Quote:
Originally Posted by Camdec
I'm thinking of getting a 14 year old a fly rod for Christmas. He's never fly fished before. I hate buying the "cheapest" of something, but am wondering if any of you folks have any suggestions of what I should be looking for. Would probably use it more for fishing pike from a kayak rather than typical stream fishing trout. Thanks for any advice you could provide.
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Fly fishing for pike is awesome.
I hate to be the debbie-downer, but I would be very reluctant to buy a complete newbie the gear to fly fish for pike if they have never done it. Basic fly fishing for pike is actually more complicated than fishing for trout, despite the fact that catching pike is easier than catching trout.
Pike require a minimum 7wt rod, with an 8wt being most appropriate for Alberta. If you are going north of Edmonton (particularly in Saskatchewan), you may want something heavier, like a 9 or 10wt setup.
Pike flies are big (which is why you need a heavier rod). They are also somewhat expensive. Even the best pike flies basically disintegrate after 20-25 fish.
Pike require specialized leaders. There are commercially available pike leaders, but they are not readily available unlike your de-facto trout leaders. You can certainly piggy back on conventional tackle, but you will need to know basic knots (a loop knot to attach your leader to line and a terminal knot to attach your leader)
Finally, fly fishing from a kayak is not easy. In general, fly casting takes 50 hours of practice to become basically competent. Sitting in a boat diminishes your leverage by 50%. Furthermore, to really augment pike fly fishing, a good double haul is incredibly valuable for punching big pike flies. A double haul is an advanced fly casting technique.
The 8wt rod used for most pike fly fishing is a workhorse. It is used in windy and adverse conditions. It can be the tool to catch bass, salmon, steelhead, bonefish, and pike. Very diverse. Out of all the rods I own, an 8wt is my most valuable rod. Because the 8wt deals with the biggest flies in the most adverse conditions, it needs to perform in the most adverse conditions.
Here is the 8wt shootout:
https://www.yellowstoneangler.com/ge...-mystic-reaper
It is a lot of gobbly-gook, but you can take-away that the best rods cost lots of money, but a really good rod does not need to break the bank.
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.