nymphingmaniac
Well-known member
unless the strong storms blow out and dirty the stream, I'll be exploring a centre county location tomorrow.
Chasing the Cicadas
- Thread starter jifigz
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Nocktavius
Well-known member
There should be solid cornuta and isonychia hatches on those rivers currently with flows and temps that are honestly remarkable for early to mid June. Are people that hellbent on only fishing these goofy things that the trout barely even care about that none of those bring sufficient joy to stay and fish for a few days?
SBecker
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Nah, Loren put ME onto the pattern. I was just nice enough to share that info with Mr. Firefighter when he came to fish the last cicada with me. I really am a nice guy.
tjsingle
Well-known member
Fished Central PA on Sunday. Fish weren't on the cicadas, tons on the banks but not on the water. Talked to a couple guys who said they got a couple to eat on them, but it was by no means lights out. Think more so a reaction bite. I observed a few fish in undercut areas/under trees that were eating sporadically, seemed like the prime candidate for a cicada.
We saw far more isonychia and cornuta coming off, and some sulphurs mixed in Fishing in the rain for 6 hours got old, but we caught a bunch.
We saw far more isonychia and cornuta coming off, and some sulphurs mixed in Fishing in the rain for 6 hours got old, but we caught a bunch.
lycoflyfisher
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The stream I fished tonight had a few slate drakes and some tan caddis sporadically coming off, it was early and didnt stay for an evening spinner fall.
I was there earlier last week and there were still plenty of sulfurs, yellow sallies and an active fall of coffin flies dancing on the water. The fish barely looked up.
With good flows, if things dont get blown out tonight, fishing should be very good for the foreseeable future. Some conditions or times will probably have fish feeding heavier than others over the next few days on the the bigger limestone influenced streams.
ROVERT
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As you mention, according to Bruce they are on the lower C&R. I covered two miles from Swift Run downstream (Slot section and upper C&R) on Sunday and they're there. Two weeks ago I walked a bit of bank at Ingleby and there were plenty of holes visible. I suppose there could be an area of Penns that won't see them but I have my doubts.
I've landed four fish on cicadas. The first two were last Monday. Two were Friday evening. Despite that, I'm fairly confident the fish haven't seen enough of them yet to be keyed in. The one place I've caught them is where we found the earliest sign of emergence. I think a few of those fell into the water and educated just a handful of fish. The other place is not on Penns and the fish tend to be easier to catch. One was a rainbow. It may have mistaken my cicada for a strike indicator.
Crumbs31
New member
I was on Spring today also. I fished one spot with decent success on cicadas that diminished as I walked downstream. I went to another stretch and landed one, but a couple of people I spoke to said they did really well in that area earlier. It seems like there might be pockets even on the same stream where fish have keyed in on them. I ended the day with only 4 fish landed but I would estimate the number of fish that rose to my fly at over 20. I’m not sure what to do about the poor hookup ratio, it was an issue for everyone else that I spoke with as well.
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sixfootfenwick
Well-known member
So by transmission of information, Loren Williams. This reminds me of the competition thread. Why do you comp guys take credit for everything? 🤣😉
SBecker
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lol I just like messing with Geo.
nymphingmaniac
Well-known member
well the plan is shot.
Yeah, I slept through the night, but it must have rained like hell while I was slumbering.
I'm going fishing today, but it will be a small stream.
ROVERT
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If the water drops enough, Thursday and Friday, which I won't be able to fish, could be good. It looks like another cool, wet weekend is in the cards.
I may still get a shot at prime cicada action but it is looking less likely. Maybe when I'm 60.
I may still get a shot at prime cicada action but it is looking less likely. Maybe when I'm 60.
JeffP
Well-known member
3 of us headed north yesterday. We stopped at the Kish that was pretty high. Must be crazy now. My friend got about a 15 inch wild brown on a streamer. We all got some chases but couldn't hook up. We headed to Penns and hit Swift Run area. The loud roar was there with plenty of cicadas but really none on the water. Caught a few smaller ones on streamers and stone flies. 1 was a brookie. We ate lunch at Poe Paddy and hit the stretch above the parking lot past the tunnel entrance. Even more cicadas and I did manage to get one to eat one but unfortunately it turned out to be a fallfish. While the rises were few, there were a some cicadas taken off the top. Penns was high and the handful of rises were tough to get to. Some Blue Quills with a smattering of the usual suspects. We ended up heading out before the spinner falls. At 58, it's getting tough to put a full day in. Fun day but a bit disappointing. One guy we talked to insisted the real cicada fishing is 1 to 2 weeks away.
wgmiller
Well-known member
Indeed. Must've really dumped up there.
Kish is at 1870
Penns is at 2300
Spring 188 (very fishable)
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I was up in Central PA last weekend. Short version…The small streams fished well, with evidence of fish eating Cicadas where there was Cicada activity. Full bellies and fish looking up, even the Browns. I was fishing a Humpy with a small nymph off it, but my buddy was fishing a Cicada for a little while, and got several eats on it, and landed two I believe. Hard to hook those small stream fish on flies that big. I caught most of mine on the dry, in a system that has Brookies, but is mostly Browns. Something was giving them reason to look up.
