SBecker
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Geez, I forgot I caught a lightning trout on a cicada. I also forgot I fished with you! lmao 2013 seems like a few years ago. whats 12 years considered? lmao
The Cicadas are Coming…2025
- Thread starter MD_Gene
- Start date
Geez, I forgot I caught a lightning trout on a cicada. I also forgot I fished with you! lmao 2013 seems like a few years ago. whats 12 years considered? lmao
wgmiller
Well-known member
That was longggg before you became the internationally acclaimed angler that you are today! 😛
Nothing like seeing and catching Spruce Creek Fish going wild , June about 20 years ago . Ill never forget it
SBecker
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When you say internationally acclaimed, are you talking about the Chinese restaurant that knows me by my first name and what I get every time I call?
ChuckofWagon
Member
I still have a few cicadas tied up from the last time.
I do recall the last "hatch" of these, my wife was driving back to Pittsburgh from Maryland. She said it was so noisy they had to wait to chat until they were in the car. She said she could hear the tires crunch them by the hundreds.
When she got home I had to soak the bumper, mirrors, windshield and any part of the car that was facing forward. (The luggage rack cross bar was also a mess) After several soakings and a few rounds of pressure washing, I got 98% of bug guts off the car.
Anyway....the bad with the good.
I do recall the last "hatch" of these, my wife was driving back to Pittsburgh from Maryland. She said it was so noisy they had to wait to chat until they were in the car. She said she could hear the tires crunch them by the hundreds.
When she got home I had to soak the bumper, mirrors, windshield and any part of the car that was facing forward. (The luggage rack cross bar was also a mess) After several soakings and a few rounds of pressure washing, I got 98% of bug guts off the car.
Anyway....the bad with the good.
moodyblues
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Whether you are catching fish, or not, I always consider it an amazing phenomenon to experience. Like I always tell folks, it's not always about catching fish.
sixfootfenwick
Well-known member
This is the correct answer. It takes the fish a bit but once they realize, the action is really good.
wgmiller
Well-known member
I looked back through my photos and I have early to mid-June as being the "prime time" for fishing cicadas. 2013 saw an emergence in the Poconos/Harrisburg area and 2021 saw them in Lancaster/Lebanon County. With this emergence being a bit more west/northwest than those locations, I'd really bet on mid-June as being prime time. I've seen some trips advertised for the end of this month, and I just don't see that happening. Particularly with the cool and wet conditions keeping ground temps down.
wgmiller
Well-known member
Annnnd GO!!! 🪰 It really surprises me they're this early, but it is what it is!
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Penns Creek Angler
Penn's Creek Angler Fly Shop Weikert Pa 17885 an Orvis Dealer. Shop Hours - Everyday 9-1pm. Please, RIGHT NOW, PUT SOME SERIOUS THOUGHT into how many days you can take off with short notice and...
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Broodstock
Well-known member
Yeah I was surprised by that - with a cool week and another 1-2 inches of rain it should be....interesting.Annnnd GO!!! 🪰 It really surprises me they're this early, but it is what it is!
Penns Creek Angler
Penn's Creek Angler Fly Shop Weikert Pa 17885 an Orvis Dealer. Shop Hours - Everyday 9-1pm. Please, RIGHT NOW, PUT SOME SERIOUS THOUGHT into how many days you can take off with short notice and...
The population distribution of cicada in much of Lebanon County has disappeared in many places.
The northern forests, such as along Clarks and Stony creeks usually produce.
But a great deal of tree deaths and eliminations due to "developments" and invasive diseases has been reducing the populations over the years.
They need tree roots. That means they need healthy tree roots for all the years needed for each variety.
Also, dusk to early morning has seemed to be a good time.
This is a key time for them to crawl up a tree and shed the nymph shell.
I got some nice video of emerging from shell.
It takes a little time for the body to emerge, and the wings to unfold and then they crawl around until they dry and can fly.
It's dark by then.
I consider it to be similar with using mice patterns to replicate voles, which are nighttime food when they swim in the shallows along the edges and tail of pools.
But caught a lot more smallmouth than trout.
Maybe it's a stream temperature thing where the trout are no longer in the prime feeding places for cicadae in the places that had held trout earlier in the year?
But, despite their elimination with the great elimination of aged trees, I'm going along with the proposal that it may just take a little time for trout to become aware that it is a tasty bug!!!
The northern forests, such as along Clarks and Stony creeks usually produce.
But a great deal of tree deaths and eliminations due to "developments" and invasive diseases has been reducing the populations over the years.
They need tree roots. That means they need healthy tree roots for all the years needed for each variety.
Also, dusk to early morning has seemed to be a good time.
This is a key time for them to crawl up a tree and shed the nymph shell.
I got some nice video of emerging from shell.
It takes a little time for the body to emerge, and the wings to unfold and then they crawl around until they dry and can fly.
It's dark by then.
I consider it to be similar with using mice patterns to replicate voles, which are nighttime food when they swim in the shallows along the edges and tail of pools.
But caught a lot more smallmouth than trout.
Maybe it's a stream temperature thing where the trout are no longer in the prime feeding places for cicadae in the places that had held trout earlier in the year?
But, despite their elimination with the great elimination of aged trees, I'm going along with the proposal that it may just take a little time for trout to become aware that it is a tasty bug!!!
Last night jumped out of my car to start some evening fishing and saw a cicada fly down from a tree. I figured I'd go over and see if I could find it. Walked into the field just a beyond a small line of trees and came across thousands of them in the field. I didn't see any actually emerging, but they were clearly coming out that day and just hanging out. None were flying around and no sounds from any of them. Just a quiet field full of cicadas. Kinda creepy almost. (Synder County)
tomgamber
Well-known member
Wonder if they are affected by cooler than normal temps.
wgmiller
Well-known member
From what I'm reading, it looks like +/- two weeks from their emergence until fish key in on them. If they're not "singing" yet, my guess is they're still shaking the cobwebs out after being underground for 17 years. Early June should be really good for cicadas in Central PA. I'm hoping to sneak up for a day trip to see if I can catch them. It seems like PCA may have jumped the gun a bit in their assessment of it being "go time" when he saw fish taking them.
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dryflyguy
Well-known member
The ground temp needs to reach a certain point for the to emerge well, and I can’t recall it right now
But would think theyll be delayed somewhat, given the cooler conditions
But would think theyll be delayed somewhat, given the cooler conditions
ROVERT
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There are lots of holes in the mud in Mifflin and Centre counties. We went for a drive and walk midday yesterday. I talked to a man in Ingleby that thought it would be about a week until the fish were on them. My research indicated two weeks is more likely but he was there last time around, I wasn't. He said last time there was a five day window that the trout fed on them.
I saw holes everywhere but only saw the creatures themselves on one patch of grass near Panther Run.
I was also surprised to see so much sign of emergence given the temperatures but the GD's are also coming off and the water temp is definitely lower than that of their typical arrival conditions.
I saw holes everywhere but only saw the creatures themselves on one patch of grass near Panther Run.
I was also surprised to see so much sign of emergence given the temperatures but the GD's are also coming off and the water temp is definitely lower than that of their typical arrival conditions.
Yes hard to see, but the field was just packed with cicadas. There are 20-25 just in that shot. I went looking around Union county a little and didn't see any. Of course they are here, but just not everywhere. I remember when the last brood hit Maryland they seemed to be in large groupings that would take over a large section of woods and then a 1/4 mile away nothing.
