We’re a couple of weeks into the historic 221-year co-emergence of Brood XIX and Brood XII cicadas—and anglers within the South are already capitalizing on the swarm of big bugs. As soon as cicadas begin hatching in anybody space, they’re more likely to proceed to emerge for 3 to 4 weeks. Whereas this offers anglers loads of time to chase fish on massive flies and topwater lures, it additionally provides fish loads of time to regulate to fishing strain. In different phrases, for those who’re not catching fish, it’s most likely time so that you can readjust your method and techniques.
I spoke with fly fishing guides and cicada fishing consultants about techniques to counter cautious fish. After all, the fundamentals for of focusing on spooky fish, like a stealthy approache, delicate casts, and a lighter chief, all apply. However there are a couple of cicada-specific ideas you possibly can strive when the fish begin turning away out of your flies. Listed below are 5 of these techniques for fishing pressured waters throughout the 2024 cicada emergence.
1. Tailor Your Presentation to Actual Cicada Habits
You need to have not less than 4 to 5 completely different cicada patterns in your field and be prepared to alter issues up when fish are ignoring any specific one. However on extremely pressured waters, you might need to take issues a step additional. Observe how actual cicadas are touchdown on the water and attempt to mimic that presentation in your flies. Are their wings splayed out? Possibly they’re tucked in. Are fish keying in on bugs that make an enormous splat once they hit the water?
Fishing information and proprietor of The Hatch Outfitters, Seth Fields, is already seeing fish be extraordinarily choosy about bugs, even the true ones. Final week, he observed carp solely consuming cicadas with their wings out on the water. So, he tweaked the wings on his flies to make them extra splayed out once they landed. “I’m splaying the wings out to the aspect, so when it lands, they’re touching the water. We’ve observed carp feeding on pure cicadas that had their wings on the floor.” Be certain your flies look similar to the true ones once they hit the water.
2. Goal Trout in Quick Water
Trout are cautious fish to start with, and as soon as they get hooked on cicada flies, they grow to be even pickier. Meaning conventional dry fly water, like slow-moving swimming pools, turns into even more durable locations to idiot cautious trout. As an alternative, fish the quick water. For starters, trout don’t have as a lot time to examine a cicada fly when it’s ripping by means of a riffle. However they’ll nonetheless see it as a result of these bugs are big.
Quick water additionally gives cool, oxygenated present for trout. In areas the place it’s actually scorching, like a lot of the Southeast proper now—the place cicadas are popping off—fish will transfer into riffles and maintain in present whereas in search of a simple meal. These areas gained’t work as effectively for a measurement 22 blue-wing olive hatch, however even in fast-moving water, trout will smash an enormous cicada fly with out having a lot time to examine the fly.
Clearly, pressured fish and stealthy approaches go hand in hand. When focusing on finicky carp, downsize your chief and tippet to what you may get away with and nonetheless land fish. It additionally helps to fish a fluorocarbon tippet for fly anglers and fluoro leaders for standard anglers. Whereas fluoro is thought to sink higher for nymphing, it gained’t pull an enormous cicada fly underwater. Fields says he even fishes a clear-tip fly line when chasing these cautious carp in Southeast Tennessee. Something to stay stealthy and never spook fish will profit you, particularly in stillwater fisheries.
4. Discover Extra Bugs
One of the best ways to beat strain is to keep away from strain. It’s comprehensible to need to fish a productive spot loaded with cicadas day after day, however it may grow to be a double-edged sword. Whereas I don’t advocate leaving feeding fish to search out new fish, you must depart fish that gained’t eat your cicada choices. The attractive half in regards to the 2024 cicada hatch is it’s so widespread. When fish go chilly and cease consuming, go discover new water and hear for bugs. Your ears will lead you to the fish. And for those who’re the primary angler to a financial institution filled with cicadas, there’s a great probability you’re in for an epic day. Keep cellular, and don’t be afraid to search out new bugs in new water.
5. Goal Trout Subsurface
If trout gained’t eat on high, strive them a little bit decrease within the water column. There are two methods to perform this whereas cicada fishing. The primary is to wrap your cicada flies with tungsten wire to get the bug to take a seat partially below the floor. This small distinction in presentation will usually draw strikes. The opposite means is to tie on a cicada fly and add small cut up shot above in order that it submerges the fly. Fish that don’t need to come as much as the floor to eat a bug might eat a cicada that was washed beneath. Anglers can even run a conventional hopper-dropper rig with a cicada fly. This provides you the chance to hook subsurface fish that aren’t dialed in on cicadas.
