More cicadas

[FrequentTyer]

I finally had some time to play with a few cicada patterns today. I started out with a variation on the C-13 cicada from this video. It is basically a suped up Letort hopper and I played a bit with the materials and colors until I found a combination I liked. The underside picture is intended to show how the wing material gives an impression of the clear veined wing from below,

C-13 Cicada Variation
Hook: Dry Fly #8
Thread: Black UNI 6/0
Rib: Orange floss
Abdomen: Dubbing mix (black and burnt orange rabbit, olive hare’s ear, dark olive angora goat (and that is why I use a coffee grinder)
Underwing: Pearl krystal flash and Gold northern lights
Wing: Olive deer hair
Thorax/Head: Spun olive deer hair

It has been a while since I have done any deer hair work, and even on a good day I'm no Hans Weilenmann. Regardless, I wanted something a bit chunkier, so I decide to play around with pattern from yet another Hans seen in this video.

Han’s Cicada Variation
Hook: Dry Fly #8
Thread: Black UNI 6/0
Abdomen: Spun black deer hair
Underwing: Pearl krystal flash and Gold northern lights
Wing: Olive deer hair
Thorax/Head: Rust orange rabbit dubbing
Hackle: Grizzly undersized

I hope I get a chance to try them out. If they don't work, I have another 17 years to work on the patterns.

And in the meantime I think the bluegills will appreciate them.
Mike.

 

[osprey]

I think those look very good , i've seen the cicada thing happen but never got to fish when they were going on. I'd love to hit that for a day on Clarks creek in Dauphin county. heck most of the trout in the water i fish , one of those is big enough to feed a trout for a day. REAL NICE FLIES........HOPE U NAIL EM

 

[troutbert]

The ones that emerge in PA are not olive in color. I Googled "cicada", then hit Images, and saw some photos of the ones we have here, and also some with olive bodies. I don't know where those are found, but I've never seen an olive body cicada in PA.

If you Google photos of cicadas, you'll see many that have a black body, and the wings and legs are a sort of orangeish/tan color. That's the way they look in PA. So, you can tie your patterns using the colors from those photos.

Their bodies are black, so the black deerhair (or black foam) is good. The wings and legs are orange/tan. You can find deerhair deerhair dyed that color. Ginger hackle is a decent match for the legs.

 

[Fishidiot]

troutbert wrote:
TI don't know where those are found, but I've never seen an olive body cicada in PA.
If you Google photos of cicadas, you'll see many that have a black body, and the wings and legs are a sort of orangeish/tan color. That's the way they look in PA. So, you can tie your patterns using the colors from those photos.
Their bodies are black, so the black deerhair (or black foam) is good. The wings and legs are orange/tan. You can find deerhair deerhair dyed that color. Ginger hackle is a decent match for the legs.

Agree. I'd imagine that if one were tying cicadas out of spun deer hair like these, that a body of about 3 parts black deer hair to one part orange (mixed together) would make a nice effect and be very close to the naturals.
The olive cicadas are the regular "dog day" cicadas that we have every summer: they're olive over their back and sides with white underside and clear wings. They're also larger than the 17 year bugs. However, these flies should still catch fish during the emergence as once fish are keyed on cicadas they aren't picky (at least that has been my experience in past 17 year emergences).

 

[gutcutter]

troutbert wrote:
...The ones that emerge in PA are not olive in color...
...you'll see many that have a black body, and the wings and legs are a sort of orangeish/tan color. That's the way they look in PA...

Exactly.

 

[FrequentTyer]

Thanks for the comments guys. You are all right about the color of the natural. I was here for the last emergence and handled many of them as a biologist (hadn't yet made the connection with trout). They really are impressive little creatures, so don't miss the chance to take a closer look.
To the color of the imitations above, I was going for impressionistic rather than realistic. the dubbing in the C-13 variant is predominately black and when wet looks black with orange highlights and a bit of a green cast to match the slight green iridescence. The one thing I would change on that pattern in retrospect is the head of olive deer hair, but by the time I had tied these I was more concerned about the profile than the color and decided to move on. The overwing is really there just to add a sense of solidity to the flash wing and to give me something to look at. I view the overwing on this fly the way some view a para post, only I don't view a para post that way, but that's another story. I'm fairly confident in the second pattern. From below it is black and orange with a veined wing. Again, the overwing is probably not that visible to the fish but it helps define the wing effect.
I am not trying to argue with you here, I just wanted to give some insight on how I am thinking about these flys. I really do appreciate the critical comments.
Mike.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Hi Mike - Just a few suggestions, if I may....

On the second pattern, I suggest trimming the deer hair flat on the bottom. It won't change the profile from below, but it'll open up the hook gap for you. It should also help the fly float upright, instead of on it's side.

Notice the wide open hook gap on gutcutter's ties. Gut knows terrestrials, big time. I tied a cicada very similar to his second pattern for the 2008 emergence in Central PA, and it worked well. It DID get torn up pretty quickly though, and all my cicada patterns are now made with a foam body.

Foam is your friend - embrace it. :lol:

 

[troutbert]

You definitely want to keep the hook gape open. During the 2008 emergence I tied some on size 8 hooks and I had the hook gape closed too much, and missed a lot of strikes.

I started tying them on size 6 hooks and that solved the problem.

You could very likely tie them on a size 8 hook, but just tie the fly a little more neat and trim than I did, being sure not to close the hook gape, and that would probably work fine too.

 

[osprey]

The times i saw them i was working inthe woods and as for ccolors i'd go with red and black instead of orange. I'm sure the color varies from spot to spot , saw them once in Bedford county when i was young and once in Garrett county MD workin. Those were dark with red mixed in.

 

[FrequentTyer]

Thanks for the additional comments guys. The hook gape point is a really good one and I will adjust as suggested.
Ed, don't you know that foam is a gateway material. If I give in to that temptation it is just a matter of time before I'm using centipede legs and gluing on doll eyes
I'm kidding of course. Gutcutter's flies are very nice and I'm sure quite productive. I just don't like to use synthetics in trout flies for no reason other than I enjoy the challenge. I do use foam and all sorts of plastic bits in warm water patterns like my bluegill cricket (which is not really supposed to mimic a cricket). I seriously considered resizing the cricket into a cicada, but decided that the deer hair would be more fun. Now I need to find some orange and red deer hair...
Mike.

 

[dc410]

Mike,

I admire your desire to use natural materials in your fly tying. I have just started using the craft foam in tying terrestrials and have really been able to pump out a lot more flies in a much shorter time period. It probably would have taken me two weeks to tie that dozen deer head cicadas that you tied. Spinning deer hair was never my strong suit. They always make it look so easy on those videos. As far as synthetic materials go, it doesn't get much more synthetic then the cicada pattern I am tying (craft foam, Antron yarn, Krystal flash and centipede legs). I am going to tie some up on size 8 2XL dry fly hooks. I have tied all of mine so far on size 10 2xl's but the whole wider hook gap argument makes a lot of sense. Good luck, I hope you get into them !

 

[troutbert]

I like the deer hair patterns too. Good work. It's great to see that craftmanship.

Regarding red color on cicadas. Some of them have red eyes. But that is the only red that I think you will see on the cicadas. Some of them have orange eyes.

Again, look at the photos of the bugs. And when they start emerging, which I've heard has begun already in some places, look at the actual bug.