Musky and Pike Gear and Flies

[Troutbum11 0]

Hey guys,

 

So I just bought a boat and I am hoping to target musky and pike a lot this coming spring and fall.

 

Right now I just have and 8wt with full sinking line. I am hoping someday to get a 10wt but thats not an option right now. I have started to tie up some musky and pike flies which include many of my own designs plus some of Blane Chockletts "t-bones"

 

So my questions are...

 

How under-gunned will I be with an 8wt? I'm pretty confident I can land these fish with and 8wt but I'm not so sure about chucking these huge flies all day with one. Anyone else use an 8?

 

Also any suggestions on colors and your personal preference on flies would be great! Also what kind of Leaders do you prefer? I think I'm going with just straight heavy mono right now....60LB.

 

If any of you are familiar with Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County Maryland or some of the rivers around Morgantown West Virginia, such as the Mon river or Dunkard Creek thats where i will be fishing.

 

Thanks in advance!!

 

-Ryan

[mikechell 0]

I read that most fly lines are, at minimum, 30# test line. So, your ability to LAND a pike with any rod is only limited to the leader/tippet strength.

If you use 60# test leader, then you'll be able to land any musky or pike that doesn't bite through the line.

You might snap a lighter weight rod, but you'll land the fish.

 

I've just recently purchased my first 8 weight rod, and it's very nice. I know I couldn't cast it all day, like I can my lighter weight rods, so on that note ... I'd be fishing much shorter days if that was the only rod I had with me.

[vicente 0]

I wish we had pike and musky here, check this thread out http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=83005 for leader materials, I imagine with the right line you should be able to throw some pretty big flys well with that 8 weight.

[Fish For Life 0]

An 8 weight is a fairly common pike rod size. Wouldn't want to go much lighter but it will do good. A 9 wt is in general a very good pike rod size, 10 is good if you are wanting to target some bigger fish however. As for casting the flys. You should be able to cast most of them, although some of the bigger more wind resistant flys may give you some troubles. Only 60lb leader is kind of unnecessary. I use and would recommend 30lb leader with a short several foot length of the 60lb as tippet. For colors, probably the colors that you would think are good are good. Chartreuse, orange, yellow, red, white, black are all very typical pike fly colors.

Ive caught plenty of pike on a 5wt, and although it isn't ideal it is very doable. I was casting clousers so the weight wasn't a problem. And even small fish gave a hell of a fish. No in wouldn't want to get a 20lb fish with the 5wt, but im sure it would handle it. So an 8 wt will be fine.

[corney 0]

I fish my local lake with an 8 wt but when I head to Northern Saskatchewan I take an 9 wt.

 

Color of bugs is personal; blue, yellow, red, chartreuse, orange mixed with white all catch pike.

 

I have been using about 4' of 20-30 lb mono with about 2' of coated mason wire tie in the bug on with a figure 8 not. Might try crimping a small snap on the end this year to see how that works.

 

Had rotator cuff surgery last November so I am building a 11' switch rod in a 7/8 to try this year when the water gets softer.

 

Right now I am using a tip up with big smelts on the hook for pike ( oh my the shame of it all!).

[Piker20 0]

I have found big fish often take prey in the 6inch size. Be that live bait, lures or flies. So don't worry if you are not throwing half chickens at them. You'll cover far more water and fish with a more sensible sized fly.

 

I always use a wire tippet as they are the only 100% bite proof option. I don't want to loose fish or leave fish with hooks in unnecessarily. The single strand titanium wire is my favourite as you can knot it to a small clip for the flies and a swivel for the leader. I use fluro carbon in 30lb for my leader as it helps sink the fly a little.

Also I very rarely use a floating fly line.

[FIN-ITE 34 0]

I have an 8wt Beulah single hand rod that I use a 9wt line in either the RIO Outbound Short or Pike/Musky line. I can double haul any 10"-12" fly out as far as I need, which is about 60'-70'. With smaller less wind resistant flies I can make the rod "thunk" at the end of a cast.

 

I have taken pike up to 42", but have not targeted musky as yet.

 

Like Piker20, I too use a 4'-5' section of 30lb fluorocarbon attached to a 12"-14" wire trace. I prefer the nylon coated stranded wire because I use the fused loop wire trace of Niklaus Bauer and Daniel Holm.

 

Most of my flies are tied on tubes. For my colors I like orange, chartreuse, pink, black, gold and copper. My favorite combination of colors are chartreuse/black/gold and chartreuse/orange/black.

 

Your T-Bones should be great. That side kick is key when you stop your strip.

