Cicada

Cicadas (Cicadidae) are large, distinctive insects famous for their periodic mass emergences. While annual cicadas emerge every summer (the "Dog Day" cicadas), it's the 13-year and 17-year periodical cicadas that create legendary fishing events. When billions of cicadas emerge simultaneously, they overwhelm the landscape. Many end up on trout streams, triggering explosive feeding frenzies on big foam flies. A "Cicada Year" is a bucket-list event for dry fly anglers.

Cicadas are arboreal (tree-dwelling).

• Forested Streams: They are found in hardwood forests (oak, maple, hickory) near trout streams.
• The Canopy: Adults live in the trees, singing their deafening song.
• The Drop: They fall from the canopy into the river, often due to wind or simply overcrowding during mass emergences.

Cicadas are clumsy fliers. They are heavy and ungraceful.

1. The Crash: When they fall, they hit the water hard. It's a massive disturbance.
2. The Buzz: On the water, they buzz their wings violently, creating concentric rings of disturbance that fish can feel from yards away.
3. The Attack: Trout crush cicadas. There is no sipping here; the takes are violent and explosive.

Seasonality

• Annual Cicadas: Late Summer (July-August).
• Periodical Cicadas: Late Spring/Early Summer (May-June) during emergence years.

Tactics

• Smack It: Like hoppers, a hard landing communicates "food."
• Twitch It: Give the fly a violent twitch to simulate the wing-buzzing on the water surface.
• Heavy Gear: Use 2X or 3X tippet. These are big flies and big fish, and you need to turn the fly over.
• Listen: Follow the noise. Fish the banks where the cicada song is loudest.

Recommended Patterns

• Foam: Sickada, Project Cicada, Black Foam Cicada.
• Realistic: Dave's Cicada.
• Attractor: Large Black Chubby Chernobyl (in a pinch).

Periodical cicadas are a unique biological phenomenon. Their mass emergences are natural cycles. Deforestation can impact local populations.