![]() The best backcountry leader I’ve used in the last two decades is a 3X 14 ft Scientific Anglers Absolute Trout presentation leader. For more on attaching long leaders to fly lines, see my Scientific Angler's Absolute Trout Presentation Leader review I provide a link to at the end of this article. I therefore like to attach the leader to the loop on the fly line with a clinch knot, or better still, remove the welded loop and attach with a snell knot for an even smoother connection. A clunky loop-to-loop connection sticks in the guides when trying to get the fly line out of the rod tip upon spotting a fish and when fighting large trout, resulting in missed opportunities and break-offs. My standard leader for cicada fishing is 15 foot long and ends with a few feet of 4X Fluorocarbon tippet. With the line’s reversed taper it also loads the rod well for short accurate casts that are often necessary. It shoots like crazy and has a great balance between grunt and presentation for casting large dry flies on long leaders, even with a nymph attached. a Hardy Zenith.Ĭhoice of fly line is critical as presentation tapers will struggle to turn over large wind-resistant cicadas patterns, especially when a tungsten nymph is attached.Ī fly line that works especially well for me on backcountry rivers is Scientific Angler's Amplitude MPX. On windy days a 5wt rod with a bit more power is an advantage, e.g. In these conditions I like a fast action 5 wt rod with enough feel to make accurate casts in-close to fish, but with sufficient backbone to go long when prospecting large deep pools and putting breaks on strong backcountry fish, e.g. My days in the hills are usually chosen to coincide with lower water flows and sunny weather for sighting fish. I’ve nevertheless done very well with a size 12 version when there have been a lot of shade singers about and/or the chorus cicada hatch has been relatively weak, slow to start or has ended early. In late summer, February and March in New Zealand, I usually use a size 8 SWC as chorus cicadas are typically the most abundant species on bush streams and larger prey patterns have more pulling power. Fortunately trout retain the cicada search image for at least two weeks after the naturals have disappeared, providing anglers with an extended cicada fishing season. A few weeks later when the valleys were filled with the chorus of amorous Romeos, big brownies were charging the SWC from all directions. On several occasions I tried fishing my SWC in mid summer just before cicadas were abundant - one or two fish took a casual look but I didn’t elicit a single take. Trout have to learn each season that these super-bugs are food, and won’t show any interest in imitations until they are onto the naturals. ![]() Links to the development of and tying instructions for this highly effective Cicada fly pattern are at the end of this article.Īmphipsalta cicadas first make an appearance around the coast in early December, but it’s generally not until late January or early February that the hatch has developed sufficiently in backcountry valleys to attract the attention of trout living there. The long wings of chorus cicadas and shade singers are a key feature of the footprint of the floating naturals, an observation inspiring me to create the Silicone Wing Cicada fly (SWC). Two other species, much smaller than the chorus cicada, and commonly found on bush streams are the ‘greater bronze cicada’, Kikihia cauta, and the ‘lesser bronze cicada’, Kikihia scutellaris, which have a softer song and are known collectively as shade singers. Males do the ‘singing’ via specialised chambers in the abdomen called tymbals, and females make clicking sounds using their wings. The cicada responsible for the seasonal ‘hatch’ in the native bush is the ‘chorus cicada’, Amphipsalta zealandica, which happens to be the largest and noisiest of more than 30 species of cicada in New Zealand. This is also when trout are in their best condition and sea-runs move into headwater streams for the spawning season. Previously recalcitrant trout enthusiastically cover unusually large distances, vertically or horizontally, to seize juicy cicadas. Around the beginning of February when trout are close to infuriating, cicadas hit the water and all of Messers Brown’s disdainful resolve and superior breeding vanishes. I’m passionate about all forms of fly fishing, yet there’s little to equal the visual beauty and intensity of fishing big terrestrial imations to large fish in crystal clear New Zealand backcountry streams.īrown trout in bush streams are spooky when the season opens in October and become increasingly wily as it progresses.
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