Let The Fur Fly

GrahamM

GrahamM

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How many of us have ever tried to deliberately catch pike on fly tackle? Not me, although I've caught enough of them accidentally while flyfishing for trout. Don't know why I haven't tried it before really.

I want to know more, so come on Rob, get that keyboard burning!
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
hey Graham, what a brillient article..lol...That guy Rob knows his stuff! Wish he would write more articles! (My 15 minutes of fame!)

Seriously, if there is a call for it, I am more than willing to go into more details such as dressing the flies, why they are dressed certain ways, tactics etc.
Cheers Graham for the chance to air my findings.
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
I know a lot of people who are dead keen on learning about it, esp fly patterns etc. Some lads I fish with have started tying up weighted flies and fishing them on normal lure gear.

I laughed the first time I saw it, but some of them have such a lifelike action it's incredible.

That fly caught 32 I mentioned last week is in Angling Times this week - what a beast.
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Chris, I fish weighted flies on light spinning gear too. I first saw it done on the clear Polders (Canals) in Holland. The fly hardly makes a noise when it hits the water, unlike a lure of the same size. It can also ne bounced over and through weed etc.
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
Rick my mate tied some up after reading about Trev Salmon's patterns and watching him fish them when a load of us went out last year. Bunny bugs I think or booby something or others.
They're incredible things, they look unreal on the bank but they just come to life in the water with the hackles breathing and streaming out behind them.

Several of the predator-fishing lot are having a fish-in at Rutland shortly, I'm sure anyone else who was keen would be welcome. It's strictly fly only (ie not the seven inch long wooden flies with three sets of trebles...) and works out about ?25 a day for catch and release permit,boat etc.
 
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Paul Williams

Guest
Rob,
A very thought provoking article....i will have to dig out the fly gear and see what rating it is, this fly fishing lark may not be as boring as i thought!.....i loved the rainbow warrior and the bottom one of the roach lures...i looked at them cross eyed and boy did they look real!!....all i need now is a 40lb boss eyed pike!! lol.....keep em coming!
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Cheers..lol...u should see them in the water!!!
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
As a person who has done a great deal of fly fishing for species othet than trout, I think your piece is excellent. I am now looking forward to June when I can get down to the fens. A strong fly rod will be packed
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Ron, thanx very much. It just glosses over many points, but hopefully it will interest people enough to get them thinking.
 
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Eric Hope

Guest
Now then, about this pike fishing with a fly rod - we've been doing it for years and you don't need to cast out half a budgie either. AS the trout boys know only too well, at times pike get locked onto smaller than expected food items and 'Snack -size' really can do the business. Up here in the Lake District where the water is mostly clear, we get some extensive crispy weed beds and fishing round these in summer is about as exciting as it gets on an 8 weight outfit and a sinking line. When it really warms up floating lines work well too. No real monsters but lots of medium sized fish with the best last season being Lawrence Greaselys sixteen pounder.
Best of all though apart from the savage arm wrenching takes as yet another pike hurtles skywards (sorry I got carried away there for a minute!) is that there is much less damage to the fish from a size 2/0 fly than a shed-full of 2/0 trebles attached to a mega lure. And because the fish cannot see whats bothering them they really do scrap. Count me in as a member of the Effing club and when the scanner arrives next week I'll show you what I mean. Tarra.
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Eric..welcome mate! I agree with u totally. I use an 8 weight outfit on certain waters up here in the summer, but the 10 weight comes out for the 20's!

A favourite fly is a wee Zonker tied on a size 1 hook to look like a wee Perch. The Pike love it when they are hitting the Perch fry on Loch Awe and Lomond...and so do the BIG Perch!
 
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David OLoughlin

Guest
Nice article Rob. The summer has come and is now moving on. How have people done? Rob (or anyone else) I have been meaning to give this a go for the past year or so. I have a 6/8 rod, I won't get permission to get another for a long while yet. Can I get away with a 9 shooting head?
I have read in the past that one of the reasons for having a mighty rod is to make sure the line turns over & a large lure doesn't get stuck in the back of the neck. A chap at Sportfish insisted that I would need a stiffer more specialist rod, hence the fact I haven't yet got into it yet. Is this 'bollys'? Cheers.
 
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Gareth Lewis

Guest
I was introduced to Pike fly fishing, at one of the Predator-fishing fish-in's by Gerry Castles and Trev Salmon.
I have ended up doing as much fishing on the fly as I have with Crankbaits. I have taken to fishing the smaller rivers up to about 20 metres wide, and have had an exiciting summer doing it. Although the largest Pike I have caught on this method is only 8lbs. I have also taken a lot of Perch, a few Chub to about 4lb, 4 Bream to about 4lb, 6 Common and mirror Carp to about 10lb, a couple of Barbel to about 3,1/2lb and a single zander of about 2,1/2lb which monstered the fly in 2 feet of clear water over a clear sandy bottom in bright noon time sunlight. To see that Zander rush out from the deep water weed cover to take the fly only 6 or 7 metres from where I stood is one of of the most exicting things to happen to me this Summer.
The most exciting thing that happened to me this Summer is another Story.
Regards from Gareth.
 
Colin Brett

Colin Brett

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Hi Guys,
just found this thread! I am in the process of putting together a web site, www.pikeflyfishing.com, have a look at what's on there at present, your views, ideas, photos and articles would be very welcome. My shoulders are broad so I hope I can take the criticism?

Colin
 
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David OLoughlin

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Looks promising Colin. Could there be a page on useful casts for the Pike fisher. I'm thinking that with such big flies boat fishing could be perilous unless both know what they are doing, esp the man on the left if R. handed?
Also in London I won't have access to a boat so I'd be sneaking around overgrown banks. Would the old roll cast work? What about spey casting - now I don't fully understand that as any books I have are full of lines going everywhere?
By the way Colin, any luck in the Emerald Isle?
 
Colin Brett

Colin Brett

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Dave,
I don't think the roll cast will work with a weight forward line! A spey cast might, but again I am not sure, as I am lucky enough to either boat fish or fish in the fens on waters that don't have a lot of cover.
Ireland was pretty useless, no water and very few fish until the last few days and I had made other arrangements by then. Going back next week for a try in the sea. Fly fishing for Mackerel and anything else that comes along!
Colin
 
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David OLoughlin

Guest
Fly for mackerel was an idea I had, but the 1 day I could get to the beach there was a massive headwind. I had no water in the river either. I got 1 of those frustrating bites with no follow up, but did have a trout that was a monster for the river. Best day was out off Brandon Head when the lads organised a boat trip for me. 1 of the lads hooked a 8 ft shark on a feather.
I was hoping to try a fly then, but there was a bit of a swell, wind & I ended up adding a little of my own rubby dubby after a night on the Murphys.
 
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