Fly Fishing for Pike

It seems like a new twist in the fly fishing game, yet more than a century ago, fly fishers were noticing that pike who were turning their noses up at bait were often all over an imitation fly.

The materials that went into the fly’s design had a lifelike movement in the water that these apex predators couldn’t resist. Takes were dramatic and it left a magnificent killing machine in your net that wasn’t averse to taking a chunk out of you if you didn’t unhook it properly. 

Whatever type of angler you are, the word ‘pike’ resonates. The menacing head; the truculent jut of the lower jaw; those triangular teeth that mean you only really relax once your hook is out and the beast is back in the water.

This is not your everyday fish. It will eat ducklings and water voles if the mood so takes it. And then there’s its sheer size: 25lb is just a good one – catch one of 40lb if you’re after an ovation.

Pity those misguided fly fishers who see pike as vermin; a single-unit plague of locusts in any body of water. If that was the case, of course, how come they aren’t the only freshwater species left?

How to fly fish for pike

First, you’ll need an extra item of equipment, namely a padded unhooking mat, so that the weight of a big pike isn’t pressing its skin against sharp stones or vegetation as you unhook it.

Dawn and dusk are the best times to fly fish for pike and while they eat well in the summer, spring or fall can be the best time to fish for them because the weed that gives them cover is not at its peak, which means there’s less clutter between fly and fish. Pike also provide good sport during the winter.

Baitfish desperately hurling themselves clear of the water is a sign that pike are about, and you should look at anything nearby where pike can conceal themselves while waiting to strike – weed beds, sunken trees or rocks, undercut river banks, or just a big hole of deeper water.

When they are resting between feeds, they will occasionally come into the shallows to enjoy the sun on their backs.

You want water that is at least semi-clear and don’t be afraid to experiment with retrieves. Sometimes, pike will take flies that are traveling fast but other times a gentler movement with the occasional tweak will be called for. If fishing for them in a river, try casting upstream and across and letting the current carry your fly past any waiting fish.

Pike aren’t as picky as trout when it comes to the presentation of your fly but you must get it close to them.

What are the best flies to fly fish for pike?

Pike flies don’t have to be huge but they do have to display a lot of movement under retrieve. At the smaller end of the scale, try Zonkers but if going larger, look for teardrop-shaped specialist pike flies. They not only move well but their manmade materials allow you to shake the water free from them when you false cast, so they don’t get waterlogged.

Once you know the kind of baitfish the pike in your water feed upon, look for pike flies that exhibit similar colors. If they come complete with eyes, that is another feature that often prompts pike to commit.

Pike are curious fish that often swim towards a disturbance rather than away from it, so have a selection of popper flies and frog patterns that you can pull splashily across the surface.

Make sure some of your flies have plenty of flash about them, in the form of tinsel, as pike occasionally look for such a trigger. On other days, then again, a simple black pattern can be just what they’re after. 

Whatever fly you use, don’t expect a take to be obvious. Despite being big fish, pike don’t always smash into the fly, so watch your line like a hawk for any unusual movement.

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Read about fly fishing in our guide to fly fishing for pike.