Pike on the fly starter set up

[Old fisher]

Hi all. I fancy a go at fly fishing for pike this Autumn/Winter. Can anyone advise me on a starter set up. Rod, Reel and Line etc. I have no wish to spend a large capital in case it's not to my liking? I realise the tackle needed will be on the 8/9 weight range and probably a bit expensive. Any help you pike guys and gals can give me would be a great help. Thanks

 

[@Clive]

I would go heavier, 10/11 weight forward or a specialist line to turnover bulky flies. No need for an expensive rod as the higher the carbon content the higher the liklihood of damage if / when the lure strikes the rod when casting. A s/h graphite salmon rod wouldn't cost much. Similarly, no need for an expensive reel. An old centrepin would do. Use a heavy mono stepped leader to the last link then a fuoro' length to the lure. I use quick change links to attach the lures.

It is donkey work casting those bulky flies and can be for little reward as the average size of pike caught doesn't always test the stregth of rod required to chuck the budgies. Spinning or plug fishing gives a better reward imo as the tackle is lighter and the casting easier. If I were in the UK you could have had my gear for a bargain price. I can't see me using it again.

 

[Old fisher]

I would go heavier, 10/11 weight forward or a specialist line to turnover bulky flies. No need for an expensive rod as the higher the carbon content the higher the liklihood of damage if / when the lure strikes the rod when casting. A s/h graphite salmon rod wouldn't cost much. Similarly, no need for an expensive reel. An old centrepin would do. Use a heavy mono stepped leader to the last link then a fuoro' length to the lure. I use quick change links to attach the lures.

It is donkey work casting those bulky flies and can be for little reward as the average size of pike caught doesn't always test the stregth of rod required to chuck the budgies. Spinning or plug fishing gives a better reward imo as the tackle is lighter and the casting easier. If I were in the UK you could have had my gear for a bargain price. I can't see me using it again.

Hi Clive. Thankyou for all that great information. I would add, That I used to do a lot of pike fishing. I was a member of the P.A.C. and have caught hundreds of them lure fishing and dead baiting. I have never in 68 years of fishing, cast a fly in any way, so know nothing about any kind of fly fishing. I have no interest in fishing for trout or salmon I just fancied a go at pike. Therefor the information you have given me has made me realise there may be more to think about before I have a go at it. I do have a lot of the tackle that you mentioned . Thankyou.

 

[@Clive]

If you can fish from a boat on one of the trout fisheries out of season then it could be good sport as the drifting boat allows the fly to sink deep from a short cast, pay line out and then allow it come up in the water creating movement. If you are casting from the shore in winter then it might be a struggle as you would have to cast some distance and against the wind in many situations. It is hard work. A canal would be ideal in as much as you can cast into deeper water along the marginal shelf rather than straight out. However, there won't be many canals that would have the room required for the back cast.

I found summer the best time as pike are more mobile in warmer conditions. Winter will be a lot slower and you will need to fish a lot deeper. I used to finish the fluoro' tippet with about 9" of a knottable wire with a quick change clip at the end. I don't know if that sort of wire is still available. Haven't seen it for years. But the clip allows the lures to move more easily and you don't lose inches of pike wire when you change lures.

 

[steve2]

A week too late I just gave all pike fly gear away. What I was using was a 9/10 rod and a cheap salmon size fly reel.

 

[John Aston]

I have the odd dabble for jacks with a 6/7 weight 9-6 rod, and cheap WF7 floater and it is fine. There is an annoying trend in modern streamer fishing for both trout and pike always to to use gigantic lures . It seems to be a macho thing , judging by some of its practitioners but it isn't necessary at all for fun fishing. I first streamer fished 40 years ago when it wasn't a thing at all on rivers . I used lures typically 4s and 10s for chub , trout and pike , and I still do so. They work and you don't need a tough guy rod to cast them . And cheap decent capacity fly reel will do but do make sure you have a lot of backing for the unexpected encounters ...Ignore all the marketing flim flam about disc drag and spool made out of weapon grade unobtanium . A simple reel is fine , and may good ones are now made out of plastics now.

For traces I will again praise Surflon , the best knottable wire I've ever used , and by a huge margin .

To be frank , though , I far prefer piking with a light lure rod and 3.5 - 7g jigs on 2s- 2/0s . It's just as subtle and enjoyable as fly fishing but you can cast a lot further , and fish at different depths and speeds much more easily. I love it

 

[Old fisher]

Hi John. I've done lots of pike fishing over my early years. I've made dozens of plugs and spinners etc. I also purchased a lot of quite expensive plugs and lures from Sue Harris at the Harris lure company. In fact, and I can't remember for sure, but I may have mentioned a couple of years ago on FM Forum that I had some years ago given my extensive collection of plugs and other lures (about 200) to my grandsons, along with 8 pike rods including spinning and dead baiting rods. That was in my time of being a member of the P.A.C.

 

[@Clive]

I certainly didn't use big lures for macho reasons. Results when boat fishing on trout reservoirs out of season demonstrated that bigger fish were often caught on the larger lures. Of course when boat fishing you can cast with the wind and allow your lure to sink as the boat drifts over it. Bank fishing on coarse fishery lakes it was the opposite as I used to prefer to fish into a warmer wind in winter. The lures don't weigh that much, but their wind resistance can be huge.

It is a lot more pleasant casting lures with a spinning rod and baitcaster reel.

 

[John Aston]

Oh they have their place, absolutely , but they aren't always needed. Some of the more vocal trout guides in my area , who seem to think they are some sort of pioneers in streamer fishing, do use absurdly large lures for not very big trout . As I found when lure fishing before they were born , lures in smaller sizes work very well on rivers for trout and pike.

 

[@Clive]

I read somewhere, possibly the American book on fly fishing for pike that some larger lures have more movement in the water in that they pulsate. I have a perch imitation lure that does just that. It looks to be 3x bigger at rest, i.e. when I am not pulling it. I've caught pike on Clousers and shrimp imitations that I either bought or tied for sea fishing, but give me a big, soft lure with eyes for pike every time. But only from a boat!