Cicada chaos is underway within the Southeast. Swarms of Brood XIX cicadas are protecting up lengthy stretches of brush in massive parts of the south. Movies of those loud bugs are making their means round social media, and anglers within the space are already benefiting from this large cicada emergence—experiencing wonderful success whereas focusing on bluegill, bass, and carp.
Proper now, carp is king so far as cicada fishing goes. The poor man’s bonefish are cruising shorelines with overhanging brush, searching for fallen cicada bugs. Fly anglers are seeing huge fish come up and suck down the large flies. We spoke with Seth Fields, the proprietor of The Hatch Outfitters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, about what his guides and shoppers are seeing on the water. And we picked his mind about one of the best time to fish and helpful ways for the rest of the hatch.
Area Report: Southeast Tennessee
The cicada hatch is in full swing all all through the Tennessee Valley. In response to fly store proprietor and information Seth Fields, the Chattanooga space and Tennessee Gorge are flush with bugs in every single place you look. “Our whole space is roofed up in cicadas on nearly any patch of land in Chattanooga,” he says. “You may hear them alongside our lakes and motor as much as about any shoreline and discover bugs.” Fields, who’s a diehard carp angler, says that they’re about two weeks into the hatch and are hoping for no less than one other two weeks of bugs rising, hopefully extra.
The largest battle anglers are going through proper now within the quick Chattanooga Tennesse River drainage, which incorporates areas like Watts Bar Reservoir, Lake Chickamauga, and Nickajack Lake, is water readability. The stained water from current storms is making it troublesome for fish to key in on bugs, however there are nonetheless cicadas in every single place on the water. Anglers seeking to goal bass, bluegill, and different sunfish can expertise wonderful fishing proper now within the space. The carp fishing is more durable, however because the water clears up, it’s going to solely get higher.
All of that mentioned, anglers don’t must journey far to seek out clear water and phenomenal cicada fishing. “A number of the larger reservoirs simply north of us are getting the identical quantity of bugs, if no more,” says Fields. “They’ve received clear water, and the fishing is unbelievable. It isn’t unusual for every angler to catch as much as 15 carp in a day.”
Whereas Fields and his guides are seeing trout, bass, and different species eat cicadas, one of the best motion is coming by focusing on carp. Fields and his workforce of guides at The Hatch Outfitters are operating cicada-specific journeys proper now. Make sure to name the store for reserving particulars.
Suggestions for Focusing on Carp on Cicadas
If you happen to’re within the southeast Tennessee space, you’ll want to discover lakes and reservoirs with wooded steep banks. Right here, bugs can simply fall off tree branches and brush and plop proper into the water. In contrast to conventional carp fishing, the place anglers deal with tremendous skinny water, cicada fishing is totally totally different. Carp will probably be cruising these cutbanks and construction edges which can be usually as much as 12 toes deep, searching for bugs on the floor.
“We’re seeing them excessive within the water, even swimming with their backs out of the water generally,” says Fields. “They’re consuming bugs left and proper, however clear water is the large defining issue for fulfillment.”
Fields says it’s greatest to go as real looking as attainable on the subject of flies. Fish are already being pressured and starting to refuse flies. Make sure that to convey a wide range of bugs and top off on real looking patterns just like the Mission Cicada.
“We’ve been noticing carp even refuse actual cicadas which have their wings tucked in on the water,” says Fields. “However when bugs would land with their wings out large, fish would come up and gulp them instantaneously.” Fields has adjusted by splaying the wings on his flies so that they’re out to the edges once they land on the water. Make sure that to look at how precise bugs look within the water and the way fish are reacting to them. You’ll have to regulate to fish habits, particularly because the hatch continues and stress will increase.
Fields is hoping for an additional two to 4 weeks of bugs rising within the space, however anglers to the north who aren’t seeing bugs but ought to begin seeing and listening to cicadas any day now. Keep tuned for extra reside experiences within the coming weeks.
