Fly Fishing for Pike: Spring Tactics & Topwater Techniques

 The ice is off the back bays and the slow cold pike, yeah those big toothy gaiters in the 10 to 30 pound range are looking to find a sun beam to lay in. Just like your house cat likes to lie in the sun beam coming through the window and making a nice warm spot on the floor. Pike like the same thing those warm rays are so welcome after months of life under several feet of ice. I love it to; yeah the gaiters are there all nice and lined up for one of my special top water fly?s ?Gary Carl?s poppers?.
This is a poper in the Natural color pattern, they fly is apox 9 inches in length.

When they are real slow in the spring poppers are just right and plenty of fun on shallow pike in the black bottom bays where they will take a fly and test your skills. I have been spinning up these fly's for years and every spring I have a real blast with the Pike on Fly. This type of fishing is totally different from jigging and slamming big spinners and patience is a must and being prepared is vital, because your gonna get broke off.
Full view of the natural color fly.

You need lots of fly's so now when it's -30 outside is a grand time to spend working on your arsenal of fly's. When spring arrives and you get the chance to finally get after it, your gonna have a real blast with this style of fishing. Use your Motor-guide to sneak in and work every sunny spot on the water, do not go in to far or you will spook the fish, if you see cloudy stirs under the water you have gone to far. A pair of polarized sunglasses is vital you need to see the fish, they are shallow enough to see and make it easy to target your cast.
Here is a Poper in the Black pattern,

Start with the closest fish and work your way back into the bay, try and direct the fish you are fighting away from the other sunners. If you are not in shape you will come home sore, because these fish on a fly rod will test your skills and stamina. For the fly?s build your own or if your skills are not quite there yet keep practicing and visit your local tackle shop and hit the fly section, your local tackle shop should have a big fly in stock for pike in their line up. Use a 9 foot 8 to 9 weight rod and 8 weight Cortland 444 floating rocket taper, a 3 foot Berkley Fireline leader, or your choice of leader material, with a 16 inch wire leader on the end, use as light a wire as possible.
  Full View of the Black Pettern.

Practice a few casts far away from where you will be fishing to get your range down and let the fun begin. Remember big fly's require more effort to cast than little trout fly's. The Double Haul is a technique I highly recommend beginners to Pike fishing on fly learn for this style of fly fishing. Visit a fly-casting instructor for lessons and or here is a tip that helped me, use this tip to practice the action of the double haul here ya go it's very simple and worked for me. Get a table spoon from the kitchen and as big a rubber band as you can get and practice pulling down the rubber band while casting with the spoon. And hey keep that elbow straight no side arm stuff, The action of this will transfer over to the fly rod and your power will increase on your casts getting you more distance to the fish without spooking them and without having to expend to much energy. The most important thing for this is to have fun with every aspect of this amazing style of fishing, and I know you will, hey have a blast on your next trip out to the lake.

Gary Love, WFN Ambassador, Athabasca, Alberta