Cicadas - A Bust

[dc410]

I finally was working in an area today where I saw a lot of Cicada activity. They were singing all day long and flying around everywhere. I wasn't really near any streams so I couldn't check to see if fish were feeding on them. I was in southern Schuylkill County - south of Schuylkill Haven and in Lebanon County near Fort Indiantown Gap and there were plenty of them around at both locations. I did get a few decent photos of them so I figured I would post them. Here they are.

 

[McSneek]

I saw some cicadas as I passed through Tamaqua this afternoon on my way home. They were all over the place when I crested Clamtown Hill on 443. Did not see any where 895 goes over the Little Schuykill but wondering if you might find them somewhere along the LS.

 

[NickR]

Interesting little critters... cant believe these are 17 years old.

 

[dc410]

I would think chances are good that there are cicadas somewhere along the L. Skuke. Somebody earlier mentioned about seeing some near New Ringgold. I will be working in southern Schuylkill County on Friday. I might leave early and check the area near Port Clinton, I won't have time to get up to New Ringgold or to fish for that matter.

 

[phiendWMD]

I will probably hit the LS above Tamaqua Saturday after I leave the brush up. I'll report back what I see then. I didn't see or hear any this afternoon at Valley Creek. I work outside, mostly in Lower Bucks, and I haven't seen or heard a single one yet this year.

 

[MattBoyer]

If you're into smallies, the swattie south of Pine Grove is quite thick with them and they didn't start hatching below town until early last week. They were north of town and in NW Dauphin county for weeks, then all of a sudden exploded between 81 and 443 in southern Schuylkill/ northern Lebanon counties. It's every bit as widespread in this area as it was in 96, maybe more, but this time around localized broods were staggered by a few weeks instead of all at once, creating the illusion of a "bust", but they are here and in the creeks.

Boyer

 

[RyanR]

Fishidiot wrote:
They're certainly out in a few areas but the big 2013 cicada "hatch" in eastern PA appears to have been overblown.

Cicada Bust

Au contraire mon frere. I've heard and seen large swarms of them in numerous locations between the Blue Mountain and my house near Beltzville. Most of their time is spent up high in the canopy but you can certainly hear them. Every day from morning until evening, for weeks now, I can hear their steady, loud call in the woods behind my house Heck, I had lots of them emerge out of the ground at the base of my chestnut and maple trees. Now it seems they're coming back to complete their lifecycle at the base of those trees. My young Drahthaar loves them, crunchy snacks to him.

They've definitely been affected by development in the last 17 years but even the article says they're still superabundant but they're populations can be localized.

They're so abundant near me I've been dying to get some time to fish and toss cicada patterns in several area streams! If I were a local angler I'd definitely give cicada patterns a shot on the Aquashicola, the Pohopoco, Little Schuylkill and Lehigh Rivers ;-)

 

[AugustWest]

East side of the Lehigh above Glen Onoko just below Rockport there was a steady buzz all afternoon Wednesday.

 

[SBecker]

Hey Ryan,

I Have chased this hatch pretty good. They are not on the Po at all or the Aquashicola. They are on one stream in the area but that is it. I am going to fish the lake on Sunday and will report my findings. With all the freakin people today on the Po, you would have thought they were there.

 

[NickR]

The Po, crowded on a Friday afternoon?

 

[dc410]

No cicadas on the Little Skuke at Port Clinton. It had a real nice flow going and the color looked great. I would have loved to toss a Clouser Deep Minnow in there for a couple casts but I didn't even have time to string up the rod. Oh well, there is lots of good WW action to come.

 

[RRR]

The Po was covered up with fishermen on Thurs. evening as well. I counted eleven vehicles between the storage units and the dam. Almost turned around and left but did manage to find a place to stand down near the T.Pike. Don't know what the big attraction is but certainly not cicadas or anything else as far as I could tell. Plenty of cicadas south of the T. Pike as far north as the tunnel. Traffic was held up for quite awhile in the north bound lanes on my way up due to an accident in the tunnel. Cicadas were flying around and crawling all over the road right to the tunnel entrance. Soon as I came out of the tunnel on the north side there were no more.

 

[SBecker]

RRR wrote:
The Po was covered up with fishermen on Thurs. evening as well. I counted eleven vehicles between the storage units and the dam. Almost turned around and left but did manage to find a place to stand down near the T.Pike. Don't know what the big attraction is but certainly not cicadas or anything else as far as I could tell. Plenty of cicadas south of the T. Pike as far north as the tunnel. Traffic was held up for quite awhile in the north bound lanes on my way up due to an accident in the tunnel. Cicadas were flying around and crawling all over the road right to the tunnel entrance. Soon as I came out of the tunnel on the north side there were no more.

Wait what? You are confusing me with your directions in regards to turnpike and tunnel. I live in Bowmanstown and can see the tunnel. Guess I am going to take a quick drive.

Also, I have literally never ever seen so many dang people on the Po before. I had guys walking in between me and W.G. Miller and we were like 25 feet apart. I was ready to freak and had to get out of there.

 

[BeastBrown]

SBecker wrote:


Also, I have literally never ever seen so many dang people on the Po before. I had guys walking in between me and W.G. Miller and we were like 25 feet apart. I was ready to freak and had to get out of there.

The internet is a hell of a drug....were they predominantly fly fisherman? That private club I see advertised in the fly fishing mags is above the dam right?

 

[SBecker]

Fly and spin. The spin guys returned all the fish to the water so that was nice. Hideway fishing club? Lmao Is that the club you are talking about. It is above Parryville damn. I won't play the spot burning game. However, it was kinda interesting a billion people hit it after a certain lake was outed with cicadas.

 

[BeastBrown]

Yeah, that's the place, saw the ad in Mid-Atlantic FFG. You mean I should cancel my membership check, it's not the blue ribbon water that I had hoped?

 

[midgeman]

Has anyone on here tried a cicada pattern on a body of water in which they wre nit present? I'm curious if a trout would strike simply out of instinct.

 

[SBecker]

Yes and no.

 

[jrmyln]

dc410 wrote:
No cicadas on the Little Skuke at Port Clinton. It had a real nice flow going and the color looked great. I would have loved to toss a Clouser Deep Minnow in there for a couple casts but I didn't even have time to string up the rod. Oh well, there is lots of good WW action to come.

They were up at the DHALO section.

 

[wgmiller]

They are not a "bust", just very localized. I was on a "Boys trip" this weekend and by accident found an 8+ mile stretch of water where large fish were literally jumping out of the water after them.

As far as trying a cicada pattern as a stimulator, I'm sure brookies would hit them.