Fly Tying: Easy Cicada Pattern
There are lots of cicada fly patterns out there, all of which are great, but some are a bit of a pain to tie. This version keeps things simple, using a handful of basic materials to create the chunky profile we’re looking for without spending half an hour at the vise.
Cicadas buzz around all summer, making a ton of noise and generally being kind of annoying. Luckily for us, the fish seem to feel differently. When these big bugs start hitting the water, bass, trout, and plenty of other fish are more than happy to take advantage.
Here’s how to tie an easy cicada fly that looks the part, floats well, and doesn’t need to be overly complicated.
Easy Cicada Fly Materials
- Stinger Hook (size 4)
- Stinger Hooks work well here- we’re looking for a medium length shank and a wide hook gap. If you’ve got that on hand, ride with it!
- Foam: 2mm and 3mm
- Two different foam thicknesses- one for wrapping the shank and one for creating the body profile of our cicada
- Dubbing
- I like the flashy stuff for a little extra attention, but natural can also work
- EP Fiber
- We need some sort of synthetic fiber for the wing, I like EP Fibers just because I got it laying around.
- Could also go with some sort of hair if you’ve got that on hand
- Rubber Legs
- Round rubber is my favorite, but sili-legs or the flossy stuff can also work
Easy Cicada Fly Tying Steps
Wrap Foam Body
To start off, slice off a thin strip of the 2mm foam. Wrap that section along the shank of the hook using touching wraps.
Cicadas have thicker bodies than most other flying insects, so this foam helps serve two purposes: mimic that beefier body and helps the bug float. You can certainly use 3mm foam here if that’s all you got, I’ve found that the 2mm stuff is a little easier to work with and gets the job done.
Add Flashy Body
Now that we have our foam tied in, it’s time to cover it up. I like using any sort of flashy dubbing for a touch of extra attentionThrow your favorite dubbing on your thread and cover up the shank. You can use as much or as little as you want here. I like to lay it on pretty thick so it resembles the profile of those chubby Cicadas a little bit more naturally.
Secure Foam
Cut out a 3mm piece of foam and round the back edges a little. Measure it out so it goes just beyond the bend of the hook. Leave about ½ inch of extra foam laying beyond the eye of the hook.
Just behind the eye, start tying that thing down. We want a good, wide thread base here so don’t be shy about cinching that foam down here. I like about ⅛ inch of thread here, which will really secure the foam.
Optionally, you can now also glue the bottom of the foam to the top of the hook shank. This adds some durability so the Cicada keeps Cicada-ing for the foreseeable future.
Add Wing
With a synthetic material like EP Fibers, we’re gonna make our wings. Grab a chunk of this stuff, lay it down so it’s about the length of the foam, and tie it in. Fold back the forward facing fibers and secure that to the hook shank. Cut and trim as necessary, making sure all the fibers are about the same length.
Create Head
With our thread about ¼ inch from the hook eye, fold back that foam to create a head. Cicadas have big, wide heads, so whatever it takes to create that with our foam is what we are targeting here.
Cinch that foam down with a bunch of wraps. You can go pretty heavy here, if these wraps are loose the head will spin during a day of fishing. When complete, we should have a big, round head that looks like the real thing (kind of).
Trim off any excess so all we have left is that round, buggy head!
Add Legs + Collar
To each side of the head, add two legs. Turn your vise here if you have a rotary version- it makes things much easier.
Trim the front of the legs so they extend to the eye of the hook. Then, trim the back legs so they extend to the back of the foam. Use a bodkin to separate those legs and so they have the freedom to wiggle. Easy peasy!
Lastly, throw on some more dubbing to your thread and cover up any bare spots.
Whip finish, and you’ve got yourself an easy, effective Cicada pattern!
