Fly-Fishing Rigs

Anglers who aren't familiar with flycasting often assume that flycasting tackle is flimsy -- a wand-like pole and a thread of a leader -- suitable only for small fish. But fly tackle exists that is big enough to cast flies six inches long and land 100-pound tarpon.

For pike, a fly rod must be powerful enough to cast four-inch streamer flies and stiff enough to drive a hook into the bony jaw of a pike. Ideally, that means a rod of eight or nine feet in length and a nine-weight line. A floating line is best, as you will be fishing for pike that are within a couple of feet of the surface of the water and usually near the edge of a river or lake.

Some experienced anglers don't bother with backing -- the heavy monofilament suitable for fish that run a great distance when hooked. A pike isn't going to act like a salmon or rainbow trout. But a tapered leader is needed -- the standard variety with a ten-pound tippet; with very heavy fly tackle, wire leaders can be used. If there are snags in the water or the possibility of large pike in a particular body of water, some anglers will use a heavier 15-pound tippet. The length of the leader need not be great -- six or seven feet of leader is more than enough.

Count on losing flies and leaders. In fly fishing you don't have the option of putting a wire leader on your fly since it would weigh down the fly and kill its action, so some anglers will use a shock tippet of heavy (25 to 40 pounds) monofilament between the end of the tippet and the fly. The special Albright knot is required for tying the tippet to a shock leader. Pike flies have one characteristic in common -- they are huge. As a consequence they should be tied on hooks sized 2/0 and 4/0. For fish as deep as 25 feet, the line should be weighted forward with a sinking shooting head. In weedy areas, monofilament weed guards will save you a lot of trouble.

Color is important and any large, bright streamer fly will serve to attract a pike, especially if there's red and yellow in the pattern. There are at least four flies around that have been designed for trout and specifically adapted for pike: the McNally smelt, the Hot Dog streamer fly, the Marabou perch, and the Creme de Menthe, but all your flies should be matched to the baitfish patterns that pike are attracted to in terms of their predation preferences in a particular body of water.

Click to Listen!