Penns (Poe Paddy) had good Cicada activity, but the fish were thus far oblivious. Didn’t have one rise in front of me all evening, to anything. Little bug activity at all on Penns. Was a snoozefest. College buddy trip, so there were seven of us, with one fish caught between all of us. This was Friday evening, 6/6.
Saturday we fished lower BFC. No Cicada activity there. Good bugs though. Lots of Caddis, a few Sulphurs, a few SD’s, and a few GD spinners left. Same story as Penns though, didn’t have one rise in front of me all evening. Punted and put on a nymph rig at about 8:15, and promptly hooked and lost three, before losing the rig and didn’t feel like rigging another one that close to dark. They were eating something, just not on the surface. One guy from our group went upstream to some flatter water and reported a few rising fish. Caught one mid-teens football on a Sulphur.
FWIW and YMMV.
Penns (Poe Paddy) had good Cicada activity, but the fish were thus far oblivious. Didn’t have one rise in front of me all evening, to anything. Little bug activity at all on Penns. Was a snoozefest. College buddy trip, so there were seven of us, with one fish caught between all of us. This was Friday evening, 6/6.
Saturday we fished lower BFC. No Cicada activity there. Good bugs though. Lots of Caddis, a few Sulphurs, a few SD’s, and a few GD spinners left. Same story as Penns though, didn’t have one rise in front of me all evening. Punted and put on a nymph rig at about 8:15, and promptly hooked and lost three, before losing the rig and didn’t feel like rigging another one that close to dark. They were eating something, just not on the surface. One guy from our group went upstream to some flatter water and reported a few rising fish. Caught one mid-teens football on a Sulphur.
FWIW and YMMV.
I'm enjoying all the updates guys. thanks.
Those photos look like Big Poe Creek? We were up yesterday. Very little bug activity also, other than the blue quills which did not seem to bring up any fish. I saw quite a few massive stoneflies in the stretch. above Swift Run. We caught a few in Kish and Penns but it was slow overall. I didn't bring any to hand, but missed about half a dozen on Isonychia Soft Hackle. My first real takes swimming them around rocks. We saw scattered rises to the cicadas. I missed one small fish on a cicada, my brother caught a fallfish on one, other buddy missed one. Guy we talked to said it should still be good when we go back up 24-427th. Maybe even more so if this high water keeps the fish from stuffing themselves until we arrive!
Sorry this report is the same one my brother posted above.
So I fished last Wednesday- Saturday… I bounced between the Little J, Penns, and Spring. Aside from throwing streamers, I basically just insisted on force feeding them cicadas. I caught a decent brown on Penns on Friday. Fished Spring on Saturday and caught over a dozen just by prospecting with a cicada. Maybe the fish just took it for a big beetle, but it worked enough to hold my interest over nymphing.
Also, the number of snakes ( one rattlesnake and a dozen water snakes) on Penns was enough to give me the shivers.
T
Also, the number of snakes ( one rattlesnake and a dozen water snakes) on Penns was enough to give me the shivers.
T
wgmiller
Well-known member
Now THAT is a cicada eater and what we should be seeing!
Tiogadog - kudos to you for force feeding them cicadas. I gave it the ol' college try, but just grew frustrated casting over and over with no takes and a few refusals. I've experienced the glory of good cicada fishing before and knew it didn't have to be that difficult, so I took my toys and went home. I could have switched over to the tightline and actually caught fish, but that wasn't the focus of my trip.
We spent Sunday and Monday on Sayers Dam chasing carp eating cicadas. We got a few, but were told by other guys that the best of it is still a week or so away. I wouldn't know; I've never done it before. Makes sense though..
While we were there, I did see a first for me; We caught a half dozen serious perch on #4 foam cicadas and could have caught a lot more if we had decided to target them. All of them were in the 10 to 11 inch range. Like I said, serious perch. I've caught a lot of perch on wet flies and buggers, usually in early spring, but I'd never caught a perch on a bass bug size surface fly nor had I ever heard of such. Live and learn I guess... If they are representative of the general run of perch in Sayers, I'll be back down in September with a bucket, a cooler and a couple dozen crawlers. Lake Erie size perch...
While we were there, I did see a first for me; We caught a half dozen serious perch on #4 foam cicadas and could have caught a lot more if we had decided to target them. All of them were in the 10 to 11 inch range. Like I said, serious perch. I've caught a lot of perch on wet flies and buggers, usually in early spring, but I'd never caught a perch on a bass bug size surface fly nor had I ever heard of such. Live and learn I guess... If they are representative of the general run of perch in Sayers, I'll be back down in September with a bucket, a cooler and a couple dozen crawlers. Lake Erie size perch...
