Fly Line for Pike
 

Hi all,

Had a blast fishing for pike in the local lake this spring and summer (until the algae got bad) and I was looking to add to my arsenal for this new season. I did all of my fishing with a floating line, I would just wade out into flat shallow areas and that did the trick for the early season.

I have a kayak now so I can get around a little better, work some deeper water. And I'm wondering what kind of line I should buy next to have the most versatile setup. Intermediate? Sink tip? Or full on sinking line?

I would say that I use an intermediate line for 75% of my subsurface pike fishing, 15% type5 full sink, and 10% floating line. Early in the season (i.e. before mid-July), I will almost always have 2 rods strung---an intermediate streamer and a floating popper/slider. I will use an intermediate line in even 30cm of water. I will use a floating line to work over the top of weed beds once they develop, but I would still rather use an intermediate for the most part.

On still water, I would avoid a sink tip, but it can play multi-purpose for fishing for Bow River trout or bull trout. The full sink line has value if you need to fish deeper than 3m, which will happen in August and September.

I had some fun using a popper with an intermediate line. Then when you strip in the popper it submerges and then rises back to the surface.

I use a sink tip some but mostly I will go strait to a fast full sink

Interesting- if I was going to try a sinking line, what sink rate would be best do you think? Will look at getting an intermediate too one of these days

I use a sink 6. It takes a bit to drag down big bulky flies

I agree with the intermediate statements. I use intermediate for everything unless I’m doing top water. Which isn’t too often. Floating lines and sink tips really don’t seem to compare to int lines.

pike fly line
 

One thing to remember, you need a fly line with a short head for heavy flies. Most of the fly lines have heads that are too long and you have to cast to beat hell to get the line out there and you end up disheartened, and flustered just getting a fly out onto the water. Check it out as there are pike and bass fly lines available.
Bjay

SA Titan taper.
Good floater

Agree 100%! It is my floating line of choice for big flies.

So are you guys saying that an intermediate would be a better way to round out my gear than a full on sinking line? Given that I have a floater?

I would definitely say 'yes'. 90% of my pike fishing is early May until the end of June and almost always in less than 3m of water. In anything less than 2m of water, a type V sink will hang up on the bottom with anything less than an immediate strip back. By mid June, it will be dredging through weeds.

To me, for pike fishing:
Intermediate is #1 on priority (you can still fish topwater popper and sliders with an intermediate).
Floating line is #2. If I could only have 1 line, it would probably be a floating line, so I could use sink tip. WAAY less than ideal, but it works.
Full sink is a nice option.

In the 25ish times I fished pike last year, I never used my sinking line. I used my floating line 10 or so times (most ever!), but used my intermediate every single time

That's interesting! Echoes what others have said. I probably should have gotten an intermediate first. Do you ever fish later in the season? Say July to August? That's where I thought a sinking line would shine, casting from a boat/kayak

It really depends on the temperature. Pike will start retreating to the deeps when the temperature is over 18C.

For most of southern Alberta, this tends to happen around mid-July. In Northern Saskatchewan, an intermediate line is fine for most of the year.

A full sink line would likely be more useful for July and August. Pike are simply much harder to target starting mid-July. But if I were wagering, I would say a full sink would be better for the dog-days of summer.