Whats the story with catching winter pike using a fly ??

I am about to start fly fishing for pike , have all the gear on the way #9 rod etc... I fished for pike by "standard" methods for 25 years but fly is all new and have no idea where to start
Any info on flies and lines for the winter please .

I have picked a canal as my place to test the water so to speak ......

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Cheers Danny

Co-Founder of S.S.F.D 2010

I was about to ask the same question, but with regard to lakes/resevoirs during the winter.

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Steve


"There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process." Paul O'Neil

I know it all slows down in the winter and I am guessing that sinking lines and tickling the pike right on the nose with the fly might be they way to go ?? As I know they are in no hurry to move unless they are hungry and actually up and about and seaking a feed .
Some waters I used to fish would be set times , eg 10 - 11:30 am and then say 3-4 pm , rest of the time you might as well be at home .
I am finding I am thinking about it in the same way I used to approach the pike with baits , but I am not sure if this is the best way to look at it as I have a feeling it could all be different on the fly ...

Lets see what the experts have to say .....

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Your fish ----> ><((((º> My fish ----> ><(((((((((º>
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Cheers Danny

Co-Founder of S.S.F.D 2010

The only thing different about fishing with a fly is the materials your "bait" is made of.

Fish a fly in the same way you would fish, say a plug, a rubber lure, a wobbled dead bait.....a slow retrieve popped up dead bait.

All you need to think about is where the pike is going to be, OK location. Then depth, and how you can present your tasty offering in a way likely to trigger a response.

That is all there is to it. People make it sound more complex than it actually is.

To vary the depth you present your fly there are a couple of ways of solving the same problem:
weighted fly on a floating line if not too deep (down to about 4 or 5 feet say)
weighted fly line and standard fly - gets you down deeper more quickly, you can easily fish as deep as 20 feet with a fast sink line.

weighted line and floating fly....this is the fly fishers "popped up dead bait".

All that happens is the line sinks the fly, which remains above the bottom, depending on length of leader...you can fish it very slowly over weed beds for instance. Use a fly with very mobile materials like marabou, then any water currents set off the materials moving. Imagine a static bait, but with bits of it moving in the water, like the fins of a static fish just wafting.....deadly!

Nice one TL that is just what I needed . I now have a clear picture in my mind of what is needed and can't wait to give it a go

Cheers

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Your fish ----> ><((((º> My fish ----> ><(((((((((º>
__________________

Cheers Danny

Co-Founder of S.S.F.D 2010

As it was said previously, don`t complicate. Pikes are more than willing to take a fly or any artificial lure in winter. Go down, near the bottom. I fish in rivers, lakes and clay mine (at least until they freeze over). A lot of fun. You can expect some ice forming on your rings etc. Experiment to see what works in your waters. General rule is slow and deep, but there are exeptions. For example once i had a cast in shallow water, where there were no small fish, freezing temperatures, so pikes should not be there. Well, they were. Similar stuff happened on other occasions too. Go out, try, learn. Dress correctly and you shall have fun. When it is realy cold, i use gloves. Strange at first with fly rod, but you get used to it.

BlueOne

Thank you blue

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Your fish ----> ><((((º> My fish ----> ><(((((((((º>
__________________

Cheers Danny

Co-Founder of S.S.F.D 2010

Thanks guys

steve

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Steve


"There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process." Paul O'Neil

Hey Danny... just of topic mate - I sold my 25hp engine with the boat last week, so sorry about that mate.

Biggest challenge with mid winter pike fly-fishing on lakes, is locating fish and the 'bite time'.

With the cooler temps pike will tend to lie flat on the bottom in deeper water. If your fishing smaller lakes a depth finder is invaluable to find drop-offs and structure in the deepest parts of the lake.

Pike will be more likely to feed as their metabolism warms with the winter afternoon. I find pike 'bite times' on Lough Corrib are usually between 2 pm - 4 pm. Although not a schooling fish, I find pike tend to 'cluster' together at this time of year. So if you indeed catch a pike on your chosen water don't be afraid to try the same spot/drift again. I find multiple pike can be located within the parameter of c. 200 metres around October/November.

Fast sink lines in the Di3 and Di7 range are my first choice and I tend to use flies around 7-8 inches with long tails and plenty of movement/pulse.
Retrieve can be varied but as pike tend to conserve energy this time of year a 'nervous' twitching strip with the odd long, slow pull works well.

G'day Brent , no worries on the engine as 25 was to big , would have chanced it if was a 20 .

Nice one on the info , I know where the big pike are at any given time on some of the waters I fish . Trouble is one of the hot spots is 50 feet

Thanks all , will post a full report in the coming weeks of how my new "obsession" is going

__________________
Your fish ----> ><((((º> My fish ----> ><(((((((((º>
__________________

Cheers Danny

Co-Founder of S.S.F.D 2010