Fly Tying a Cicada (Brood X, 2021)

This simple but durable foam-bodied cicada pattern was created by Jay Sheppard of Maryland for the 2004 brood. This black and orange pattern will be effective in matching the cicadas on the Eastern US in May and June of 2021.
Hook: #6-8 3x long
Thread: Black or orange
Underbody: Black and orange chenille
Body/wingcase: Black foam, 3mm or 1/8"
Wings: Krystal flash, 16 strands
Legs: Orange round rubber legs
** Some of the popular books used on this channel: **
Dave Hughes, "Essential Trout Flies," 2017, amzn.to/3lbCZYX
Dave Hughes, "Wet Flies," 2015, amzn.to/33ac3lQ
David Klausmeyer's "Favorite Flies," 2020, amzn.to/3oeSNMa
Morgan Lyle's "Simple Flies," 2015, amzn.to/3qB1zW1
Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: amzn.to/34U0rUe
Mike Valla's "Tying the Founding Flies," 2015, amzn.to/354oSir
Mike Valla's "Classic Streamer Fly Box," 2020, amzn.to/3n3Vakf
Randle Scott Stetzer's "Flies, the Best One Thousand," 1992, amzn.to/34Q15mp
Terry Hellekson's "Popular Fly Patterns," 1976, amzn.to/2L4IyvS
Dick Stewart's, "Flies for Bass and Panfish," 1992, amzn.to/3aGpFs1
Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: amzn.to/34U0rUe
Savage Flies is a project with the mission of encouraging and teaching fly tying to as many people as possible. The channel is named after one of my western Maryland homewaters, the Savage River. I've been uploading at least three new videos a week (usually Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday).
Thanks for stopping by. Please let me know in the comments if you have any tying tips you would like to share or if you have any patterns you would like to see tied here.

[@shadygraves]

I fished a cicada hatch on a canoe trip about 30 years ago. Everything we caught was full of the things. It was Central Alabama, so no trout, but we caught largemouth, spotted, and redeye bass, as well as every kind of bream you can imagine; bluegills, redears, green sunfish, and pumpkinseeds. We went home, painted our ¹/¹⁶oz. black Roostertails with a little extra black Sharpie on one side of the blade, along with a few spots of orange fingernail polish, then went back for an incredible 2nd day. We caught over 200 the 2nd day; mostly bass! I'll never be without at least a few of these flies any time.

[@SavageFlies]

Great story man! I love to hear of days like this. I've never been so lucky to experience anything like this myself, but maybe someday. :-)

[@barbaraemerich1921]

WOW! Now I have my husband watching your videos with me! That says a lot about you!! He mostly hates watching KZbin videos

[@mholzman50]

Thanks Matt for two things, first for a great Cicada fly and second for cutting your thread. I do that too much also so I'm not alone.😤

[@laytonmarvin3790]

Thanks Matt, This is one of the easier patterns that I've come across and will definitely tying them with anticipation of the upcoming hatch. Have a great weekend my friend.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Layton! And yeah, Jay’s goal for this was a simple but durable fly. I’ve seen some pretty complex ones out there this year but I think any big plopping bug is going to work. 😁

[@JamesMcCutcheon]

There was a Cicada hatch like this in New Zealand about 20 years ago. I had 2 friends that were fly fishing there for big browns. The guide would spot fish and they used some very large cicada's. The big browns were keyed into the Cicadae. This will be an almost once-in-a-lifetime event almost for Maryland. Thanks for a great video.

[@SavageFlies]

Oh yeah James, I'm getting excited about this spring!

[@alexanderlanham372]

As always a great tie! Thank you

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Alexander!

[@samuelloague3251]

I'm gonna make some of these tomorrow. Thanks for the video.

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Samuel! One note I should have done differently, put the glue down all along the top of the fly, even right on top of the chenille. It should make it much more durable. And after a few big fish chow down on this guy, it might start getting a little shabby. :-)

[@marksleeper3752]

another great fly Kudos thanks for the post

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Mark! Good luck if you get to fish the cicadas this year. :-)

[@marksleeper3752]

@@SavageFlies thanks your welcome

[@seanbeck1370]

Thanks for posting here. I wasn't able to listen to the meeting this week.

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Sean. Thanks for watching!

[@pmoney_1981]

Love your flies. Great video. You really teach me how to tie flies.

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you my friend! I appreciate you watching. 🙂

[@bigdaddy99929]

Very cool looking bug. Thx Matt

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Clyde!

