Do you also want to catch a pike on a fly?
Daniel has been passionate about pike fly fishing for many years. Over the years, he has caught a lot of big pike on fly and developed a number of effective fly patterns for it. In this article, he goes over everything from tackle to locations, so you can be successful with fly fishing yourself.
Fly fishing for pike is really great. It's a rewarding form of fishing that doesn't require a lot of equipment or technique, but in return, it provides great experiences.
Catching a pike on a fly is not difficult
Pike fishing does not require long casts, elegant or delicate presentation of the fly, and you can fish during the daylight hours when the weather is good. The fishery is characterized by many fish with an average size that is very far from all other fly fishing in Denmark. A three kilo fish is not big, there is not far between 5 kilos and meter fish are not unusual.
In addition, fishing is often very visual, but you see many bites and pike following the fly. When a pike bites, it is often powerful and wild, and you are guaranteed an action-packed fight. They like to swim, and sometimes they walk on their tail, with their gills spread out and their teeth flashing in the sun.
Everything that makes fly fishing great
It's impossible not to be turned on by this combination that contains all the things that make fishing the world's coolest hobby. Big, strong fish that bite brutally and fight for a long time, without requiring night fishing and lack of sleep.
But even though the fishing is easily accessible and does not require the greatest demands on gear and technique, there are some tips and tricks that are nice to have before you grab your rod, pack your car, and drive out to your local watering hole in search of wildness with teeth. At Nordic Anglers, we love this fishing and I would like to share our enthusiasm, my thoughts and experiences about pike fly fishing with anyone who will listen.
Fly fishing gear for pike
These are big, strong fish that you are fishing for, and at the same time the flies are often quite large. The fishing often takes place near water lilies and vegetation, and it can be quite necessary to really push hard and push your gear to the limit.
If you have also found good pike water, it is also nice to be able to protect the fishery by shortening the fight in length, in order to release the fish you catch. All this speaks in favor of using gear that can stand the distance, and ordinary coastal gear can do that. Class #7 and #8 are fine. Then if you already have some good coastal gear, you don't necessarily need to go out and invest in new gear. However, #8 and #9 are the classes that cast the big flies without difficulty.
Pike fishing does not have any special requirements for the fly reel, as long as it is reliable and works. The line is important and a dedicated pike line is a really good investment. The big flies are easiest to cast with a line that is a little too heavy for the rod. The heavy fly line pulls a big fly through the air more easily.
It is important to think about the leader when fishing for pike, but it doesn't have to be complicated. I usually fish with about 1.5 meters of 0.67 untapered leader, which I then extended by 40-50 cm using "loop to loop"
It is advantageous to tie a small hook at the end to make it easier to change flies. Many also use a strong fluorocarbon instead of wire, but I have seen 0.80 bitten myself, and it is a frustrating feeling. It is also not my impression that the pike in most waters are particularly shy of bait. So I have no qualms at all about using Knot 2 Kinky wire bait.
The basic equipment for a pike fly fisherman also includes a few other small items. Polaroid sunglasses for spotting followers are a must. In addition, you will need a tape measure, camera and possibly a scale to document your catch and a long peang, because the pike is ferocious and has a mouth full of potential hand injuries and stitches in the emergency room. The pike's teeth are no joke. Make sure to buy a long peang and be careful.
This is where the pike lives and how you catch it
It is always an advantage to know a little about the prey you are hunting, and therefore it is always good to think about it and plan a strategy before starting fishing. The pike is built for ambush, the entire physiology of the pike is top-trimmed and honed for one thing; Attacking from hiding over short distances, at high speed. </br></br>
Therefore, it is also obvious to fish in places where the pike has optimal hunting conditions. It is a good starting point to concentrate your fishing where there are aquatic plants. Always fish as close to the edges of the pond, water lily belts and reed beds as possible. Feel free to cast the fly into holes with open water between water lilies, etc.
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Your tackle and leader should be enough to pull the fly and a pike free if you have sized it correctly. The pike will often stand right on the edge, completely hidden from the innocent small fish and flies that pass by. The same is true of slopes and depth curves, where the pike can stand hidden, to make blitz attacks. However, the pike can be found in all water depths and even really big fish can be found in very shallow water, as long as there is hiding and food.
But although vegetation belts and slopes are safe places, it can also be worthwhile to fish the open water. Often you will find that if you have found an area that holds fish, this will also be the case on later trips. So be aware and if you find a cove/water lily belt/decoration with many fish, this will probably also be good on your next trip.
Fishing also varies with the seasons. I divide my fishing into two periods; the cold and the warm. If you fish in the winter, there is naturally not much vegetation and here the slopes and deep water are where the pike stay. Heavily loaded flies and possibly a sinking line, depending on the depth of the lake, are the right weapons. But also fish the places where there is vegetation in the summer months. Fish your flies somewhere in the range; slowly to incredibly slowly, pike can be very sluggish in the cold water. The “warm” period is the most fun to fish for pike in. The weather is good and the fishing is very pleasant. It is also during this period that it is possible to fish with poppers. If you have not fished with poppers yet, truly great adventures await. Popper fishing is the most intense fishing there is. Period. Big fish that throw themselves at the flies in cascades of water and wildness. It just has to be experienced!
- When fishing with poppers, you should only give the bait when you feel the weight of the fish.
