Hi guys, I am new to the forum so be gentle with me!
I fish for all species in all manner of styles, but Pike is my favourite. I am just in the process of setting up with some Pike fly fishing tackle.
If you spent as much time fly fishing for Pike as you did using spoons/lures etc, which would produce the largest/most fish?

Others may have their own opinions, but I think that almost undoubtedly spinners and plugs would beat flies most of the time.

In certain conditions the fly is very effective but in others much less so. In those conditions (eg clear water) it can be pretty close to lures in effectiveness and there are some things that you can do with a fly that you can't do with a heavy lure. Such as cast to a sighted fish laid up in shallow water without spooking it.

I fish with a mate who mostly spins all the time. We fish for pike and bass mainly and I reckon that he probably catches 4 fish to everyone 1 that I catch. There are occasional days (usually for bass) when I completely outclass him, but these are rare.

Although I haven't fished for pike (yet), I think that this applies to trout too.
I fly fish for the enjoyment of fly fishing, not just to catch fish, so it doesn't matter to me which is the most effective.
I am just not interested in other methods, although I have tried.
Cheers,
Gary.

(Just guessing, but for pike, I would think Spinner/Plug would outdo fly?)

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"Calling Fly Fishing a hobby is like calling Brain Surgery a job."

Interesting! Why do you think that is though? Is it because plugs create more vibration in the water so prompting more of a response than site alone (especially when visibility is lower)?

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Fish are like sex; tons around but I never seem to get any.

Funnily enough I have caught more pike on the fly than I ever did on plugs! Plus I get the enjoyment of catching fish on flies that I've tied myself...

And that's the best way! Nothing better than catching on your own ties!

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Fish are like sex; tons around but I never seem to get any.

Interesting thread.
As I said, I have'nt gone for pike yet, but I am really looking forward to trying.
It just goes to show how much preconceptions can colour an opinion. I would have thought, as I said, that plugs or lures would have outfished a fly, but it seems I am wrong. Not that I intend to try plugs though.
Having seen some of the pike flies people tie, I am looking forward to having a go at tying some.

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"Calling Fly Fishing a hobby is like calling Brain Surgery a job."

Thanks lads!
I have caught Pike on my own creations before, wooden jerkbaits and home made spoons and the feeling is magical.
I can not wait to do the same with a fly, but will leave the tieing for a while until I learn the casting first

I guess the answer is to keep both setups in the boat, and use which one the conditions call for.

Cheers.

Although I have not done a lot of pike fishing with the fly, I have caught something like 40 other species of fish with this method.

There are some species of fish where the fly beats all other methods, notably Smallmouth American Bass. In fact fly fishing was banned on some South African waters due to it being too effective. Some people in BASS chapters thought fly fishing "unsporting".

In many cases the fly is not imitating an insect, but more a species of preyfish, or even a frog. Two of the best "flies" I used to use for Smallmouth Bass were the Dahlberg Diver and Lefty's Deciever. But I also caught many on a plain black streamer fly.

I think the name of the game here is that fly fishing for a whole host of species other than the salmonids is most enjoyable. And isn't that why we go fishing?

Oh and by the way, the following is for our USA friends. The Booby is absolutely deadly for largemouth bass in the cooler months in deep water.

Fish it using a very fast sinking line such as an Airflo DI 7, at least an 8 weight to make sure the whole line lies on the deck. A leader between 12 inches and 3 feet will do the job.

And you will also catch lots of smallmouth bass.