[@johnwalker6603]

Nicely done sir! Thanks for the video!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it John. Thanks for watching my friend!

[@marshallbaldwin8960]

This looks awesome! I'm going to work on one in blacks and olive

[@flyrodhiker8326]

Awesome video, I been waiting on this one. When you said you as afraid you would glue the Krystal flash together and my first thought was I’ll glue it to my vise lol. Good job sir, I enjoyed it!

[@SavageFlies]

Or glue my fingers together! Overall, super glue isn't too fun to work with. 😏

[@mikeney5113]

Very cool bug.great tie matt.looks good.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Mike! Appreciate it my friend. Have a great weekend. 👍

[@huntingmissouri5420]

Nice!! Thanks for sharing!!!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Franky!

[@davehall2160]

That is a cool looking bug Matt I had no idea trout loved cicada bugs Will definitely have to try this out Big thanks for all you do and the videos

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Dave. The interesting thing is that any trout alive today weren't around for the last major cicada emergence 17 years ago. But I hear they learn quickly how tasty they are. 😁

[@leemowers9395]

Nice bug, I’ll have to make some of those, thanks Matt

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Lee! Appreciate you watching my friend. 👍

[@stevetrybalski3082]

Great looking bug!! I am in the same position as Mr. Graves, don't have that hatch but smallies would love this pattern!!

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Steve- I suppose any fish that would eat our normal cicadas will love these guys. Maybe just tie it with some green foam. 😁

[@Jd-yc3gw]

Enjoyed watching you tie that fly. We have a species of cicada but I have never seen the big cycle that you get down there. Take care Matt and have a great weekend.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks John! Yeah, we're getting pretty excited about the big emergence this year. Fun stuff!

[@slickydicky]

You ain't the only one who's been cutting your thread Matt, I have tied about every day this week past week and cut my thread every other day. Part of it is tying smaller than usual patterns and part of it is being preoccupied with other stuff going on as well, spring is always busy for me. Anyway I agree with some of the other guys here, this looks like a killer pattern for smallmouth! I'm from middle Tennessee so we aren't supposed to get these according to what I've seen, but we usually get whatever they get out east. So I'll add a few to my box this afternoon. Thanks for all the videos and everything you do, it definitely helped me through the winter down here.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks for the kind words David! You talking about Tennessee is making me homesick. But... I might have just talked my wife into Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge for this year's vacation. We'll see!

[@slickydicky]

@@SavageFlies Thats awesome! I'm planning a trip (hopefully more) to go to stay a few days in Gatlinburg and fish in the Smokies!

[@donaldburleyson3099]

Who have this a thumbs down? There's always one in each bunch! Great video as always Matt! I've tied so many different patterns of this fly trying to find the best one. I'm definitely going to add this one to my arsenal! Again great job and thanks for sharing!

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you Donald! I appreciate the kind words. And yeah, we all get a thumbs down every now and then. It's all good. 😁

[@joeg5414]

I think sometimes people hit it by accident. I'd imagine it happens on nearly every video. Also people see no dislikes and want to feel special and be the first, even if they like the video 😂then there's always the guy who will dislike because the video is 8 min and they think it should only be 5, or the introduction is 10 seconds longer than they'd prefer. Stupid stuff like that. Can't please everyone

[@edwardchavez5627]

Good Morning Sir Matt, after a restless night of sleep I woke up to this amazing channel and this AWESOME Cicada fly... 😊 I was truly captivated by this one... And have been waiting for it. After I run my errands I am going to ty a few up. Like many others we will not get Brood X Hatch in Texas but my friends the Carpenter's will like this one . Thank You Sir Matt for all you do. Have an awesome Weekend Friend.

[@SavageFlies]

Edward, thank YOU for the kind words and support. And BTW, I got the package mailed to Bobby yesterday. 100 flies fits in a pretty small box but I think he should get it by Wednesday or so. 👍

[@edwardchavez5627]

@@SavageFlies 💖

[@OttoJulian_]

When I heard that something fell on the table I had a feeling that something was wrong, then you said let's see if we can fix it. That would happen to me give or take 50 times with a single fly lol

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! It definitely happens when I'm not paying attention. Thanks for watching Otto!

