Fly Fisherman's Loop to Loop Podcast, Season 1, Episode 10: Dave Zielinski

Dave Zielinski stumbled into a periodic cicada hatch more than 20 years ago and has been chasing these massive emergences—as well as annual cicada hatches in the West—ever since.

August 26, 2025 By Fly Fisherman Staff

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Dave Zielinski stumbled into a periodic cicada hatch more than 20 years ago and has been chasing these massive emergences—as well as annual cicada hatches in the West—ever since. In this episode we recap the Brood XIV feasting that happened in 12 states in 2025 . . . and we look to the future. While there is no Magicicada hatch anywhere in 2026, the following year begins a 12-year “age of cicadas” where there is a periodic 13-year or 17-year cicada hatch somewhere every year for 12 years in a row! Zielinski is the author of the book "Cicada Madness,” author of the Fly Fisherman magazine article “When Broods Collide,” and is the world’s leading Magicicada expert when it comes to finding where fish feed on these giant insects. We discuss his strategies for lakes and open water, his favorite flies and how to fish them, and the threats to the survival of the Magicicada genus. They feed on sap from tree roots for 13 or 17 years before they emerge, they depend on old forests for survival, and that’s the first place you start looking when you want to take part in this incredible angling event. We also discuss swinging for steelhead, making your own wooden drift boat, and adventure DIY trips to B.C., so if you like chasing hatches, chasing steelhead, tying really cool flies, or building your own boat, tune into this one.

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Truncated transcript:

00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:51.460: Hi, I'm Ross Purnell, editor and publisher of Fly Fisherman Magazine. Welcome to Loop to Loop, where we take a deep dive and make deeper connections with the people behind the magazine. We're sponsored today by Patagonia. Patagonia is making some fantastic waders right now. Swiftcurrent Waders, and they have Stealth Switch Packs that are built to go with the waders. If you like a system that works great together and a product package that doesn't use any PFAS, those tiny little micro-molecules that pollute the waterways, check out the new waders and packs from Patagonia. They come in a million different sizes to fit everybody. Check those out.

00:01:14.540 --> 00:01:21.660: We're also sponsored today by G. Loomis, American-made fly rods made in Woodland, Washington. I've been using G Loomis rods for well over 20 years. My friend Steve Rayjeff got me started on them decades ago. And currently in my quiver right now, I've got NRX Plus, Asquith, IMX Pro rods for different situations and different applications. If you haven't tried G Loomis rods, you should check them out.

00:01:50.560 --> 00:02:29.740 : If you enjoy this podcast, you can support our sponsors. And you can support us by subscribing to Fly Fisherman magazine. Please support our sponsors, and you can support us by subscribing to the magazine. It's quick and easy. Go to flyfisherman.com. There's a little subscribe button in the top right-hand corner, and you can subscribe to the leading magazine of fly fishing. You can also follow us on social media. On Instagram, we are @flyfishermanmagazine, on Facebook @flyfisherman. And hopefully you are watching this podcast in its YouTube format on our YouTube channel it's @flyfisherman magazine. Please subscribe and follow us there.

00:02:29.740 --> 00:03:05.459: It is our great pleasure today to have with us in the studio Dave Zielinski, the Cicada Master. You're master of much more than that. We're going to find out about it all today. But I think that's how you and I first came into contact: through cicadas and like a lot of hatches, it's interesting how that can bring people together at certain times and, you know, like-minded people who like to enjoy the finer things in life. So, welcome. Thanks for coming to our studio.

00:03:05.459 --> 00:03:25.880: Thanks, Ross. Thanks for having me. This is such an honor. Well, we've got a lot to talk about. We're going to get to cicadas for sure. A lot happened with that this year. I had some ups and downs that I'd like to relate to you. We all did. But first, let's talk about you. I'd like to get to know you a little better...

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