A nice morning in Foxford with a noticeable rise in temperature as storm Bert approaches from the Atlantic. Back to wind and rain for a while. I have had a few walks along the river in Foxford in the past few days and the fish seem to have moved on. Hopefully these fish will now be settling down in an area and preparing for spawning. Yesterday morning I was up early and there was snow on the ground so I decided a dawn stroll with a good camera would yield some worthy snaps. I dug out a camera and put a new set of batteries into it. This is one of those fancy cameras, Nikon, bells, whistles and flashing lights, cost a small fortune and has been used five times in ten years. I left the house and headed towards the river which is not a long distance. On the way I done the old photographer bit, (yeah you see one in every good comedy) lined up the shots, got the angles, the lighting, set the parameters and took the shot. All going well and I had half a dozen pictures taken when I made it as far as the river bank where a Heron stood perched ready to strike. This was the money shot, I even crawled in the snow to get things right. I raised the camera and pushed the button only to see a little message “Low Battery replace now” followed by a black screen. The Heron flew away and I said fuck this for a game of cowboys it’s the phone from now on.
It has been cold but the weather has been exceptionally good and we have had lots of opportunities to get out pike fishing. We are not the most serious Pike anglers in the country and take it as an opportunity to get out in the fresh air for a few hours. We do mostly short evening sessions from the shore of a local lough with the occasional day session where we visit a new venue. Its nice though and it is certainly shortening the winter. To date this winter our best day has been eight pike, P.J five and Me three. Our largest has been around 12lbs. We are on a mission to catch a large “Specimen” sized fish, will let you know when we succeed.
I am not trying to sell a bait here but an interesting fact is that on the day P.J caught five and I caught three. I was using natural bait (Small roach) while P.J was using a Strike Pro Guppie https://themoy.com/product/strike-pro-guppie-13-5cm/ . For whatever reason and perhaps luck had a part to play, it worked better. I do not know enough about Pike and their habits to make an informed comment but it got me thinking. The guys we fish with on the River Suck all use natural baits and I do not think I have ever seen them try anything else and they catch a lot of Pike and large ones as I have witnessed. On the other hand, there are a few guides I see fishing on Loughs Conn and Cullin throughout the year and they are always throwing out large lures of varying descriptions with success also. Two different schools of thought I am sure both have good reasons to use their chosen methods. I know that if we get into the “Science” of it all and look at feeding habits, water temperature, clarity and a host of other factors, there will be times when natural is best and times when artificial lures will work better. As an amateur Pike angler, it is not something I am going to get too hung up on. In future I will have a selection of both and If P.J is getting ahead I will change, simple.
While fishing a stretch of river last week I mentioned to P.J that I would like to give it a try with a fly. Off course I did not have the Pike fly rod with me but I will go back there. Pike fly fishing can be very exciting and takes are literally explosive. If dead baiting or lure fishing is not you thing perhaps you should give it a try. Its not difficult and the equipment does not have to cost a fortune
What’s needed
Rod: A rod capable of casting large and sometimes heavy flies is best. Most Pike flies are tied on large single hooks, sizes1/0 to 6/0 and can be heavily dressed. The favoured rod length is 9 feet (2.7m) with a line rating of #8 #9 #10. I use a saltwater rod that is rated #9/10 and I find it perfect. The rod needs a bit of ‘back bone” to handle larger fish when you are lucky enough to hook them. Although Pike are not noted for making long runs, they can be lively, will jump, and can play hard as they root for the bottom.
Reel: Any half decent fly reel that will hold a large line and some backing will be fine. It should have a good smooth drag.
Line: As always choice of line is a personal thing and especially when it comes down to which brand name to buy. You will need a line that is rated to suit your rod but most importantly the line should have a short front taper which will make it suitable for casting large heavy flies. Most good manufacturers have a specialist line suited to Pike fly fishing. The density of the line is important, so whether it will float, sink slowly or sink fast is what we need to think about. Your choice will be determined by where you fish and the time of year. For a rough guide, fishing in shallow water in summer a floating line is good. Fishing in a lake in December a slow sinking (DI3) or something slightly faster sinking may be required.
For now the sinking lines will work best, air and water temperatures are dropping and the fish will be less likely to come to the surface.
Leader: The leader is the piece of line between the Fly line and the fly, what the fly is attached to. For Pike we do not need a very long leader. We do need a reasonably strong and most importantly tough material. Pike have razor sharp teeth and will easily cut through most normal line. The best solution is to make a leader using a length (5 or 6 foot 1.5 to 2m) of heavy mono to which you attach a short (12-inch 30cm) length of suitable wire or steel leader. These steel leaders are available in soft wire that can be tied easily or you can crimp on a small barrel swivel at one end and a snap swivel at the other to attach your fly. Make a few as they get twisted and must be changed regularly.
What flies will Pike take: I think you could wrap any assortment of fur and feather around a large single hook and stand a chance of a Pike “having a go”. However as in most fishing situations the angler who thinks and studies the situation will be more successful. Try to think about what the Pike are feeding on? Roach, Rudd other small fish, “Match the Hatch”. Think about where they are feeding and what the likely food sources will be, could the occasional frog be on the menu? Like other species Pike are more lethargic in cold water and less likely to “come up” for a fly. In summer Large fluffy balls of flies that resemble little ducks swimming merrily across the surface and in winter smaller flashy flies that resemble small fish fished a little deeper will be best.
Where and when to fish: One of the greatest things about Pike fly fishing is You can fly fish for Pike anywhere there is a pike to be caught. Rivers, Lakes, Canals are all possible and unlike Salmon and trout fishing there is no closed season. There are of course regulations, most of these are concerning bag limits and sizes and I would always advise you check these out in the locality you are planning to fish, before you start!
To sum it up
It is a fun and rewarding way to fish for another species. It is something that most trout and salmon fly anglers say they would like to try at some point and the equipment needed does not have to cost a fortune. It’s available on all our doorsteps and like them or loathe them Pike are fish and if we as anglers are willing to adapt and try something new, Pike fly fishing offers us additional sport. So why not get geared up and give it a go, we might meet you out there
