Pike - Fly Line Choice?

[Scott N]

I was just curious about what type of line most of you guys who go after pike with your fly gear? Does anyone use sink tip of full sink, or do most of you just still with floating line? I have an 8 wt that I use for heavy nymphing and streamers on the Bow with floating line, and I've been debating on picking up another spool and rigging it with a sinking line for pike.

[Salvelinus]

All of my pike fishing in big rivers and southern reservoirs I use a floating line, but I also only target them early in the summer when they are shallow. If you are lucky and get a still evening, topwater pike fishing is a rush. You can always throw a sinking head on a floating line if you need a bit more depth. Several companies make pike/bass specific lines. If you can justify having a line specifically for one species, they are great. They have heavy, short heads that allow you to toss big flies out there, even if there's a bit of a headwind.

[ÜberFly]

I use Snowbee EXDF XS-tra Distance Floating and SA Streamer Express for my 8 wt pike/bully set up. The Snowbee lines are PVC so they float better/longer - this particular line is also a "shooting head" so it will turn over BIG flies. Southbow carries Snowbee lines but NEVER has them in stock (plus the price is high comparatively), so I go through the distributor directly (Courtney) @ Nile Creek Fly Shop (http://nilecreekflyshop.com/) and he gives me a heck of a deal and usually covers the shipping!

P

[Lefty-Canuck]

Personally I use a WF floating 8WT line, on my 7/8, 8, or 9 WT rods. I don't use a boat, tube , or pontoon....I am fishing from shore in waders going in water no deeper than when my elbows are bent at a right angle and down at my side (less than 4 feet standing off shore).

I think if you went with a sinking line you would have issues with weeds....depending on the lake you fish in.

My setup has a mono leader about 2 feet long nail-knotted to my fly line with a loop at the end....then I tie another 3-4 feet of the same mono leader material to the loop and then the fly to that. The flys I tie up have neutral bouyancy but run anywhere between 4 inches to 1.5 feet deep depending on my retreive and stripping speed. I find fishing at these depths is not only effective but lots of fun as well.....can see the strike alot of the time, see the swirls behind the fly on a miss, see the spash as you fly gets slammed!

One of the fun things about pike is if you see a swirl and they miss.....they will likely be back for another hit!

I just picked up some Cortland Species Specific line for pike......seems to work quite well.

My $0.02......

LC

[brohymn2]

i also use the cortlund fly line and like it

[Caper28]

I use Rio coldwater clouser line and really like it. Big difference from my other wf and distance lines when casting large weighted flies. I would definitely recommend it if your going to be doing a lot of pike fishing with a fly.

[Scott N]

I use Rio coldwater clouser line and really like it. Big difference from my other wf and distance lines when casting large weighted flies. I would definitely recommend it if your going to be doing a lot of pike fishing with a fly.


Caper28, is that a floating or sinking line?

[Pudelpointer]

It is a floating line. I use the same line on a 7 wt and it does a decent job of turning over those big pike flies (as long as they are not weighted too heavy).

[jeprli]

I use 7wt streamer tip Rio line on a 8wt redington redfly(10') rod.

Very happy with this setup, it is an intermediate line which i prefer over full floater(for water i fish most often). Recently bought WF8 cortland pike and i don't like it one bit, maybe i need to get used to it but after a full day of use i just couldn't match the distance i get from intermediate line.

[Caper28]

It is a floating line. I use the same line on a 7 wt and it does a decent job of turning over those big pike flies (as long as they are not weighted too heavy).

I use an 8wt. Not sure what you consider weighted too heavy. A lot of my flies are tied on 3/0 stainless hooks and have brass dumbell eyes, I even have a few with lead dumbell eyes and find they turn over pretty nice with this line. A good fast action rod helps as well.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Are intermediate lines colored like sinking lines or floating lines? I have some line from Amundson that seems to sink (similar to a type 1 sinking line) even though it is labelled a "floating line"....I wonder if it is an intermediate line? but it is all colored bright orange......

LC

[densa44]

I had never heard of pike fishing with a fly. I also haven't heard of making your own leaders for a very long time either.

What I'd like to know is how you get these fish off that fly line. You mentioned stripping, do you fight the fish on the reel or is that line floating all around you with that thrashing pike?

In the days when a man only had one fly rod, I'd never heard of anyone with two, it was for trout and salmon and we wouldn't have caught a pike on purpose.

It's great that the sport has expanded the way it has. Have you ever tried an elk hair mouse, or duckling? I've used them on a spinning rod and the memory of the strikes still scare me!

[tacklerunner]

I had never heard of pike fishing with a fly. I also haven't heard of making your own leaders for a very long time either.

You gotta try it!

What I'd like to know is how you get these fish off that fly line. You mentioned stripping, do you fight the fish on the reel or is that line floating all around you with that thrashing pike?

In the days when a man only had one fly rod, I'd never heard of anyone with two, it was for trout and salmon and we wouldn't have caught a pike on purpose.

