The hatch of the 17 year locust is coming!!

[jdmidwest]

Time to tye cicada patterns, the 17 year locust will be here soon. Brood XIII is due to start hatching and fish sure love them. Back in 1998, the locust pattern was great for trout and bass, they were falling like rain from the sky.

Streamer or other large wide shank hook size 4 or 6

Black foam 3mm

Pearl Krystal flash

Tye foam on the hook leaving it stick out the front.

Fold over and make the head.

Tye in the wing material (krystal flash).

Tye off leaving the tail extending past the end of the hook, taper the butt.

Fish!

I'll try to post a pic tonight.

[Micheal Kyle]

Yes what a pattern I'm not sure how many fish I caught on that fly back then but it was a bunch.

I can remember going down at night with my dad as you all might know him by Stubby and catching them on that fly all night. There were nights during the peak cicada hatch if thats what you want to call it, that we would have way over a hundred fish between the two of us. The full moon was the best time to fish this fly, you don't have to worry about being able to see the fly the fish will let you know when they eat it.

And actually the cicada every year is a good pattern but when these particular cicadas come out they are out by the millions and I mean millions. There were nights that you could not hear your self think.

Michael

[Guest flyfishBDS]

Hey JD, an emergence this year? What areas?

When I was doing my fly orders for this year I chased down a bug guy at the U of A to find out if it was going to be a cicada year in 07. Got a negative. But from what I hear its very regional on when they are thick?

I may have to go hunting _ always wanted to fish this. And have limited knowledge on this bug. But love big dries

Simple tie you have _ is the belly color on this cicada black or does it have a whitish tint. We had quite a few white bellies/black back in our area last year?

Cheers

Steve

[jdmidwest]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070521/ap_on_...cada_invasion_4

The article stated parts of the midwest and was based out of Chicago. I am sure it will hit here also. It has been awhile since we have had one.

I just tied it black and it worked. I could not find any patterns back then so I made one. Did not have the internet yet back then. That year it was the smaller one with the orange eyes and the dark body. The standard cicada we have every year is the one with the white belly and is larger. They were targeting the standard shape and did not care about the color. It was killer on bass and trout.

We were camped that Memorial Day weekend and they were falling out of the trees like rain as they died. The noise was almost too much to talk over.

[Gavin]

Not sure if were gonna get any this year but thanks for the pattern.

http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/aggu...ests/g07259.htm

Had a blast fishing them in 1998! The pattern I used then was a bass bug stinger hook, spun black deer hair trimmed to shape with a orange died grizzley saddle hackle wound through it. Cheers.

[jdmidwest]

Yes, I might have jumped the gun on this, but it said parts of 15 states along the Mississippi Valley. 98 was a tough year with both hatches coming at the same time. I did not even see any last year.

[Kayser]

http://map.cicadayear.com/article.aspx?pageId=39

Its gonna get kinda close, but it might not make it here. Anyone headed to Kentucky?

Rob

[gonefishin]

We may not get a 17 year hatch but there will still be enough around for fishing bait or snacking on if that is what a person wants.