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Fly fishing for pike has become a welcome relief as traditionally during the short days and freezing temperatures of winter the fly angler hung up their waders in anticipation of the coming spring but now more and more these anglers are craving all year round rod bending action and there is no more perfect fix for this craving than pike on the fly!

I have caught pike on lure rods in the past but can honestly say that the most exciting way of catching them for me is on the fly rod, purely down to the fact that there is so much more feel from having the line in your hand as a pike savages your fly and makes its first powerful run, its sure to get your adrenalin pumping! So if you fancy having a go with some explosive pike action I will try and guide you with some information and ideas on what equipment you will need and how to catch these toothy specimens.

Firstly you will need kit that’s up to the job. By this I mean a powerful rod to subdue these powerful fish, coupled with a reel with a decent drag system to halt the fish’s run for freedom and a fly line that’s heavy enough to turn over some big flies. One bonus with the kit is that it will be suitable for saltwater fly fishing so adding another string to your bow.

In terms of a rod you should be looking for something around the 9’ mark in length that is rated for a 9 or 10 weight line. Don’t forget you will be casting some heavy flies with loads of air resistance so this weight of line will help you get your fly out there to the fish, the line weight has nothing to do with the size of fish you will be catching, this is a question I often get asked by the fly fishing novice. Also make sure your reel is loaded with plenty of backing, if you hook a specimen you will need it!

To the fly line you will need to attach a leader of minimum 20lb breaking strain and of around 6’ to 8’ in length, again this short heavy leader will aid in turning over your fly when cast. Another essential you will need is a wire tippet material to attach to your leader before you tie on the fly. The mouth of a pike is loaded with rows of razor sharp teeth rendering standard tippet material useless, they will bite through this for a past time. I add a length of around 12” of wire to my leader then a snap swivel to attach my fly with, this makes for easy fly changes throughout the session without sacrificing the length of my wire tippet.

Other kit you should carry with you is a selection of flies in various colours and sizes, a decent size knotless landing net, an unhooking mat, essential for the well being of the fish and a good pair of large forceps for removing the hook, keep your fingers away from those teeth! As with all forms of fly fishing always wear a hat and glasses, especially so when piking as sometimes these big flies are unpredictable in their flight path as you cast.

 

Talking to many fly anglers on the bank, both novices and experienced alike, one topic of conversation that crops up time and again is progressing from Stillwater fly fishing to fly fishing on rivers.So what is involved for the stillwater angler when they want to step up to river fishing?

I was lucky in my childhood as I grew up amongst some of the finest free stone game rivers in the Southwest and probably fished those more as I was learning the art of fly rather than the usual Stillwater training grounds. My heart still lies with the river these days and I find nothing more satisfying than fooling an educated wild fish rather than a reared stocked fish. Although your average wild trout may not live up to the size of your average stocked fish, I find the satisfaction comes from matching the hatch correctly then casting the fly into a tight spot with good presentation to fool the fish. All of these skills are not always necessary to catch your Stillwater fish so if river fishing is new to you then it can be like learning to fish all over again when you switch to a river.

The one thing that really appealed to me about the river was the solitude, no lines of anglers on the bank here all trying to bag the ‘hot spots’, just my own company and getting up close and personal with the surrounding wild life.

When it came to the fishing, one thing I found was that in the summer months when Stillwater fishing became difficult due to high water temperatures and the fish went off the feed, the river water temperature in comparison remained much more comfortable for the fish and they would readily take your fly in pockets of oxygenated water.

Stealth is the name of the game on rivers, you need to spot the fish before they spot you, so travel light and make sure you keep a low profile. You will need to fish the river by being in it, so a pair of waders is an essential part of kit, again this gives you a low profile. The only exception to this are some of the chalk streams which only permit fishing from the bank, but these are usually the stocked waters with manicured banks, a bit like fishing a stillwater with flow! Having said that there are still some chalk streams around that are more natural and offer more in the way of ‘wild’ fishing, these are always my preference.

A vest is another piece of essential kit for all your bits and bobs so that everything is to hand when wading and finally a small net then can be attached to your person or vest but easily to hand when needed, although when wading most fish caught can be glided across the surface of the water to hand rather than using a net. This method of landing fish is much more beneficial to the fish’s welfare when practicing catch and release but make sure your hand is wet before handling the fish and always return them to the water as soon as possible. Hold the fish against the flow to get plenty of oxygenated water across their gills to aid recovery…..wait for the fish to kick in your hand then release it. Only use your landing net for large fish and when necessary.

When it comes to the kit everything should be scaled down. Rods, reels, lines, leaders and flies should all reflect the size of water you are fishing and the size of fish you are looking to catch. Always remember to flatten the barb on flies as you should always look to return wild fish as they are a precious resource, if you want some fish to stock the freezer head to you stillwater where they are there for you to take.

