What are these cicadas?

[TroutFishingBear]

You all have been talking lately about this odd fly called a cicada. From what I can gather, there is one hatch every 17 years, and the hatch is huge. What do they look like? I would also like a lot of other miscellaneous information on them.

They sound like salmonflies sort of, which hatch here in rivers for maybe 1 week every year. These are huge 4 inch stoneflies that are brownish-reddish in color, and when they are hatching, the surface is in a feeding frenzy of monster rainbows and browns. It is a great hatch.

Any information on cicadas, or any other odd, rare fly would be interesting to here about.

[swampbuckster]

Cicada's look like really big horseflies.  They have big wings, big eyes, big bodies, and they are big.  You can see there sheds alot of times on trees. They are around every year but I guess this year they are REALLY heavy.  I have not been hit yet around this area. But I guess in Ann Arbor, Mi they have spotted a few of them. (30 minutes away) I usually see them in the late summer to early fall but I guess there are alot of them this current year.

[fozsey]

The eastern half of our fishing brothern seem to like to eat them...

I am not sure that I could convince myself to go that far. Fish food maybe, but me....

[Webguy]

You all have been talking lately about this odd fly called a cicada. From what I can gather, there is one hatch every 17 years, and the hatch is huge. What do they look like? I would also like a lot of other miscellaneous information on them.

Try here: Cicada Invasion Begins: Eastern U.S. Beset by Bugs

[Fat Boy]

TFB, I posted some things about them on here too, with emphasis on them with regard to fishing.  Check out this thread, with pics, a fly fishing article by Angus Phillips (Washington Post Outdoor Editor), and some of my recent episodes on them.

http://www.myfishfinder.com/fishing_forum/index.php?topic=3370.15

[TroutFishingBear]

Those are rather odd looking. Thanks for the info.