[Guest]

I am just wondering what you guys have been catching pike and muskie on. ???

 

[bitafurnfeather]

Kid,

Local author Barry Reynolds' book on Pike fishing has lots of recipes and fly pictures. Bunny flies (bunny strip tail and bunny palmered up the hook shank), deceivers and buggers are probably the most popular around here. You should be able to find Reynolds' book in most FF shops.

 

[rottal]

Never caught a Musky on a fly, but for pike i tend to like bunny leeches tied on a 3/0 saltwater hook..(Umpqua 811S is my favorite) you can fish it deep or shallow, and they look great in the water. they are like casting a wet sock sometimes, and you need at least a fast 7 weight to do it---preferably a 9 wt. as far as durability...they last a long long time. its basically just some rabbit fur strips on a hook, with lots of superglue and 3/0 thread and an epoxy head if you want to get fancy..i tie them about 5 inches long with yellow eyes and some krystal flash in the tail.

for color? i go either light or dark...black and purple, or chartruese or yellow. sometimes a red an white on is a good pattern, but for the most part i dont think pike get too picky....not about color anyways. retrieve? thats a whole other subject...

 

[Oats]

Some of the new micro fibers also work well for something they haven't stumbled across. Cabelas has saltwater patterns that will really work well on over pressured pike, just check out the catalog.

 

[epic]

What type of leader do you guys use for pike/musky? How much does it effect your cast and fly action? Any other tips?

 

[bitafurnfeather]

I've done some pike fishing over the last few years and I've always used a leader of straight 25# hard mono. I use a Duncan knot to allow the streamer more movement on the terminal end, as I would fishing any streamer.

This is a pretty good site if you want more info on terminal tackle, like steel leaders, and other gear that's helpful for pike fishing. I assume everyone sees the need for long nosed pliers and jaw spreaders:
http://members.shaw.ca/clives/pike_gear.html

 

[rottal]

I use hard mono also...about a 5 or 6 ft section will work and will turn over heavy pike flies. dont expect a nice subtle presentation, its gonna basically "plop" a fly into the water...it works better than wire though, and is alot easier to use. with 25# hard mono i use a "figure 8" knot to tie on flies...never had a fish bite me off yet. you can buy a spool of 25 yards for a few bucks, its not too expensive and lasts a long time.

 

[epic]

Thanks guys, nice site too. I'm itchin to hit 11-mile for pike. But have just been to busy with home, work and kids sports to make it out there.

 

[Pete]

Rottal,

C'mon elaborate on the retreive for Northerns, you've got me wanting to dig out the fly rod and give it a go. Fast or slow, long or short, shallow or deep... do tell.

Pete

 

[rottal]

lol...nothing too fancy. i start with a slow retrieve if the water is cooler, like in the mornings and the water temp is below 52, and speed it up as the water warms up to the mid 50s. i use a 10 to 12 inch strip, fairly erratic with my rod tip low. very your speed and lenght of retrieve if you dont get hits. if i see a fish follow and not strike (and if there are fish in the area you eventually will) use a side jerk to get it into thier vision so they will strike. sometimes they follow so close they dont see your fly due to the position of thier eyes on the sides of their head...a blind spot directly in front or something. keep the fly moving. i generally look for a weedy dark bottom, and wade quietly. its not hard to walk up on fish once you learn what to look for. if you get a fish in your area they sometimes stay for awhile...the biggest pike i ever caught i fished to for about 15 minutes before he finally took the fly...right underneath the boat in about 4 feet of water. with a bunny leech, a hard mono leader of about 5 feet, and floating line you can get the fly deep enough to put it in thier strike zone in 3 or 4 feet of water..this is generally what you end up fishing when they come in the shallows to in early summer. sorry, i dont have any "secret retrieve" techniques...most of its pretty basic....

heres a poor picture of one pushing 45 inches...

[attachment deleted by admin]

 

[Oats]

Great pic, thats a giant northern anywhere!

 

[Neal/CO]

I like double bunnies, but usually just use a MH Spinning rod and soft jerkbaits.

Has anyone tried the terminater leader material?