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Fly-Tying Friends

The Perfect Tie? Mimic Spring Cicadas to Nail a Big Catch

Fly fishing on TVA-managed rivers and reservoirs in May will be amazing, thanks to emerging periodical cicadas.

A dedicated group of TVA employees is ready.

Over the past four years, aquatic zoologist Dave Matthews, floating cabins program manager Dave Harrell, biologist and photographer Hill Henry and senior water resources specialist Shannon O’Quinn have met after work to tie flies that look just like real insects.

To them, everything about fishing during the springtime cicada emergence is exciting.

Preparation.

Timing.

Hunting for sites where trees brimming with cicadas overhang the water.

And, finally, the payoff – long hours outside, casting with custom cicada patterns to nab huge, hungry fish.

“The (cicadas) drive the fish crazy and they drive us crazy,” Matthews said. “I mean, we're out there acting like little boys in the boat, we're catching so many fish.”

Dave Matthews sits by the river.

Dave Matthews, TVA aquatic zoologist, is one of four members of a fly-tying group that learns new tying patterns and fly fishes together

The Art of Tying

Henry, O’Quinn and the Daves, as the others call Matthews and Harrell, started their fly-tying group during the 2020 pandemic.

Itching for connection and to talk fishing, they began video calls.

“When we started, we’d each bring a pattern,” Matthews said. “Think of recipes for a meal. (Patterns) have a materials list and then steps of how to do it.”

Patterns are variations of flies, so-called because fishers will send the bug-shaped lures flying on long leaders in swooping patterns over the water, then settle them gently on the surface.

The group worked together to tie pieces of foam, string and feathers using book and online patterns. The resulting flies looked as if they had insect bodies, legs and wings.

“Everybody would tie that pattern and we’d teach each other,” Matthews said. “I personally became better by tying with these guys, because ideas come out in exchanges.”

 

Matthews, an award-winning fly-tyer, demonstrates how to tie a fly that mimics a cicada. He and fellow TVA employees Dave Harrell, Shannon O’Quinn and Hill Henry will fly fish on TVA rivers and reservoirs during the spring cicada hatch.

Why Cicadas?

Periodical cicadas emerge in 13- or 17-year cycles, offering fishers the chance to perfect fly-tying methods and join in on a fish frenzy.

“A fish, like many of us, is opportunistic,” Harrell said. “I, too, am looking for an easy meal, not anything I have to run 10 miles to catch. Well, so are the fish.”

In the treetops along riverbanks and reservoir shores, cicadas whirr and clamber.

In the shallow waters underneath, fish wait.

“You can see them … just swimming the bank back and forth, back and forth, like a shark that's after a seal,” O’Quinn said. “Some (cicadas are) trying to fly into the tree ... (and) crash out in the water. Some are losing footing and falling down.”

“And when they hit the water, they can't come back up,” Matthews said. “They're done. I mean, that's it. To our advantage.”

When fishers cast hand-tied cicada patterns into the water, hungry smallmouth and largemouth bass, trout and non-native carp sip them off the surface.

“It's top water and sight fishing all in one,” Henry said. “It's just a unique opportunity that you don’t often have related to wildlife and human interactions.”

Close up of a cicada.

Every few years, batches of periodical cicadas emerge from underground to lay eggs, and some fall into the water to become fish food.

'Match the Hatch'

A key part of tying patterns is “matching the hatch,” O’Quinn explained.

“We tie different sizes (of patterns), because in (an emerging cicada) brood, there's maybe three or four different species,” O’Quinn explained. “Some are smaller than others.”

“I'm tying four different cicada patterns right now,” Matthews said. “I think Dave (Harrell) is tying about three or four different ones, and Shannon, too. If we all fish together, we'll have nine to 14 patterns at our disposal.”

In addition to size, cicada patterns can have different wing positions.

“We want to tie cicadas with the wings laid back and with wings spent … (when) they're all splayed out like this,” O’Quinn said. He spread his fingers flat.

