pike fly

[flymaster 0]

I need a good pattern to catch a pike in this warming water season. I caught one last year on a white bunny strip streamer. i have tied some of those tonight in white and chart. not sure really the pattern name just a bunny strip tied in at the front and back and a piece of tinsel wrapped around the shank for the body. really simple tie. i caught one ya one only fish a few times for them in between top watering for the largemouth up there. i beleive i missed a bunch though. i thought they would hit really hard the on i caught just pulled soft and i messed up and hooked him, i had felt that all day. but that is the only luck i had up there. any pointers would be appriciated.

 

thanks guys

[Fishboy 0]

Bunny-strip flies are great flies to use. I've also had great success with Lefty's Deceivers in red/yellow, white/red, black, and chartreuse in sizes #1/0-#3/0. Also check out the Key's-style Tarpon Flies...they can work well, also.

The place where I get a lot inspiration for my flies is the Saltwater Flies section of websites and magazines. Pick out a couple of the ones you can tie between those sizes I mentioned above that have a nice profile and something attention grabbing like flash or big eyes and you'll probably have a winner.

Derek

[Dble Haul 0]

You can also check out the pattern database here and do a search for pike flies.

[Guest]

Try these. I made them from the basic tandem fly pattern, but with marabou to fit my 6 wt rod and to fish a particular very shallow bay that I know loads up with Spring Pike.

 

http://flytyingforum.com/index.php?act=flyshow&showid=381

[Guest]

think BDH's micro (or micor ) diver, but think macro, not micro. Basically just a big dahlberg diver.

 

I also tie some BIG streamers with just different colors of crystal flash, some hackles for bulk, maybe a guinea cheek, and a red throat.

 

steve

[flymaster 0]

when i fish for pike i am fishing a shallow end of a lake aroun 3-8 feet deep. so when i throw the streamers would a stop and go be better or a throw it out and strip like hell. i am fishing in a belly boat so lots of casting can be killer. another question how about poppers. i have tried dalbergs and some hard bodies the largemouth like them. but no pike, not complaining about the bucketheads though! really appreciated the help guys keep it coming i am green about pike not alot of themin Virginia, a few muskies but those are a patient mans fish had my chance last year on a big popper smallies fishing pulled it away from a "nice" one he scared the outta me! oh well will probably be 10 more years waiting for another chance. but the pike will do until. the state put them in a cold mtn top lake to control the panfish so we have been suddenly introduced to the pike fishing. they are doing great only been there a few years and rumor has it some over 30" have been caught. the one i got was about 20". thanks agian!

[Guest]

The pike that I have caught on dahlbergs have been on variations that include combinations of light green (more of a chartreuse), red, white, and yellow (key on the red, i include that in almost all combos) deer hair.

 

As for the retrieval..... if they are aggressive they can and will blow up on a fast erratic retrieve. I've always done erratic motion retrieves. strip strip pause..... strip pause...... strip strip strip strip pause..... etc. etc. for some reason most of my bites have occurred on the pause, I think they like the thrill of the chase... so they chase it and a sudden stop is too much for em, and they think its an easy meal.

 

my last pike on a fly was 29.5"er caught on a 5wt fishin for smallies on a crawfish pattern, so know the heck knows.... sure was fun though.

 

steve

[Esox 0]

If the lake has leeches and the fish are still in the shallows spawning, it is hard to beat any leech imitation. Don't be afraid of going too big either, toss the biggest thing you can handle on your rod. I like 6-8" black bunny strips, I'll use white or chartreuse when the water is dirty.

When the water is still below 40, subtle strips giving the bait an undulating up and down motion seems to work best. As the water warms, the pike will be done spawning, but will move slightly deeper in the spawning bays, preying on the other fish coming in to spawn. Look for patches on new weed growth and particularly any inside turn in either weeds or bottom structure. This is when you can get some very agressive topwater hits on poppers, they will be very willing to come up for a noisy easy meal, and Dahlbergs get a lot of fish. Once the water hits the low to mid sixties, the big fish will move out to deeper water.

[Philly 0]

My one chance at pike fishing comes on my annual trip to Ontario. It's usually in mid-July, so chances for a big fish aren't great. It's a mixed bag of fishing, but the last couple years, I've done mostly fly fishing. The main target has been smallmouth, so all but one of the pike I've caught has been on a 6 wgt, they've ranged from 16 to 28 inches. I've caught them on flies 5 inches or less in length.

Two flies that have worked, are a Fuzzy Fiber minnow around 3 1/2 inches long, and a Spey Fleye about 5 inches long. The Fuzzy Fiber minnow was light blue/white or Chartreuese/White, and the Spey Fleye was all in white/pearl.

Both are relatively easy to tie, the Spey Fleye being the hardest of the two. If you're interested I can post the tying instructions. Don't have any pictures of either though the Spey Fleye is based on Popovic's Semper Fleye and there are pictures of that on the web.

If the pike are in there to control panfish, then you should find out what kind, and base some flies on them. For yellow perch or sunfish, a fire-tiger pattern should work.

[Sean Juan 0]

One on my favorite pike flies is a simple Strawberry Blonde.

 

I tie them big on a 6/0 hook (I tie off about 1/4 shank length away from the eye just to distance the leader from the teeth a bit doesn't work 100% of the time but I'm paranoid about wire leaders spooking fish and the last time I snuck a spool of piano wire into the house my wife got real suspicious and bought a gun) yellow bucktail tail, red bucktail wing and gold Bodi Braid up the shank.

 

Even though the hook is big they are easy to cast since they are so sparce. They give off a lot of flash and take seconds to tie - so if they get mauled its no big deal.

 

Plus its totally Old School which is cool. Keep it real!!!

 

If you want to make them even more durable coat the wraps and the body with Epoxy...will also help make it sink.

[Esox 0]

Pike are hardly what I would consider to be leader shy, but I have been playing with floro leaders, 20-30# with a 50-80# bite tippet. One thing I like about the floro, besides the visibility factor, is that it is stiff and will turn over big flys with ease.