[@reidharper6277]

Not sure if you guys cares but if you guys are bored like me during the covid times you can watch all of the latest movies and series on InstaFlixxer. I've been binge watching with my brother recently =)

[@musarhett2874]

@Reid Harper Yea, have been watching on instaflixxer for since november myself =)

[@stephennolin8129]

Good looking bug

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Stephen! Appreciate you watching my friend. 👍

[@tomharvey7436]

Nice one Matt not one for here but interesting all the same thanks for sharing

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Tom! And yeah this is a pretty specialized pattern. But fingers crossed it'll work here this year. 😁

[@richardbutts6512]

yep I like this one Thanks

[@SavageFlies]

Where do you fish Richard? Are you going to be a part of the huge Brood X cicada invasion of 2021?

[@richardbutts6512]

@@SavageFlies Spring River in Arkansas, Current River in Missouri and the White River, Fish the Ozarks Thanks for asking!!

[@harryjoesather6539]

THANKS MATT ....BE GLAD WHEN THEY ARE HERE AND GONE....LOL... SEE YA JOE

[@SavageFlies]

Same here Joe! And BTW, I finally mailed you some more stickers. You should get them any day now. :-)

[@harryjoesather6539]

@@SavageFlies thanks matt ... have a awesome week..

[@PiscatorFlies]

Cool pattern matt. I've never tied or fished a cicada, we don't really get too many up here. There are a few but we don't get the big hatches. Thanks for sharing.

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Darren! This will be my first time fishing cicadas but man, my TU chapter has been talking it up for months now. Apparently it can be crazy fun down here!

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Darren! This will be my first year fishing cicadas but my TU chapter has been talking it up for months. It sounds like it's going to be crazy fun down here!

[@brianlane9534]

Clothespins should make an ideal clamp.

[@SavageFlies]

Brian- I actually tried some clothes pins but they were too rounded off to really grip it. Then I tried a metal magnet clamp (like you might hang papers on a dry erase board with) and they were too strong and really squished it. What might also work could be a chip clip. I didn't think of that! Thanks for the note. 👍

[@joemcnicholl4361]

Hello againnn!!!!!

[@SavageFlies]

Hello!

[@OttoJulian_]

by the way, congratutalios on hitting 3K! you are growing fast, just like your beard! :)

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! Thanks!! ZZ-top has nothing to worry about. 😁

[@peteyarrington582]

Great demo! I have tied a bunch of these so far, but I wouldn't want anyone filming it... Foam, superglue/contact cement, fine Crystal Flash, fingers - what could possibly go wrong? They all seem to come out looking OK though, and I think the fly will be one of the sturdiest cicada patterns out there. Thanks Matt!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Pete! Jay did say his goal was more durable than anything so I think he got it right. I just can't wait to give it a shot on the water. 😁

[@FlyTyer1948]

Quite a big mouthful indeed. I’ve never seen a real cicada, but that fly looks pretty much like the photos I’ve seen of them. Too bad you only see them every 17 years. I bet the fish in your area will go nuts over them.

[@SavageFlies]

I'm hoping so Bob! This could be an amazing spring down here. 😁

[@chipblanton753]

Thanks Matt; I’ve been looking for a good Cicada pattern. I’m not sure BroodX reaches down as far as North Alabama .

[@SavageFlies]

I dont think it's supposed to but there will be a few up in Tennessee so if you find yourself up there in early June it could be worth having some. 😁

[@hughiegraves8901]

Dont have that hatch here where i live but i could catch smallies on it for sure.👍

[@SavageFlies]

Oh yeah, I think they’ll like this one. Thanks Hugh!

[@rollinlapoint4554]

Definitely a tough one to tie but a job well done.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Rollin! My first one did take about 15 minutes but by number six I had it down to maybe 7-8 minutes each.

[@juankindelan9364]

Great pattern, are the bottom colors for the other broods the same

[@SavageFlies]

I don't think so, but the 2021 brood was the only one I've ever experienced. When researching this one, I do recall seeing others that were either green and black, and some mostly black. But that could be a geographic difference.

[@jamesvatter5729]

Not a real eye catcher, but I'll bet it is effective. The 17 year cicadas didn't do much here in 2004. The two cycles earlier were prolific though. Find some place with carp or bass and tuck cast one remotely close for the obligatory "splat" and it's "fish on!"

