Pike on the Fly

[Jayball]

So who has been using a fly rod for pike? I picked this up a few years ago and it has really turned out to be a passion of mine... nothing like seeing a larger pike boil after a topwater popper.

Anybody have a favorite combination of fly rod/reels they wish to share with others? Do you use a boat or waders? Any good experinnces to share? Largest pike caught on a fly?

[Kingfisher]

I have also used my fly rod for catching pike. My biggest is only about 4lbs. But like you said that boil sure gets the heart going. I usually use clousers or double bunnies. But I'll have to tie up some poppers and try them.

For a rod I use a custom 9'6" Rainshadow, 8wt that I bulit. As for a reel I use a Lamson Velocity 3.5 with a Rio Mulit-tip line. I use the same rod/reel/line set up for salmon at the west coast and also for bone fishing down in the Caribean.

I have also caught a baracuda a few years ago on this rod while fishing for bone fish down in Cozumel. It was only about 30" long. But it was a fun scrapper. I was using only 15 lb florocarbon at the time for a leader. I didn't think I'd land it. But I got lucky. Their teeth make pikes teeth look like baby teeth.

Where are you at? I'm in Calgary. But I drive all over the country for fishing.

Rob

[Jayball]

I live up in Edmonton and since my wife and kids and i have a little place at pigeon... we fish there most. Lots of great areas/humps and weed beds. Although i am heading down to newell with family in august... hope that goes well.

I have a couple 8-9 wt rods... can’t remember the name... lower end... good enough for me though. I did my research got a couple decent reels... one of them is a Scientific Angler large arbour reel... good for bringing them in quick... and I just bought a new 8-9 okamura. This one has a wider spool so it holds more line and backing. I am going to christen her this weekend.

People sure look at me strange when I use the fly rod on pigeon.

My best fishing experience (if you'll indulge me) ever comes from chasing pike with a fly. I was in waders walking a reed line at Buck lake. First time out with a fly rod. I was casting (throwing really) a big streamer about 20 ft out in front of me as i walked not really expecting much. I came upon upon a very small bay in the reeds.. about 10 ft across... so i pitched the fly in the middle, let sit sink for 5 seconds... and holy cow... wham... a pike hit right about 5ft in front of me. I was chest deep in water and it scared the living hell out me. She hit as I was stripping line in really fast. She was rather large... and within a couple minutes she had me into some of the backing on my reel. When i got her close... i realized i had no pliers or anything to get the big fly out (what was I thinking???).. and there was no way my fingers were going anywhere near those teeth. When i got a good look at her... she was at least 30 - 36 inches (that fish is even bigger when you are in waders lol). How heavy... i could only guess. I had no idea how i was going to land her. But as soon I got her close enough to grab her by the shoulders... she gave a big shake, drenched me, out came the hook... and poof she was gone.(note: I never gone fishing without pliers again)

Anyways that was my first pike on the fly. Hundreds of hammerheads since then but nothing really too big. I still love it... esp when i see them come up from a weedbed to chase a streamer. Probably not as much fun bonefishing though!

I have an extra rig.. so I am going to show my daughter how to do it this weekend. She is 7... so it should be interesting. She loves fishing and we go out every weekend.

[Ayr]

Here's a few pics from this spring. Love the top-water pike action!!

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=34665

Good luck!

Ayr

[Jayball]

Very nice fish... thx!

[Kingfisher]

Jay, thanks for the laugh. I can just picture you with that fish on and in chest deep water thinking what the heck do I do now. Good thing it came off.

Ayr those are some amazing pictures of pick and a laker. I love that picture of that fly with the googly eye's sitting in that big yap of the pike. Nice shot for sure.

Rob, wondering how far of a drive Wabamum Lake is from Calgary?

[seahawkfisher]

well, it's about 50km west of Edmonton on the yellowhead to get to wabamun...
cheers

[Jayball]

Geez ayr... Looking at those pics again has me thinkin about a trip wabamun in early fall. Very nice fish for sure... Well done. What is that reel your using?

Also any advise for tying pike leaders onto line? I am using a wire pike leader tied tied to a heavy 9ft pike mono leader (40lb test) No problem there..... (I have told thats a bit overkill but I have had too many pike slice through the mono. I also feeel the wire leader makes very little impact in presentation ESP with some of the bigger heavier flies.

Anyway tying that thick heavy mono to flyline is a challenge. Trying to do a standard leader to line nailnot is tough.

Advice?

[Jayball]

Geez I re-read my post... My spelling and grammar sucks. Sorry about that! I am on my iPhone...

[Ayr]

Geez ayr... Looking at those pics again has me thinkin about a trip wabamun in early fall. Very nice fish for sure... Well done. What is that reel your using?

