Specifically, do you need wire or can you get away with a heavy mono tippet?
(Having a new kayak suddenly opens up some fishing opportunities -- and there is some surprisingly good northern pike fishing nearby!)
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Specifically, do you need wire or can you get away with a heavy mono tippet?
(Having a new kayak suddenly opens up some fishing opportunities -- and there is some surprisingly good northern pike fishing nearby!)
I guess it depends on how lucky you feel. You could feasibly catch many northern on just a heavy tippet with out getting bitten off. Me I use 12? of wire when fishing for pike.
Once you look into the mouth of a big one you question will go away. While I have landed pike with out a bite wire it was while i was fishing for something else. From my experience it seems you have a 1 in 3 chance of landing a pike without wire, and the probability goes down the bigger the pike.
Thanks!
What about pike flies? I'm thinking big zonkers would be good -- possibly adding a spinner to the mix.
Anything big!
Double bunnys, deceivers, divers, nieghbors chiwawa
Many colors but don't leave home without red/white combo.
BTW, I use the Cortland toothy critter tie-able Stainless steel leader, easy to use.
Remember you can never retrieve to fast for pike.
I guess I'll need to work on a double-handed retrieve for those things. My wife is gonna love it when I bring one of 'em home. Ha! http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif
BTW, my grandmother back in Oklahoma always had about 1/2 dozen chiuauas. They lived in a community dog house on her front porch. There were a couple that I would have been pleased to use for pike bait. I'll never forget when my dad drop-kicked one of 'em off the porch one day. His mom, too.
Pike have teeth....triangulated-shaped teeth, as opposed to the walleye, having conical shaped teeth.
If you like to tie flies and lose fish use a mono leader my friend.
'Nuff said.
Jeremy.
I use a stiff 20 lb mono "shock" leader for my pike fishing and I've yet to lose one to a chomped leader. I've caught several in the 10 lb range and many many up to 5 or 6 pounds with absolutely no problem. I have had to change the leader from time to time though.
As for flies, red and white flies tied out of cross-cut bunny strips work great for me.
[This message has been edited by Alastair (edited 03 April 2006).]
BFB,
We landed a pike from the lodge dock useing the "guide's" rod with an 8# mono leader at trip's end last season.
The first hit on our stuff on a popper with a 60# bite trace several seasons back, cost us a fine pike AND a "not too bad" popper. Whoosh, and it was gone!
We don't find American Wire's Surflon to be detrimental to pike fishing. We like under 20# test. Like ALL wire, including Tyger wire, it DOES kink. Like tyger wire, it does accept "normal" knots well. UNLIKE Tyger wire, you won't need a loan to purchase Surflon. Both are coated wire, both accept knots, BOTH kink, both work fine.....American Wire surflon is far cheaper. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/wink.gif
....lee s.
Yes, I searched and found that on the internet. Thanks! And I'm going to have to do some big pike red and white pike flies!