[@SavageFlies]

Oh yeah Jim, that sounds awesome! I dont usually envision carp eating bugs off the surface but I guess for a beefy meal like this they might. I can't wait to try. 😁

[@michaelmerlino6753]

Matt,explain the difference between evasote and regular closed cell foem.You use evasote to get that sheen of a beetle(bug) shell.I don’t know if the fish see the difference but they may as you know they can be very picky at times.

[@SavageFlies]

Michael, I think Evazote is just a brand name of closed cell foam so there's probably not much difference between it and a lot of the others. But you're right, some look a little different and have smaller or larger cells, and may have gloss where others don't. So I'd say just use whatever you think looks best. 👍

[@allenaviation5746]

Nice fly Matt. Good luck with it. I must not have been paying attention, but his is the first I've heard of 2021 brood. I'm known as the noisy neighbor but Cicada are worse. I guess they'll either make my tinnitus worse - or make it less noticeable. Last year, we had a good number of big assassin / kissing bugs. They were so ugly and scary that they inspired me to tie a realistic pattern. It came out pretty cool - looks like something that just wants to eat you.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Daryl. You’re assassin bug sounds awesome! I’d love to see a picture of that one. 😁 And yeah, it looks like you’re going to see plenty of these guys up in PA this year!

[@allenaviation5746]

@@SavageFlies I sent the image Matt. Picture isn't great but the fly was good enough to scare my wife!

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks! I'm out of town right now but will be back Sunday night. Looking forward to seeing this thing. 😁

[@ghart91]

Yellowstone has a Mormon Cricket. Can you do a video on tying one of them?

[@SavageFlies]

I've never heard of it Gary but just checked it out. That's a pretty cool looking bug! I'll put it on the to-do list.

[@johnnylightning1491]

I'm not sure exactly what size brood X is but most of the cicadas I've seen are in the 2-2/0 range so this one seems a little small to me. I'd like to be on the water when those things hatch. Keep the good stuff coming.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Johnny! I wasn't around for the last emergence 17 years ago but some of the veterans around here told me these are about 1 to 1 1/4 inch. That's still a pretty big bug! I can't wait to get on the water with these guys flying around. :-)

[@dantailleur3597]

Cool pattern!!! Would something similar to this work in the west for the cicada hatches that occur there?

[@SavageFlies]

Dan- I think it’ll definitely work out west- just figure out what color the broods out there are and you should be in business.

[@dantailleur3597]

@@SavageFlies Thanks!!!

[@donaldburleyson3099]

Hey Matt! I was watching this again getting some ideas for the cicada hatch. I was wondering if you've seen the pinecone cicada on fly fish food? I tied some of those up and they float really well. I've tied this pattern also and the thing I like about it is it's fairly simple compared to other cicada patterns. Anyways as always another good video!

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Donald! I did watch Cheech tie the pinecone one. I haven't tried it but it certainly looks pretty cool. I think I might try one of the even simpler one out there next. Just a few more weeks before the emergence. It's really going to be something!

[@donaldburleyson3099]

@@SavageFlies I cut my own foam strips instead of buying the fettuccine foam. It turned out great but I think it's a little wasteful with the foam. Floats like a cork! Is there any other cicada patterns you've tried out?

[@dcdad556]

Not a fly fisherman. But, see the cicada ties as works of art. Any addresses for online ties? Fly on...

[@james-lt8ry]

Tie the Patuxent special too

[@SavageFlies]

It's on my list! Thanks James. 👍

[@james-lt8ry]

@@SavageFlies awesome !!! Thank you !!!

[@bradlehman2588]

Do you have a shop that you would sell any of these?

[@SavageFlies]

Brad- no, I'm just a dude in my basement, recording myself while I tie flies. I think I've got 6-8 of these ready for this season for my own use and may tie a few more (depending on how many fishing days I get in the next two months.) And unfortunately, I haven't seen any good cicada patterns for sale out there that are less than about $3 each. Kind of pricey for a simple little foam bodied fly.

[@gregleak5134]

Ha like 3 time in a day for me

[@CptSquirrelX]

What about Illinois Will we get hit with this plague 😷

[@SavageFlies]

It looks like you're going to get some next door in Indiana but not too may in Illinois. It might be exciting enough to make the drive over though. :-) www.futuretimeline.net/21stcentury/2021.htm

[@thomaswalls123]

Cool fly, but I just can't bring myself to using foam. I know it's dumb but I just don't like it.

[@SavageFlies]

I know how you feel Thomas. I couldn't bring myself to use lively legs. I'm not sure where I draw the line on other synthetics though...