I'm getting serious cabin fever with the trout season being finished so I'm thinking of having a bash at pike. I have an 8# sw rod, reel and floating, inter and sinking lines. All I need, I think, are flies, traces and a needle nose pliers. I realise most people use 9 or 10 # for pike but I don'tt want to buy a whole new set up just to tide me over for a few months.

Does anyone know of a good online source for pike flies and the names of a couple of suitable flies to get me started, I'd rather they were on the smaller side rather than 7'' of fur given I'll be casting an 8# and my distance casting is frankly, ****.

I already have a good few sw flies, mostly clousers and surf candies. These wouldn't do the job by any chance?

Finally, I was looking at this wire trace
http://www.tacklebargains.co.uk/acat...es_Traces.html

second from the top - Would this be suitable?

Sorry about all the question.


Steve

__________________
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

Peter Horne in Killard will sell you Kevlar steel, some of the city tackle shops might have it to,,never see it anywhere online or out side of Cork for that matter..anyway its very light and you can tie a knot in it making it perfect for fly fishing for pike..
The flies for sale in the tackle shops around Cork are fine..have had fish over twenty on them, the ones for sale online are a rip off..i have seen surf candies for sale online here three times the price I buy them for....never used them for pike but they would work in the Summer...in the winter you need something a little larger, a little slower and with more tail movement
You will also need a permit if you are fishing above the dam

Cheers Stylie

will check out the local tackle shop for wire & flies


steve

__________________
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

Steve your clousers and surf candies will work fine, just make sure you use a wire trace.
A lot of standard trout lures will take pike, if you use the biggest sizes you can get and you will also be able to cast them ok.
Here are some good lures that work well
wooly ******, top lure in black or olive size 8 upwards.
Dog nobbler again big as you can get.
Minkie.
Polar minnow perch.
polarminnow roach.
Muddler minnow.
Zonker.
And more besides.
Also any standard pike flies in the smaller sizes if you are using an 8wt.
Let us know how you get on.