It's great that the sport has expanded the way it has. Have you ever tried an elk hair mouse, or duckling? I've used them on a spinning rod and the memory of the strikes still scare me!

Throw them on a fly rod and hold on. :)

:)

[Lefty-Canuck]

Densa44

Fly fishing for pike is a total blast....I use heavier gear 9'/9'6"....8Wt-9Wt rods and matching line with 30lb backing on a large arbour reel. I like the heavy gear because I can get the fish in without an exhausting epic fight that may stress them too much and kill them.....

When you get something like this below you will be hooked for life.....
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=92750&highlight=club

Cast your big fly out as far as you can .....and strip it back to you 6 inches or so at a time....mixing the reteive with short pauses...

Never pull the fly out of the water too soon...unless you can see it. Alot of the time you will have a pike hit in the length or your rod from where you stand! I had a 16 lber smash a fly 8 feet from me and do a single run that put me on my backing once....

How you fight the fish depends on how big it is....if I know its a good one...ill reel up all my slack (stripped line laying next to me), while keeping line tension with my rod hand and fight it with the reel....if its a little guy ill strip the line in and release it.

My set up is really easy...what I am calling my "leader" is a single length of 40lb saltwater mono, so I just cut a length and attach it to my fly line....then I make a loop at the end.....thats where I attach my fishing line.

I have tried a "bleeding perch" top water pattern and had some luck...the flys I have the best luck with run 6 inches under the surface and have neutral bouyancy....

This fly is one that I tie up...http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=93955&highlight=lefty-canuck...the "fish skull" head makes it sink....but without that it would be a neutral bouyancy fly..these are big flys, 6inches long so.....hense the need for heavier gear to get them out there.



LC

[Pikebreath]

My favorite pike line is the S/A streamer express intermediate clear tip. This has a very slow sinking tip that allows you shorten up your leader . I fish a 3- 4 foot leader which aids in casting the big flies.

My second most used line is an Orvis wonderline "striper taper" in WF9F fished with a 6-8 foot leader when I want to fish topwater or weedless in really heavy cover.

When I need to fish water deeper than 6 feet, I switch over to another S/A streamer express line with 275 grain sink tip.

For what it's worth I usually carry 3 - 4 rods rigged and ready in the boat so I can grab whatever rod / line / fly combination I feel like chucking to match the situation much like a golfer chooses a particular club from his golf bag.

My fourth rod is my "deep 10 - 20 foot" walleye rod armed with a 400 grain Orvis full sinking line which at times catches its share of pike as well.

[densa44]

My set up is really easy...what I am calling my "leader" is a single length of 40lb saltwater mono, so I just cut a length and attach it to my fly line....then I make a loop at the end.....thats where I attach my fishing line.

I'm not sure that I've got it yet. The 40 lb. mono is "nail knotted" on to the fly line right? That's how you turn the fly over when you cast. What fishing line is used after the mono?

Isn't just fly line, mono, hook?

Thanks, you must have more guts than an abattoir to be in there with 16 lb. pike!

[Lefty-Canuck]

My set up is really easy...what I am calling my "leader" is a single length of 40lb saltwater mono, so I just cut a length and attach it to my fly line....then I make a loop at the end.....thats where I attach my fishing line.

I'm not sure that I've got it yet. The 40 lb. mono is "nail knotted" on to the fly line right? That's how you turn the fly over when you cast. What fishing line is used after the mono?

Isn't just fly line, mono, hook?

Thanks, you must have more guts than an abattoir to be in there with 16 lb. pike!

The beauty with this setup is its really easy....(might not be the best way or how the "good" flyfisherman would do it).....

picture this.... fly line THEN nailknotted 1.5-2.5 feet of leader THEN loop at end of leader THEN to that about 4-5 feet tied to the loop of the same 40lb saltwater line THEN the fly. I use exactly the same type of line (40 lb saltwater mono) for the leader as I do for the line tied to the leader and the fly. This allows me to trim the line without having to retie the leader....it isn't pretty but it works well. The mono I use is a saltwater low stretch 40lb leader.....it lasts quite a while but you have to watch it after every fish for abrasion marks....if they are there just cut back to that area and re-tie the fly.

If you like I can post pictures of the set up I use....like I said it ain't pretty but it works.

Big pike don't really scare me...even when I caught that 44 inch pike I waded out in waist deep water to let her go properly. Just want to be midful of your hands and fingers un-hooking them.

LC

[Lefty-Canuck]

I am looking to spool up 2 new lines tomorrow when I hit WSS. On one it will be a Rio full sink deep 6 line. On the other I am going to give the Rio Pike specific a try.

LC

[Doc]

If you're looking for some good advise on tackle when flyin' for Pike, here's a quick video I shot with Phil Rowley host of The New Fly Fisher TV show.

http://www.albertastillwaters.com/apps/videos/videos/show/6510100-fall-pike-on-the-fly