That’s because some fish are picky eaters.

“Trout can be very finicky,” Henry said. “They'll let many flies go by and they'll only select one with a specific characteristic, such as the wings flat on the ... water. Like Dave said, it’s challenging to figure out what the fish are focusing on.”

Other fish will eat anything.

“The carp don't care if it's a (size) 12 hairball, as long as it's black and it’s got orange legs and a little bit of flash in the wings and it’s about that big,” Henry said, holding his fingers an inch-and-a-half apart.

“And as long as it makes a plop on the water,” Matthews added.

“Yeah. If it makes a plop, they're going to come,” Henry said.

Completed cicada flies.

With tied cicada flies, fly-fishers can catch fish such as trout and carp.

Stalking Cicadas

The last huge cicada emergence in East Tennessee, where the fly-tying group lives, happened in 2021, when Brood X filled the treetops with their whining song.

Broods will emerge in different spots across the Valley – Brood XIX in 2024, XIV in 2025, XXIII in 2028 and Brood X again in 2034.

But they’re only around for fish to sip and nibble for about four weeks each time, Harrell said.

After adult cicadas lay eggs and die, the larvae burrow underground, waiting – in the case of most Southern broods – another 13 years to emerge again.

Their long life cycle means it’s hard to predict exactly where they’ll show up.

“Past research gives us an idea of where they will emerge, but it doesn't tell us the exact location on the lake or river,” O’Quinn said. “Now there's an app called Cicada Safari.”

Matthews said the app relies on citizen scientists – people reporting where and when they spot cicadas.

“We've got some ideas, but then we're going to be exploring, finding new places,” O’Quinn said.

“I remember being on the lower Holston River two years ago with Brood X. It was maddening,” Matthews said. “You’ve got to find that tree close to the water. That one spot, you know? It's not fishing – it's more hunting, really.”

“They're not everywhere, even though they sound like they are,” O’Quinn agreed. “You have to find that place. Nobody can tell you where that is.”

Henry had advice for cicada seekers based on his 2021 hunt.

“Get in the car and drive up to a boat ramp,” Henry said. “Roll down the windows and listen. If you don’t hear anything, go on to the next ramp. You’ll readily hear them if they are nearby. Once you cue in on their location, it's showtime, guaranteed.”

Man fly fishing on the Clinch River.

There are plenty of places to fly fish from a river or boat on TVA waters. Seen here is the Clinch River.

Fun on the Water

All this preparation culminates in the joy of casting hand-tied flies.

“With Brood X, we caught them all during the day, as I can remember,” Matthews said.

“Nonstop,” Henry agreed. “We'll get blisters on our hands and our fingers, be sunburned. At the end of the emergence, we're just going to be so exhausted.”

Still, he smiled. “It's an opportunity for the four of us guys to get together and do something that's so much fun.”

“It's satisfying to come up with the pattern, tie it yourself and then go catch a fish,” Harrell said. “That's what keeps me going for sure.”

Photo Gallery

Dave Harrell holds up a fish he caught.

Dave Harrell, TVA’s floating cabins program manager, shows off a fish caught with a hand-tied cicada fly on a TVA reservoir.  

Shannon O'Quinn shows cicada flies he tied to use while fly fishing.

Shannon O’Quinn, senior water resources specialist , shows some of the cicada flies he created for fishing during the cicada emergence.

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Explore

Across the Valley and the continent, cicadas’ songs tell of long-term biodiversity. Learn more about how cicadas benefit the Valley region.

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Tie a Fly 

Anyone – from master fly-tyers to beginner fly-casters – can try fly fishing. Springtime during cicada emergence years is a great time to start. While some flies require lots of practice to "set" the fly gently on the water surface, flies patterned after heavy cicadas allow lots of leeway in casting skill.  

This cicada group suggested two books for those interested in the practice and culture behind fly-tying: "Cicada Madness” and "The Feather Thief.”