires up!

 

[Steeltrap]

Thanks WgMiller!

I found the Loren Williams "how to" for the cicada https://www.lwflies.com/tutorials/dry-flies/periodical-cicada and this appears to be a much simpler tie than other patterns I've seen.

I believe it's better to tie a "fake 'em out" easier pattern than to tie a longer\complex pattern.

After all, all patterns are to fake 'em out and unless the water is gin clear and slow, the fish need to make a quick decision to chomp or not chomp!

 

[Canoetripper]

I don't tie my own flies but I received my order today from TCO so I am ready if the appear on the Tobyhanna. Fly shops are selling out fast.

 

[troutbert]

I tie them entirely out of deer hair.

Body: spun and clipped black deer hair

Wings: black deer hair, with a little bit of orange-brown deer hair mixed in.

These take longer to tie than foam patterns, but I hate foam on flies.

Foam is ugly, and it breaks down. A deer hair fly will last through several of the cicadas 17 year cycles.

 

[Steeltrap]

I tie them entirely out of deer hair.

Body: spun and clipped black deer hair

Wings: black deer hair, with a little bit of orange-brown deer hair mixed in.

These take longer to tie than foam patterns, but I hate foam on flies.

Foam is ugly, and it breaks down. A deer hair fly will last through several of the cicadas 17 year cycles.

Well troutbert.......your post is completely worthless without a pic of the finished product!!

 

[Steeltrap]

So I took a little time to tie up a few of these bugs. Size 10 streamer hook is what I had (I just don't tie a size 10 dry fly). I used the following materials:

Hook: Size 10 Streamer
Thread: 140 Denier
Body: Black foam
Legs: Orange rubber\siliy legs
Orange body\thorax: McFly orange
Wings: Olive flash

I looked at the materials I had in orange, and parapost didn't appear to be flexible enough, and the only orange dubbing I had was a fire-orange.....which may have been fine, but I wanted just "orange."

A few notes on the steps:I laid down thread the entire hook length, and applied tier's cement to the hook to help the foam stick. The McFly material stretches nicely so you don't need a long length. My application of a black marker is not the greatest....hands are not as steady as they use to be. I found tying in the legs easier to do before pulling back the head to tie. My 1st one is the fly on the right in the last pic.....the one on the left is the 2nd. Use a little more flash for the wings (see bug on the left)....you can always cut it down.

Easy to tie up. I'm still trying to figure out how to "plug in" some orange eyes!! They McFly material may suck up stream water, but I figure a good application of floatent will help stop that. And if the bug sinks.....who knows?

Here's some pics of the tying sequence:

 

[troutbert]

Steeltrap wrote:

I tie them entirely out of deer hair.

Body: spun and clipped black deer hair

Wings: black deer hair, with a little bit of orange-brown deer hair mixed in.

These take longer to tie than foam patterns, but I hate foam on flies.

Foam is ugly, and it breaks down. A deer hair fly will last through several of the cicadas 17 year cycles.

Well troutbert.......your post is completely worthless without a pic of the finished product!!

Your refund is in the mail.

 

[Steeltrap]

Your refund is in the mail.

I would hope so! And with interest too!!

 

[Steeltrap]

Decided to "retro" some eyes. And....the Eyes have it!

 

[1manwolfpack]

Burning thick mono until it “balls up” makes good eyes. Little red paint, cut the other end to a point, add some super glue and shove them into the foam.

 

[JerryC]

I used what I call map pins for the eyes on the bugs I tied. They were mixed colors, but the ones I used for eyes were a reddish orange. Just clipped the pin section short. A little bit of super glue and stuck them in the craft foam I used. Beats melting 125# mono and coloring them orange.

 

[Steeltrap]

Well now.....it appears I've done Cicada tying for not (Knot?). According to this map https://cicadas.uconn.edu/brood_10/# southwestern PA isn't going to see anything this year.

Maybe I'll try to auction 'em on flea-bay. :roll:

 

[barrybarry]

Never had much luck fishing Cicadas. I'm hoping the rubber legs add that extra something. Tied several green and white clipped deer hair ones last year for Bass fishing around a lake that was heavy with Cicada. Nada.

Size 8 Gamakatsu hook.

 

[wgmiller]

I decided to add a few poppers to my Loren Williams' pattern arsenal. I didn't really have a pattern for this, but instead just used materials on hand and the basic principles of popper tying.

Materials include: Size 6 streamer hook, black foam, orange Estaz, pearl sparkle braid/flash, orange grizzly schlappen, neon orange centipede legs, and red stick-on eyes.