I'm off to the Lakes in October - can anyone recommend a good location for pike on the fly? Ullswater area preferred.

Hi Rupert and welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy it here. You may find that anglers fishing for pike will play thier cards close to the chest regarding location for fear of over exploitation of a fragile fish.
Good luck with your trip though,
Andy.

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The trout in yonder wimpling burn
That glides, a silver dart,
And, safe beneath the shady thorn,
Defies the anglers art

R.Burns

I don't fish for pike on the fly myself but a friend at work does really well on Derwent Water near Keswick. Nothing huge (5-10lbs) but definitely pull your string! Esthwaite Water might be worth a try too although this gets a bit more pressure from the deadbaiters and plug fishermen but certainly holds some huge fish.

Good luck
BenB

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Peregrine Team Esthwaite

Welcome Rupert, apparently we have them in Brotherswater, and Ullswater, TC and I are going to have a winter bash for one.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

Hi' Rupert. Over the past 23/24 years I have tried, at odd times, to convince readers of a weekly angling column, that I write for our local paper, that there are pike in Ullswater. Sorry, I should have started with a welcome to FFF.
I was particularly pleased to receive a phone call yesterday from a former Penrith AA member who has been a keen scuba diver for many years, and who is an instructor. He found a pike under Glenridding pier at the head of the lake in 1986, which was about the time I first learned, via asking the NWWA rivers Division Fisheries Officer to confirm the suspicions of a friend and I.
I also learned, yesterday, that the same lad ( he's 76) has seen a shoal of rudd under the steamer pier at Pooley Bridge, plus a shoal of chub in Gale Bay, and several pike in a basking party a few years after his first sighting; so you would be doing me a favour if you caught a pike in Glenridding Bay.
The biggest pike that my informant has seen was a 20lb specimen in Loweswater. The biggest I have heard of in recent years was a 32 lb fish from one of the tarns; but that's all I'm allowed to say on that one.
Bassenthwaite and Derwentwater are probably the the most prolific pike lakes; only fished Derwentwater twice with fly for pike, and caught a 5lb jack on the third throw with a leadhead deer hair muddler type of beast that I tied some years ago. I know one very well-known angling/fly-tying celebrity who has had a lot of pike on Bass. lake by trolling heavy tube flies along the marginal weedy areas.
As mrtrout writes above, we hope to have a go at the Ullswater pike this 'backend', hopefully before it is too cold, and while they are on the prowl.
Good luck. TerryC

I used to belong to the Lure Angler's Society when it first started up. They used to organise yearly weekend meets up on Esthwaite. Although most of the big ones were caught from boats on big jerkbaits - perhaps oversized Dahlbergs would work - it is a good water for the bank angler as well with lots of deep dropoffs close to shore.