Also any advise for tying pike leaders onto line? I am using a wire pike leader tied tied to a heavy 9ft pike mono leader (40lb test) No problem there..... (I have told thats a bit overkill but I have had too many pike slice through the mono. I also feeel the wire leader makes very little impact in presentation ESP with some of the bigger heavier flies.

Anyway tying that thick heavy mono to flyline is a challenge. Trying to do a standard leader to line nailnot is tough.

Advice?

JayBall,

A couple of seasons ago, I made a change from titanium leaders to flourocarbon (60 lb.). The water I fish is shallow and clear (and fairly heavily fished), so the flourocarbon has increased the number of hits I get and in the two seasons since the switch, I have never been broken off. I attach this to 8-10 feet or so of 20lb mono leader using a surgeons loop knot in each case. For the fly end I attach;

https://www.thefishinhole.com/index.cfm?imageSku=1138460&enlargeSkuz=21123&PRODUCTSEARCH=

for easy fly change.

I use a ten weight & Pflueger President reel, which might be a bit much, but at the same time it helps to punch 5-7 inch streamers through the wind, and bring a larger fish under control in a reasonable time frame.


Good luck out there!

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/Ayr/DSC06087.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/Ayr/DSC05456.jpg

[Jayball]

Nice for a ducks fan :)

thx for the tip will pick those up tonight...

so are those wabamum pigs as well?

Jay


go oil.

[tbosch]

JayBall,

A couple of seasons ago, I made a change from titanium leaders to flourocarbon (60 lb.). The water I fish is shallow and clear (and fairly heavily fished), so the flourocarbon has increased the number of hits I get and in the two seasons since the switch, I have never been broken off. I attach this to 8-10 feet or so of 20lb mono leader using a surgeons loop knot in each case. For the fly end I attach;

https://www.thefishinhole.com/index.cfm?imageSku=1138460&enlargeSkuz=21123&PRODUCTSEARCH=

for easy fly change.

I use a ten weight & Pflueger President reel, which might be a bit much, but at the same time it helps to punch 5-7 inch streamers through the wind, and bring a larger fish under control in a reasonable time frame.


Good luck out there!

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/Ayr/DSC06087.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/Ayr/DSC05456.jpg


I also use fluorocarbon leader for pike but only 20lb test. I have yet to have a break off and have landed some large pike with this set up. I have a 8wt sage flight with an okuma (cant remember the name) large arbor double disc reel lined with Cortland premium 8wt WF Pike line. So far it works like a hot d**n.

[Muskeg]

Nice fish Ayr.. Nice to see other Pike freaks! My largest is around 10lbs, I have a few lakes I'm trying to get to but no time that should produce 20lbs easily.
I use an 8wt Cabelas Stowaway and a Lamson HL Velocity 3 reel with Mastery 9wt pike line, When I get the dough I'll be purchasing a Loop or Bromanodell rod.
Here's some Walleye popping pics, these 2 fish are about 24", that was a great night of fishing until I released one and received a nasty gash on my finger from a gill plate.
Not sure if anyone goes here but this is a great Pike flyfishing blog site.
http://pikeflyfishingarticles.blogspot.com

[QBC]

Well, I know most will think I'm crazy, but I've been chasing them with my 6wts on the rivers around Grande Praire. Since I be new to pike fishing, I haven't had any luck yet. (I have taken a few Walleye on the fly though) I'm bound and determined to take a 15lbs+ on my 6wt.

[tatonkagp]

I just caught my first pike on the fly this week in Slave lake. I was using a milano 9' 6wt with a 6wt camo intermediate sink, and a martin large arbor reel. This is my only set up beside my floating line. I used a toothy critter leader. Anyway I was fishing at Shaws point, by the swimming area or beach, earlier in the day I noticed 10s of thousands of minnows swimming there, made a mental note and grabbed my gear after putting the kids to bed. I walked out into about 10 inches of water and looked at this little area with the tall thick grass weeds that had a natural cove with another opening into deeper water. I watched with my polarized gl***** pike circle and attack the minnows and swirl. so I cast into where I thought he would go next, bang first cast I had on a nice fish I got him close and he seen me and bolted the other way, with a head shake he spit it out, so perseverance kicked in and cast out into the deeper water and this time the little bugger came to daddy and landed my first pike with a clouser minnow and I had to walk back to shore with no one around to sit and revel in my first pike on the fly with a pretty light weaght rod. it took about 10 min. before I could head back out to settle the heart down, it felt like I was bone fishing the flats or something, just and amazing night I landed about 4 more in 1.5 hours. Next is a wally on the fly.

