The shrill relentless sound from the trees in the Eildon area is not quite deafening, but its noticeable. Since warm to hot weather has finally hit, the district is alive with the summer sounds of cicadas, and the trout know it.

The real thing alongside some effective copies.
For such a big insect, fly replicas are a bit unwieldy on lighter weight lines and tippets, but sufficient casting accuracy can be achieved. Slapping a large fly down with a wallop, in a likely run, is often met with an explosive strike from a hungry trout. Be warned though, the hook-up rate isn’t the best. Many of the fish just can’t quite get their mouths around the large pile of fur and synthetics landing in their patch, but that doesn’t stop them from trying!
A big cicada pattern tends to select for the somewhat better fish which can actually fit the fly in their mouths!
Cicada flies result in many strikes but fewer fish to the net. If you want to catch a lot of trout in the smaller streams, then use the smaller more conventional patterns. However, if you want some fun, and fewer, but maybe larger trout actually caught, then try the cicada.
It’s hard to beat the anticipation and visual nature of cicada fishing.
Current cicadas are either the big black, red-eyed variety; or the smaller black-headed orange-bodied type. Any large, darker fly around 30-40mm seems to get the trout to have a look.

Rainbows and browns seem equally fond of cicada patterns at the moment.
Cicada flies are not a golden ticket to champagne fishing, but they do make for some epic surface eats, and that alone has me tying them on whenever I get a chance.