In the past there has been a lot of disscusion on the forum about this subject Graham.Lots of very varying opinions on the best tackle,best flies etc even if its "sporting" or not!
I started fly fishing for pike just to extend some of the trout res's I fished at the times seasons! Found it an extremely good method for fishing over near surface weed or very shallow margins.
Ive used various size outfits from my saltwater big game stuff down to normal reservoir tackle.Ive come to the conclussion that an AFTM8 is all you need.
Some of the "Bug" taper lines available from the US are helpfull in casting the large flies used.These lines tend to have shorter,heavier heads than normal lines.
For the leader I use a brand of nylon called "Tynex" which is very stiff and made up with several sizes into a tapered leader helps turnover,this can be quite difficult with the large flies.
On the subject of casting being able to "double haul" really helps.
The tippet is made from some nylon covered wire that I got from the US "In-Fisherman" magazine.Its really unique in that to attach your fly you just put it through the eye,twist it up by hand then heat it with a cigarette lighter! this then "bonds" together.Ive had upper 20's on it without any problems.You can use a small snap link to atach your flies to the wire but once again Ive found this causes problems with tangling on the cast.
The most used fly I have is the 8" Dalburgh (sp?) Diver.This is a fly made up with a spun then clipped to shape deer hair head.The head is shaped to give a coller which acts like a diving vane.
The body uses various light weight,water reppellant materials that give the impression of size but dont add weight.Once youve mastered the art of spinning deer hair they are simple to make.
Dont like "Zonker" strip type flies as they get waterlogged and heavy which makes casting hard.
I normally use a floating line as most of the time I choose the fly rod these days it is to fish shallow areas but I have caught them on the same bouyant DD flies fished on fast sinking lines kind of "Booby nymph" style.
The reel I use is a System 2 disc drag reel that I origonally got (and still use) for bonefish and permit.All though that said any reservoir sized fly reel works ok and Ive used my Bob Church Line Shooter for Hi D Shooting head work no problems.
Not a very wide range of experience but Ive stuck to what Ive wrote because it has worked for me!
Never understood the guys who reccomend heavy salt water tackle as its just not needed.The stuff they reccomend is often the same outfits as used for sailfish!
AFTM7-8 casts the flies and certainly (if used correctly) lands fish just as quick as most lure outfits. Ive found the old Normark Speed Tip to make a good pike fly rod. I think its rated rather broadly at 8-10(?) but I use an 8 on mine ok.
Well thats about all I can offer Graham.