Cicadas!

[troutbert]

A big Letort Cricket will work.

The main things is to be at the right place at the right time.

The right time is towards the end of the cicada event. That's when they hit the water the most.

In the early part, they are buzzing a lot, but not getting onto the water. If you fish hard during that period, and get discouraged, you may miss the good part.

 

[Clams]

So what's the best way to fish these cicada flies? Just drift them on the surface like regular dry flies? Is it a good idea to tie on a nymph as well?

Also fyi there's an app called Cicada Safari where people can upload Brood X sightings and photos, and then you can check the map to track where they've emerged. So far there are already sightings from Berks County down through Harrisburg and into Maryland. Also as far east as the Lehigh Valley. Pretty cool.

 

[tomgamber]

Slap em good an hard on the surface. :hammer:

 

[Dave_W]

Clams wrote:
So what's the best way to fish these cicada flies? Just drift them on the surface like regular dry flies? Is it a good idea to tie on a nymph as well?

Also fyi there's an app called Cicada Safari where people can upload Brood X sightings and photos, and then you can check the map to track where they've emerged. So far there are already sightings from Berks County down through Harrisburg and into Maryland. Also as far east as the Lehigh Valley. Pretty cool.

As Tom said, slap 'em down hard. These fish buzz and thrash a lot so some movement may help and they might even fish well in faster water if pulled under (think wet hoppers). In past years, I just fished 'em mainly by dead drift on the surface.

I was out looking today - they still aren't out in Adams County as far as I can tell. The temps have been in the 40s at night an only in the 60s for daytime highs - however, as soon as we get a warm spell, I think we'll see 'em. . . . Any day now.

 

[wgmiller]

They're still coming...

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/12/weather/cicadas-17-year-2021-scn-trnd/index.html

 

[nomad_archer]

I'm late to this party and finding 3mm black foam is ummmm difficult right now. I may very well miss this if I don't get my materials ordered.

 

[coyoterahn]

If you can get by w/ 2mm, check this out.

https://www.amazon.com/Homeford-FNS000007390BLAC-Foam-Sheet-Black/dp/B071W3CWQY/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/139-6802475-7216625?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B071W3CWQY&pd_rd_r=1bf95406-b183-494a-abaa-87354d3e1f0f&pd_rd_w=nJzqm&pd_rd_wg=d5bVj&pf_rd_p=fd3ebcd0-c1a2-44cf-aba2-bbf4810b3732&pf_rd_r=19ZCGXHSHJ78TTAKW956&psc=1&refRID=19ZCGXHSHJ78TTAKW956

 

[drakeking412]

nomad_archer wrote:
I'm late to this party and finding 3mm black foam is ummmm difficult right now. I may very well miss this if I don't get my materials ordered.

you can use evazote foam or craft foam also. check south dakota angler and j stockard, im pretty sure they both have some foams in stock. there's a ton of different patterns out there too so if you can get the 3mm you can go with a different foam pattern like the "pinecone cicada" from fly fish food. good luck!

 

[poopdeck]

I just stack and glue foam together. It glues up easy enough.

 

[nomad_archer]

Thanks for the solutions everyone.

 

[nfrechet]

 

[troutbert]

You don't need foam. You can tie cicadas with black deer hair.

You can tie it much like a Letort Cricket. But if you make the body with spun and clipped deer hair, it will make it nice and bulky, so that it lands with a plop.

 

[drakeking412]

Here's what I'll be fishing for trout/carp. It's the Fly Fish Food Project Cicada with a couple tweaks done to skimp on cost. It floats like a cork and has a great profile also. Very close to the natural in proportion and color too so I'm hoping a couple carp inhale it!

https://imgur.com/gallery/LNkxjV3

 

[Dave_W]

They're out in Maryland but not in Adams County yet, as far as I can tell.

Good bet it will be tomorrow. . . or any day now.

 

[lprudente]

Similar to drakeking, here is my simpler take on the project cicada.

 

[Dave_W]

The cicadas I tied up before the emergence were on the large size and based on my notes from 2004 - body of about an inch to 1.5 inches. The cicadas this year seemed small based on my memory, although the ones I'm seeing this week are more in line with the sizes I remember (not sure if they're growing as adults or the later emergers are physically larger[?]).

I have been tying my cicadas on longer shanked streamer hooks so as to get the bend at the rear of the abdomen. With such a large fly and a thick foam body, I'm finding that I have a poor hook-up ratio. Interestingly, I hook more fallfish, perhaps due to their greedy nature and rubbery mouths(?). However, with trout, I'm getting a lot of slashing, aggressive strikes in which I can't firmly stick the fish, even the larger ones.

I recommend downsizing your cicada patterns and going with a body/hook shank on the shorter side. Most of the naturals that are dead in the water are on their backs with wings spread wide and I suspect that many fish are grabbing the wings and pulling the bug under before getting it in their mouths. I have thinned the wings on my cicadas and cut them a bit shorter.