I finally caught a pike today, this about my sixth attempt !

It was my 1st pike by any method since I've not fished for them with spinners, lures bait etc so I'm well chuffed.

At first when I was fishing along the canal near the marina and felt something pull so I struck by lifting the rod, then I definitely knew it was a fish not a snag but it got off. I think my trout fishing was to blame for this , I'm used to striking by lifting the rod so I made a mental note to strip strike if I got another chance. After fishing this spot a while longer, casting along the bank, to the other side and near the canal boats I decided to head across the bridge to the point where the marina and canal form a y junction, hoping a pike might have taken up position here to intercept fish as they head into the marina area for the winter.

I started casting up into the mouth of the marina from the wider area just back from the neck at the entrance. It was getting dark by now so I couldn't see my casts at all but I could tell the line unfolded nicely as it took all the running line I had stripped off the reel. I left the fly to slowly sink for about 20 seconds then started to pull 2 inch strips in before remembering the last fish had taken the fly with a very slow figure of eight retrieve, I switched to a very slow retrieve and almost immediately felt a pull, this time I stripped the line hard to set the hook. It felt like the fly had snagged the bottom but then the pike exploded from the water surface scattering the ducks swimming on the opposite bank, I pulled in line hard keeping the pressure on so it wouldn't slip off the barbless hook and finally there it was a beautiful pike just over 50 cm long.

I caught it on a fly I tied up this afternoon on one of my newly acquired Ad Swier ultimate pike #4/0 hooks. I called it the green woodpecker pike fly :- (a picture tells a thousand words)


I got the rabbit zonker strips from fly only, they are doing a quarter rabbit for about £8, which in the pack I got had 21 strips of 11" each about 3-4mm wide. (they must be big rabbits)

I also tied this one up ( 1p for size reference):-
rabbit zonker, chartreuse and red bucktail, crystal flash, unpicked mylar over body tied on ad swier ultimate pike 4/0#

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www.tungsten-beads-plus.com For Knapek, Hends, Partridge, Siman and Tungsten products

Well done on getting your first pike and on your own fly as well! It is a great feeling. Here's to many more!

well done was that the forth and clyde canal if so thats even better as im going to give it a wee go again some time next week

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dont you just love nature

Good effort liked the story, great flies to, catching pike on the fly can be difficult at the best of times. Then suddenly out of the blue when your least expecting it you get one, then all the hard work and effort seems worthwhile!
Keep at it well done

Well done, here's to many more!!

Dougie

congratulations on your first fish well done

all the best
pike_fly_angler

Well done.

No looking back now

BTW the FunkyFibre is posted and sould be with you tomorrow.

WCB

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It was on the Calder canal at Sowerby Bridge near Halifax.

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www.tungsten-beads-plus.com For Knapek, Hends, Partridge, Siman and Tungsten products

I had another go this morning and got another 5 pike !

The 1st one:-



had some damage to its side, does this look like cormorant damage ?

The biggest fish 69cm and quite fat :-



There was quite a bit of action apart from the five fish, I probably missed as many again. I caught all the fish on these 2 flys :-



Ad Swier absolute pike hook #4/0 , rabbit zonker x 2, crystal flash and tungsten dumbbell



Ad Swier abs. pike #4/0 , funky pike fibre (from wcb toby) , rabbit zonker, foam head and it had a tungsten dumbbell (lost) and rattle eyes this fly swam point up.

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www.tungsten-beads-plus.com For Knapek, Hends, Partridge, Siman and Tungsten products

Just a couple of observations... top photo... I guess you were holding fish and camera... try and support the fish or as in photo 2 lie the fish down... and in photo 2... an unhooking mat might be kinder on the fish especially as he's going back.... minimal impact on the pike... sometimes I just unhook them in the water unless a reasonable size to weigh.

Cheers

D