Has anyone ever heard of using live cicadas, some people told me all types of bass love them.  If you have any experience with this let me know the story.  Here in Cincinnati cicadas are mid swarm and there are thousands everywhere.  Thanks!

Welcome aboard!

8-)

Live cicadas are the best live bait ever. Hook it through the thorax and throw it out and let is buzz on the water. When cicadas are hatching, nothing goes hungry.

I've heard smallmouth LOVE them.

The Cicadas came in VA in 2004, and all the news articles said that everything from dogs and cats to fish and birds would gorge themselves fat on cicadas... Well, my dogs did, and I saw birds catching them, but when I put a hook in a cicada, I did not catch any bass... *shrug*

I was hoping NoVA would get a southern hatch of these cicadas this year... No such luck I guess...

I'll tell ya what guys, I took your advice and took about 30 cicadas out. I didnt have much luck with bass, but I caught a mess of some of the largest blue gils I have ever seen.  Cooked em up yesterday.  Delicious!!

Coming from someone who only fishes artificial baits, I wonder if the Rebel Bumble Bug would pass for a cicada convincingly??  Here in eastern Kentucky, their running wild in the trees right now, spattered all over the windshield, laying dead in the roads everywhere, and at the lake I fish, the wooded hillsides are screaming with them.  It's almost eerie to be out there fishing and listening to that.  Thought many times about getting one of those lures to try it out.........I'm a fisherman who always tries to match the hatch as closely as possible with artificials.

How do you NOT catch a bass on a cicada?  No bass in the lake?  We only got the tail end of the 2004 17 yr cicada hatch here in SE Virginia.  But we get, like everyone else, annual cicadas every summer.   Put a float on your line about 2 feet above the hook, then hook the cicada through the thorax and throw it out.  Many times they will buzz on the water letting out a ultrasonic ring around themselves.  It's like a dinner bell.

I remember maybe 8-10 years ago the ones that only come every 17 years were around.  We caught catfish on them all day and night.  It was great fun.

How do you NOT catch a bass on a cicada?

LOL, I dunno.  The same way I can't catch a bass on a tube or jig?  Seriously, I caught bluegill on them in 04, but nothing else.

Coming from someone who only fishes artificial baits, I wonder if the Rebel Bumble Bug would pass for a cicada convincingly?? Here in eastern Kentucky, their running wild in the trees right now, spattered all over the windshield, laying dead in the roads everywhere, and at the lake I fish, the wooded hillsides are screaming with them. It's almost eerie to be out there fishing and listening to that. Thought many times about getting one of those lures to try it out.........I'm a fisherman who always tries to match the hatch as closely as possible with artificials.

these might be a better option http://www.oz2uktackle.com/soft-plastics/jiggly-cicada-river2sea-/jiggly-cicada-45-03/prod_924.html

and i've also seen one cicada lure (hard bait) that has little paddlewheels for wings. im pretty sure t-rig has one of these. i wanna say its made by lucky craft.

Welcome

i was fishing cicadas today and caught a 24 pound carp of all things on my little spinner. recently i have been catching them and sving them, i now have over 100.