Potomac River, Washington Co. MD, 6/20/21

[Dave_W]

WEATHER: Partly sunny, 90ish, nice day.

WATER: Light stain, about 4.2' at the Hancock gage. Heavy boater and angler use. 75 degrees F. confirmed by thermometer. Willow grass islands fully mature.

HATCHES/FORAGE: Periodical cicadas in shoreline trees, numerous crayfish and molts. No noticeable feeding activity.

Hit the upper Potomac for cicadas. . .

NOTE: Access for a wading angler, always tight on this section of the Potomac, was almost impossible today due to lack of parking. I wasted too much time driving from one spot to another and not being able to park. Folks are really hitting the rivers in kayaks, bicycles on the C&O Canal, and swimmers - just had the parking spots packed. I have never seen so many cars and so many people on the Potomac river as today. If you're planning on hitting the destination rivers this summer on weekends, recommend you go in the early morning.

After finding parking (waited for a guy to pull out) at one of my favorite spots, I found cicadas buzzing and heavy in the shoreline trees. I waded a usually productive section of shoreline expecting action under the trees but the bass were nowhere to be seen. The sunfish, on the other hand, hit my cicada flies with enthusiasm. However, the lack of bass action despite the large numbers of cicadas was disappointing.

 

[jifigz]

Dave, the bass here on the Juniata couldn't care less about the cicadas. Kind of disappointing.

 

[larkmark]

Brood X BABY!!!!!!! Such a big deal was made over it. I wonder why?


Yeah I agree sort of a bust. I see sunfish halfheartedly nibbling at them. They seem slightly more interested if they are moving and making a commotion. Bass are not interested. No idea on trout.

 

[D-nymph]

I couldn't disagree more with the "overrated" idea. 25 carp (4-20 lbs) in the boat last Saturday on dry flies. Probably 75-100 missed eats & refusals. It's been absolutely as advertised for me if you put in the work. 10 full days scouting & fishing them for me since late May, I didn't start catching fish until June 10. But it's on right now.

Bass & trout just don't eat these things like people think. They can only eat so many inch long bugs then have to digest them. One day will be great, the next nothing. Not because they aren't taking them but because they are full of cicadas.

I've seen this fish before too. Here's what happens - guys get all fired up thinking that once the cicadas come out (like mayflies) that fish just start gobbling them up. That does not happen, they are not aquatic bugs. First they emerge, then they fly into the trees start singing & mating. These two things take about 3 weeks. If you fished during this time, you probably got skunked & think it's overrated. Not until they start dying off do they begin to land on the water. The fishing doesn't start happening until that stage. If anyone fished early on & saw the bass weren't interested, this is why. You went too early.

 

[Dave_W]

I can't explain the lack of interest by bass. I saw a similar situation in 2004 on a popular lake: the bass weren't interested but the sunnies and rock bass were eating them with enthusiasm. Regardless of brood 10, I usually don't expect good river bassin until July. June rarely treats me well.

Overall, I've had dynamite cicada fishing for trout this year. The fish are really gorging on them (I mentioned in an earlier thread that one stocked fish I gutted had 11 cicadas in it's stomach).

It may be that, on some waters, the fish are indeed gorged and not feeding much of the time.

 

[sarce]

The Potomac smallmouth population is pretty poor these days and what fish are around are heavily pressured. From the reports I've seen, you will catch as many channel cats and carp as you will bass during the cicadas.

 

[larkmark]

Not surprised on the carp taking them well. I found carp eating the regular yearly cicadas on Raystown in past years. Weirdly did not catch or see any other fish taking them. The sunfish I saw eating them would make several attacks then finally drag them under. Fun to watch. No cicadas on my local trout streams which are already getting fairly warm anyway.