A
dab of red Hard Head cement on the eyes represent the 17 year cicada but isn't
necessary for other type of cicada.
 The
secrete of tying this fly is to spin, pack, and trim the deer hair in small
sections up to the wing tie-in point and then shave short with a razor blade
into a bullet shape. Attach the wing and then spin, pack, trim, and shave
to the eye tie-in. After attaching the eyes spin, pack, trim, and shave
the head.
A
double edge razor blade can be broken into two edges. Pinch the ends
together to cause the blade to bend into a curved shape as you shave the
hair. Works great.
Some
additional ideas would be to spin small sections of dark olive, then yellow, and
alternate throughout the body for a more realistic appearance.
There are several types of cicada, normally identified by the number of years they hatch. The largest
hatch being the 17 year cicada and their most recent hatch was in 2003
and 2004 across the eastern USA. There are other cicada that hatch in large
numbers but they all have the same basic shape.
 The
map at right shows the concentration of the 17 year cicada that hatched in 2003
and 2004. Mark your calendar for the year 2020 and check out the
action. The darker colored areas are the most concentrated hatches.
I was in the dark area of Virginia and hatches were heavy both years. It
was spectacular.
I
found that the most productive time is when the fly hits the water so I don't
allow it to drift very far before casting again. I twitch the fly on the
surface a few times and lift off for another cast. There is little
movement that the natural produces but twitching can make that final enticement.
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