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chugbug27

Cicadas again this spring....

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I love Cicadas. When I was a kid we caught them and tied a thread to their legs and flew them around like a kite. When one got too tired we'd let it go, catch another one and fly it around till the brief hatch was over. At that time we didn't understand why hatches were so few and far between. They sure were noisy.

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Our 17 year hatch is epic, they estimate 100s of thousands per acre in some areas.When i was kid in Chicago they covered everything.The last on the fishing was fantastic.Even caught carp and catfish on the surface with live cicadas.They even try to mate with the lawn mower.

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Playing with some cicada poppers.sz 10 mustad streamer hooks.Flymen sz small popper heads orange dub brn crystal flash .black foam body.orangeish sili legs

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We were suppose to have a hatch 3 years ago.   The creek I fish is an urban one and there wasn't much, if any, 17 year hatch along it, even though there's a good hatch of the annual cicadas.  The annuals are about the same size as the 17 year ones but green in color.  In the hype before the hatch I tied up some foam bugs to imitate the 17 year one.

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I did fish them during the annual hatch and caught a couple of bass on them.  The color didn't seem to matter.   They're a pretty big bug, close to two inches long

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Thanks,i tied these with what i had on hand.I remember the BOWs that had large  hatches last time.They also happen to have big carp as well as bass.We have annuals here as well but not enough near the water for the fish to key on.I figure with the popper heads they will make more commotion.When they land in the water cicadas really struggle with those big wings.The bugs pictured look a lot better IRL than my poor quality pics.Ordered some beavertail foam cutters,the best looking patterns i have seen are based on the large cutter.I am not good enough with deer hair to make some of those life like works of fly art i viewed on line.I will be targeting BIG carp mostly.I know where the fish are and BOWs that had 1000s of cicadas last time.I no longer work so i can put some time into this hatch.Carp in the 10-20 lb or more range are possible.Do not know if i will be around for the next emergence.

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don't have them up here in northern Pa. look for oak trees anlong streams since they hatch from the root areas of oaks.

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Some proto types.The foam cutter is a game changer for sure.I used part of the Sickcada pattern and a predator style head with lots of legs for surface commotion.They will be around for 6 weeks starting sometime in May so i will have time to adjust if this pattern is a dud.

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"This spring, two different broods of cicadas — one that lives on a 13-year cycle and the other that lives on a 17-year cycle — will emerge at the same time from underground in a rare, synchronized event that last occurred in 1803."

Could make for a loud summer around here.

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the fish sure loved em last time around.Just listened to a podcast by the guy who wrote cicada madness.He says you could fish an emegence nearly every year by traveling to different areas  .Caught a lot of fish on live ones 17 years ago.

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