[guidehunt]

i love fishing for big pike on the fly ,i find 6in black and red streamers work great on pike with a 10 foot 9 wt loomis rod cheers

[FisherPotch]

For the record.........I hate you Ayr!! :evilgrin:

Totally kidding you are my hero. Your doing everything correct if you want a stalker LMAO.

I've never targeted pike on my fly rod yet but here is my first. She dragged me and my tube everywhere and ruined my lil trout net but was one of the best battles of my life. My heart was beating so hard it made ripples in the water. Twice when I had her close and made a reach with the net she turned hard and gave me a bath. I had just been busted off and made a pass threw the same water again and I hooked up with her. My biggest pike of all time from beautiful rock lake. Cold water made for ideal conditions for CPR this ancient snake still swims today. It's a shame I was solo though. Because you would almost have to be there to believe that I landed this fish on the gear I did. So here it is a tribute to my angling skills ;):innocent::evilgrin:



Lucky eh?!
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w90/FisherPotch/P7070253.jpg

40 incher. My first ever on the fly. 6lb vanish flouro 9ft 6wt st croix. okuma reel.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w90/FisherPotch/P7070256.jpg


PS did I mention that I hate you Ayr???? Massive snakes man!! Keep em coming.

[Jayball]

I just caught my first pike on the fly this week in Slave lake. I was using a milano 9' 6wt with a 6wt camo intermediate sink, and a martin large arbor reel. This is my only set up beside my floating line. I used a toothy critter leader. Anyway I was fishing at Shaws point, by the swimming area or beach, earlier in the day I noticed 10s of thousands of minnows swimming there, made a mental note and grabbed my gear after putting the kids to bed. I walked out into about 10 inches of water and looked at this little area with the tall thick grass weeds that had a natural cove with another opening into deeper water. I watched with my polarized gl***** pike circle and attack the minnows and swirl. so I cast into where I thought he would go next, bang first cast I had on a nice fish I got him close and he seen me and bolted the other way, with a head shake he spit it out, so perseverance kicked in and cast out into the deeper water and this time the little bugger came to daddy and landed my first pike with a clouser minnow and I had to walk back to shore with no one around to sit and revel in my first pike on the fly with a pretty light weaght rod. it took about 10 min. before I could head back out to settle the heart down, it felt like I was bone fishing the flats or something, just and amazing night I landed about 4 more in 1.5 hours. Next is a wally on the fly.



I caught 6 wallys on the fly this saturday morning in about a 1.5 hour period. I was actually going after pike and had anchored just off weedbed hump at piegon (point at silver beach) I was pitching off to the side... then boom. Good fight on a fly rod.

I had a lot of stares though... about 5 other boats around... i was the only guy with a flyrod... and for about 45 min... the only guy cathcing fish!

[Jayball]

For the record.........I hate you Ayr!! :evilgrin:

Totally kidding you are my hero. Your doing everything correct if you want a stalker LMAO.

I've never targeted pike on my fly rod yet but here is my first. She dragged me and my tube everywhere and ruined my lil trout net but was one of the best battles of my life. My heart was beating so hard it made ripples in the water. Twice when I had her close and made a reach with the net she turned hard and gave me a bath. I had just been busted off and made a pass threw the same water again and I hooked up with her. My biggest pike of all time from beautiful rock lake. Cold water made for ideal conditions for CPR this ancient snake still swims today. It's a shame I was solo though. Because you would almost have to be there to believe that I landed this fish on the gear I did. So here it is a tribute to my angling skills ;):innocent::evilgrin:



Lucky eh?!
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w90/FisherPotch/P7070253.jpg

40 incher. My first ever on the fly. 6lb vanish flouro 9ft 6wt st croix. okuma reel.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w90/FisherPotch/P7070256.jpg


PS did I mention that I hate you Ayr???? Massive snakes man!! Keep em coming.



hehehe... never seen a pike landed before with such a small fly AND withy NO leader (from what i can see)... well done. in a tube yet... awesome.

[FisherPotch]

No leader just incredibly lucky 6 lb vanish flouro. I think she was just hanging at the confluence eating whatever floated by. There was a monsoon the day b4 and the water at the confluence looked like a cloud of chocolate milk in the clear rock lake water.

[Jayball]

I also use fluorocarbon leader for pike but only 20lb test. I have yet to have a break off and have landed some large pike with this set up. I have a 8wt sage flight with an okuma (cant remember the name) large arbor double disc reel lined with Cortland premium 8wt WF Pike line. So far it works like a hot d**n.

hey ayr... that little zodiac you have there... looks like a great little set-up. whats, the stability for casting while standing? Light enough for one person to load in back of truck? the motor mount... heavy enough only for a electric? or can u put something... heavy like a 5hp ot 10hp. Probably not enough room for tank right?

i am thinking of gettin one. looks perfect for sneaking up on spring and fall reed beds.

Jay