Access to river fishing can sometimes be a little difficult to find with many prime rivers being privately owned or run by syndicates but look hard and do some research and you will turn up some cracking day ticket stretches or reasonably priced club waters. It pays sometimes to think outside the box and don’t always look for trout rivers as all species of fish can be caught on fly, so have a go at something different, maybe Chub or Roach, Pike in the winter and many coarse rivers hold Grayling.

So next season in the summer heat when the Stillwater fishing becomes hard, why not try stepping up to river fishing?

It’s fast approaching that time of year again when many of us will be unwrapping some socks or ties or something similar, so before we let things get that far why don’t we do something about it like give a few hints to what we would really like? It’s far easier to put on a smile when you open something you really want rather than straining a smile with everyone watching you!!

With this in mind I have put together a list of things that might give you a few ideas.

If you have been really good this year try getting the ultimate rod…..the Hardy Zenith Sintrix…….a truly awesome rod in so many ways, one of the most advanced rods out for years and a real joy to cast and fish with. If that’s too much of a big ask go for a Greys GRXi+, again a lovely rod but not so harsh on the pocket.

To go with the rod I would probably opt for a Vision Koma reel, either the standard model or the cassette version. These reels are amazing value for money and a reliable piece of kit. At the other end of the scale I would go for the Hardy Demon reel, probably the best cassette reel out there.

When it comes to fly lines it never pays to scrimp. At the top of my list for a new floating line would be a Rio Gold closely followed by one of the Snowbee lines. For a sinking line I would look at the Airflo range, they offer a good quality sinking line with a range of densities to cover every eventuality.

If you fancy doing some roving fishing maybe a technical vest is what you should be looking at. Airflo offer a nice one at a great price, similar to the Fishpond range but a fraction of the price.

If you are looking for stocking filler ideas flies are always a good bet. In my opinion the best ones out there are either Ian Barr’s selections for still water or I like the Fulling Mill range for the river. If you haven’t tried these flies yet give them a go, they truly are top class flies tied on quality hooks.

If you don’t already tie flies ask for some kit and give it a go. It’s a great way to while away the winter evenings and an inexpensive gift idea. You can pick up a beginners kit for around £20 and can always ask people for items to add to it.

Failing all these ideas you could always ask for a Neil Keep Fly Fishing gift voucher……the ultimate gift sure to put a smile on anyone’s face at Christmas!!

Whatever you get this year, a Merry Christmas to you all and enjoy your fishing.

Saturday gave me the chance to wet a line and being only twenty minutes from Chew Valley Lake this seemed to be the obvious choice for a few hours sport. As we were in the middle of an Indian summer I opted for a morning session before the sun got too high to put the fish down but wasn’t really expecting it to turn into a long distance fly fishing session.

I drove down to Woodford lodge to grab a permit before driving round to Walley bank next to the sailing club. This is one of my favourite haunts when fishing from the bank having enjoyed some real bonanza sessions there in the past.

Having pulled up in the car park it’s only a short walk to the water’s edge where I was met by totally flat calm water and a sun that was rapidly rising in the sky…….not good!! Not being put off by the scene that met me I proceeded to tackle up keeping one eye on the water for any signs of activity.

The water is still low at the moment as we have had little in the way of rain to top up the summer levels but the weed beds still hugged the margins offering the fish cover and a food larder so things maybe wouldn’t be as bad as they first looked.

I set up with a team of Diawl Bach’s on a floating line and concentrated my casts around the weed beds where I expected to find some fish feeding but after a fruitless hour wandering the bank without a pull or seeing any fish moving it was obvious this tactic wasn’t going to work on the day.

Then I decided to get in a gap in the weed beds and throw a long line as I had started to see a few fish move but they were way out into the lake taking advantage of the cooler, deeper water. First chuck met with a slight pluck on the line as a fish intercepted the flies on the drop, this happened a few more times but once I started the retrieve any interest dried up. It became obvious the fish were out there at distance so I needed a method to hold my flies in the taking zone so I rigged up a team of buzzers under an indicator and cast a full line out and left it all static apart from an ultra slow figure of eight retrieve to take out any slack forming in the line.

After a couple of minutes the indicator slid away and I lifted into the first fish of the day. Two more fish followed that were lost in the weed followed by another one banked…..not bad for a short session in tough conditions.

I know this method isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but sometimes needs must. Personally I don’t mind fishing with an indicator as it takes me back to my childhood days when I would spend hours on the bank mesmerized by the float that bobbed up and down in the water before my eyes.

When it comes to the indicator, there are many different ones on the market but my personal favourite is Loon indicator yarn, I find this to be the most versatile to fish with as you can vary the size of it easily with a pair of scissors to suit the conditions, it’s very sensitive when it comes to spotting takes and is easily moved up and down the leader when varying depth by using a simple loop attachment to the line. It also comes in two colours to suit different light conditions and offers very little air resistance so is a dream to cast compared to some on the market.