Even here in suburbia it's obvious the cicada's are out. My cat's even been dragging a couple in a day.

It happens every year, late January through to mid March our trout go mad gorging on cicada’s. Whilst “cicada time” happens to be a regular NZ fishing occurrence, many anglers miss this opportunity to fish for suicidal trout on our rivers. Point being, get out there, and don’t miss out. Here’s a quick guide to fishing cicada’s.

1. Make sure it's visible.

You don't need to stick to super realistic cicada patterns pick a fly that's goign to be easy to see on the water. That way you can make sure you focus on the fly as it comes down a bubbly rapid and you wont miss takes.

2. Use a Polyleader to turn over the bulky cicada fly.

As cicada patterns are so big make sure you fish a Polyleader to help turn the fly over positively. There is no point your leader not turning over and your fly landing beside the tip of your line.

3. Don't be afraid to leave the fly sitting static on the surface of a pool.

The trout know what these things are and they are more than happy to move a long way to get them. So leave the fly sitting for a minute on the surface of a deep dark pool, you might be surprised what will materialise from the bottom.

4. Get your flies right up against the bank.

Rememebr cicada's aren't emerging fro the middle of the river, they are falling off the tree's and off the long grass on the bank. So the trout will be looking closer to the edges to see what pops in.

Despite rubbish conditions the guys who know what they're doing have been pulling out a few salmon this year.

These pics are from Simon McMillan owner of Hamills in Colombo Street, Christchurch. I spent a few days with Simon trying to catch these things before Christmas and as usual I'd hit it too early, I think last year I was too late. And well it seems that this year the time to be there is now. These two puppies were taken by Simon and Bryce out of spot X. Well to me they call it spot X because they know I write this blog but if you're a local or you're thinking of heading down to Canterbury I suggest you pop into Hamills drag Simon aside and knowing Simon he'll point you in the right direction, unless it's a friday because that's his day off and I'm sure he could be sending you to Spot Y as a diversion.

Simon McMillan owner of Hamills Christchurch with a superb canterbury Salmon

Simon with his angling and drinking mentor Bryce with a cracking double header of Canterbury Salmon

1.This year I'm going to fish more than I did last year!

What's more I'm going to make sure I do some better quality fishing than ever before. In 08 I tended to drive around the country with a few rods in the car and stopped off when I could to wet a line. In 09 I'm going to do things differently, I'm going to plan ahead, make sure I get to the right rivers, at the right time and with the right people.

2. I'm going to sort out my fly boxes!

My fly boxes, have gotten out of control. Every year I put more flies in, use the ones I like and then am left with a bunch of rubbish that I would never use. As I result I have more and more boxes with worse and worse flies. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it. Maybe I'll start again!

3. I'm going to find the perfect stream for my new 7'7" 3 weight

Last year I bought a G2 7'7 #3. It's an awesome rod, but I have to admit I've never used it. My excuse is I haven't fished the right water yet. So I'm going to change my point of view, I'm going to pop the rod in the car and go and find the right stream.

4. I'm going to fish with my brother this year

I didn't fish with my brother enough in 08. I have no excuse, but I really need to make time to fish with my brother in 09. He's a good fisherman, has lots I can learn from him and hey, blood is always thicker than water.

5. I'm going to take my time

I feel like I'm becoming a better angler. I have no tangible evidence for this, I don't think I catch more fish now, they don't seem to be getting bigger but for some reason I think I'm getting better. The reason I think i'm getting better is every year I'm learning more and more to take my time. That means taking my time to catch the difficult fish and more than anything taking my time to enjoy the moment.