[corney 0]

Clip, snap same thing? Swivel would be a great idea in the system!

 

I do like to put a weak point in my system so when I do get set in the rocks or a piece of the rock I can bust off my bug and save my line and rod. Sometimes it's is a 20lb leader.

[AKtrap 0]

As many here (and you, troutbum) have mentioned, I too feel that any issue you might find with your 8-wt. will be casting into a stiff wind, not the matter of handling the fish. Though there are times when my only chance to get out requires enduring ugly winds, casting into it is not my favorite way to spend a day. With that said, for my two cents it is a fine choice for pike. It is what I use.

 

Hands down my favorite fly is a Lefty's Deceiver (or similar) in chartreuse and green, or a chartreuse/yellow/olive combo like in the pic below. I like larger flies better, as we are often out for the bigger fish - not that "smaller" ones aren't going to smash it on you anyway.

 

For leaders, I take the easy way out and use climax pike leaders. They have a wire front end and -as they say- an 'aggressive taper' that does help flip those big gnarly flies out there in a breeze. First site I found from google: https://www.fishingmegastore.com/climax-pike-leader~17248.html They come with crimpable ferrules, which are permanent until you cut off they fly and use another ferrule, so if you change often, this could maybe not be the leader for you. (Only two ferrules come in each pack)

 

If you specifically get after the large ones, I also recommend two-hook setups (trailers). I have had more pike than I care to admit shake off, when they finally got all that hair from an 8 or 9 inch fly untangled and realized the hook never sank home despite several attempts to set it. So many teeth in those cavernous mouths of the big boys that sometimes things tangle up and the hook doesn't get set as it should, or so it seems in my experience. I personally have not found a trailer wire setup I like yet, so I go jerry-rigged in this regard. I use a swivel and split ring combo secured to the hook with powerpro, and that has not failed me...yet. Bulky, but they do not seem to care. This also keeps the hook swung up and back in case they hit or nip at it during a strip, and yet dangles it down during the fall/flutter which most often is when they seem to pop it. A pic of this:

 

I am anxious to get out and hit the creeks for big pike here shortly...the big mamas should be posting up for the spawn before too long...I know I am new here, so for "credibility's" sake...here are some recent friends we've made...

 

A 46 (inch) and a 45 in there

 

38

 

Another 46

[troutinturnie 0]

I second the fly choice by akTrap and would like to add the colour purple/black, red/yellow and red/white. Pike up here in northern Manitoba love um. For leaders I use cabelas bass leaders 20lb, they come in a pack of 6 and are cheap to buy, I use rio knotable wire for a tippet and have had great success.

 

Enjoy the fishing, it is a blast hooking a monster like in the pics above!

[Troutbum11 0]

Wow...those are some true monsters! That's what I'm after! But arent we all.

 

Thanks for the comments and suggestions guys! its good to know other guys are catching them on 8wts. All i have been hearing lately is at least a 10 but the proof is in those pictures for sure! I tend to enjoy lighter tackle anyway. I hope to have some pics of a few fish soon!

 

akTrap-

 

Is that deceiver all bucktail? it looks like you have some synthetics mixed in there like EP fibers or something...?

[AKtrap 0]

I believe you are correct, troutbum, but all I did was modify those flies in that pic - they are not my own ties or creations. (don't I wish) The lower bodies, though, are bucktail and most of the upper, longer fibers seem to be EP, or maybe some "Super hair" or Supreme hair or something in there as well. Some of it almost has a crimped look, but some of the material does not. The chartreuse and white version I am so fond of can barely be seen at the right of that pic, but its makeup is the same...bucktail, EP/hair ? and krystal flash, with epoxy heads. In that one there is some dark green EP/hair along the spine of the fly to go with the chartreuse and white. Fly tying is new to me, so for now these are the types I model my poor pike fly imitations after ...but we're getting there

 

Those in the picture are called 'sucker perch' flies on the site where I got them - Lost Creek Flies I think it was called. They come with weed guards as well (which I most of the time clip off with pliers)

[Ol'DirtyCaster 0]

I spend a month or more in Canada every year. The guys I fish with use 8wts with density compensated heads. Flies are rarely bigger than 2/0. Here's one of Don's fish from last fall.

[flyguy613 0]

One thing we have alot of here in Canada are pike and musky.. And they get big. Personally I would probably choose a 10 weight rod just to make casting all flies that much more pleasurable, and could throw a giant fly as well. Plus there's the chance of getting into 40"+ pike and 50"+ musky they don't fight that insane but are super heavy fish