If you are fishing with poppers, it is important not to give a strike until you feel the weight of the fish on the rod. The fish may well hit past the fly and an early strike will then remove the fly from the pike. If you experience a bite without hooking the fish, the fish will often take it again. This also applies to regular flies. So always cast again to a fish that has taken the fly, even if it has been hooked for a short time. Very often it will take it again. I have experienced that the same fish took my popper 7 times in a row before it was properly hooked.
One of the great advantages of the fly over other baits is that you can fish very slowly, because the fly floats in the water, without falling to the bottom. It is this “float” that really gives the fly fisherman a huge advantage. Generally, I fish my flies at a leisurely pace, preferably with pauses of 3-4 seconds, where the fly just floats or sinks slowly. The flies are designed to “flap” out a lot to the sides, even with very small and slow intakes.
It is especially good if you can get your fly to move so that it is in full profile after each pull. So fish calmly, but still vary the length and speed of your pulls and remember to make stops.
Flies for pike
Pike fly tying is cool and wild. Here you can really let your inner playboy run wild and create one drag queen ornament, with hook in it, after another. However, there are a few good basic rules that are worth keeping in mind before tying one whole bag of flash in after another.
Build solid flies.
The pike's teeth are wild, designed only to mutilate and hold even quite large prey. That's why it's nice to build flies that can hold several fish and many teeth. When tying pike flies, it's an advantage to use a strong thread. At the same time, it's important to secure the materials you're tying with many turns of thread. Veevus GSP in 100 or 150 DN is perfect. At the same time, it's a good idea to have a Zap a Gap instant glue within reach, so that you can secure the flies further in strategic places.
Choose your fly tying materials carefully.
When tying pike flies it is always important to consider the casting properties of the finished result when tying your fly. Not all materials are equally suitable for giant flies.
Artificial materials:
Use artificial materials, these do not "suck" water and make it possible to create large flies without the flies becoming impossible to cast after water movement. Good materials include: Big Fly Fibre, Steve Farra Blendmm.
Flash:
It is no secret that pike love flash, but here again it is important to choose the right flash. All colors and types can be used as long as it has a smooth surface. This is very important, as a flash with a rough/ribbed surface will become a big useless lump of filter after the first fish. Smooth flash can easily be filtered out after contact with teeth. I use a lot of Soft Flash, it is cheap, easy to work with and durable - even after pike number 10 on the fly.
Natural materials:
Natural materials like hair really absorb a lot of water, for example zonker strips are fantastic in the water, but absorb incredible amounts and weigh absolutely incredible when you have to cast them. It's a shame because they otherwise have fantastic properties in the water. Feathers are good. For example, whole saddle feathers tied in as tails and marabou are good. Marabou gives some fantastic effects as front hackles. Bucktail is also a really great material for pike flies and it is included in almost all my flies now. At the same time, long saddle feathers are incredibly beautiful on the flies and in the water, we use them a lot for our pike flies.
Eyes and beads:
Other things worth mentioning are eyes and heads. Fish masks in size 8 are really great for pike flies, at the same time it is often good to give flies some weight either with a tungsten or cyclops head. The sizes of cyclops tungstens 5 mm and 5.5 mm are the right ones for the big hooks. 3D eyes are also good for giving bite points on the flies and a cool expression.
Pops:
One of the coolest things in the world is catching pike on poppers. We use and offer quite a few. But the four we use most are Double Barrel Popper, foam Diver Heads and Tapered Popper. All of these popper heads fit the hooks mentioned in this article. They are extremely strong and have enough buoyancy to keep even a size 6/0 hook afloat.
Hooks
It's not easy to find a hook that is suitable for pike flies. I have tried many different ones over the past many years and found a few hooks that really hold up and a whole lot that don't. Today I only fish with a few different hooks, both primarily from Ahrex. I use the light Predator from Ahrex for most of my fishing. This hook has everything a good pike fly hook should have. Large hook gap, low weight and high strength. In my eyes, it is the perfect pike hook. It hooks phenomenally, and despite its relatively thin wire, it is still roaring strong.
Four superb pike flies
There are tons of great and effective pike flies out there. Even though my fly box is filled with all sorts of exciting pike flies, there are still four flies that I always swear by.
The eel
This fly has been the best catching fly I have in my box for the last few years. It works everywhere I have fished for pike and it catches many and big fish. The black profile makes it very visible in the water and the combination of ostrich, flash and big fly fiber gives this fly a fantastic walk in the water. This is in every way a poisonous pike fly and I always have it in my box.
Chartreuse Charmer
A really good all-round fly that, with its chartreuse color, can really find fish. At the same time, it is not huge and has also landed large perch as a bycatch on several occasions. I caught a 123 cm pike on this one a couple of years ago.
Hi-Lo Fly
This fly is in my opinion the ultimate pike fly and the one I really like. It has an incredible walk in the water and an almost magical ability to find big pike. I have caught many fish over a meter on Hilo, and I always have a full box. The fly is best fished in short, quick takes with small breaks after each take. It is also easy to tie and cheap in materials.
Flash girl streaming
It is a really good all-round fly, it always fishes well and is also very easy to cast. This is because it consists largely of flash, which clacks together when the fly is taken out of the water and therefore does not provide any significant wind resistance.
You can buy some of my ready-made pike flies. With them in the box, you should be ready to go fly fishing for pike.
Thanks for reading and cheers.
