Well with things pretty much iced up here in Northwest Indiana I am thinking of getting ready for ice out that means Northern Pike. Any ideas for flies and or recipes for the toothy Northern Pike? What size hooks?
Printable View
Well with things pretty much iced up here in Northwest Indiana I am thinking of getting ready for ice out that means Northern Pike. Any ideas for flies and or recipes for the toothy Northern Pike? What size hooks?
I prefer tube flies for pike. I use a short shank 2/0 hook. I tie the tubes so that they have to be used in groups of two and they vary in length from 2 to 3 inches so the overall fly length is 4 to 6 inches. the usual minnow flies all seem to work for me, just tied up on the tube so that you can hide a pike leader and the short shank hook helps keep them hooked.
jeremy,
Do you have any pics of your pike (tube) flies? Thanks in advance.
Best regards, Dave S.
here is a picture of what I have left. I will post the recipes in a bit.
Attachment 6892
this one I just took pine squirrel strip and wrapped it around the tube. I like to add these to the middle of the system if i need a longer minnow. they also work by them selves for pickerel.
Attachment 6893
this one is a lead section. I have a long thread head and eyes glued to it I tie in a pine squirrel or rabbit strip on top of a mylar tube. this particular version I don't have as much luck with as with the version I use a larger mylar tube on and have a sag in the middle to give the appearance of a belly.
Attachment 6894
this one is rabbit under bucktail, these placed in tandem give me a larger profile in the water. the lead version has eyes just as the above fly has and has a gap in tail end of it to hide the head of the follow on section, but I am out of them right now.
Attachment 6895
this one has marabou tied into it on top of the rabbit fur. the marabou is there to add movement and color variation in the head area. it is not shown but I also have a tuft of red tied into it on the back side, attempting to facilitate the theory that predatory fish like the "blood" look of wounded bait fish. not sure if it works or not but the fly has worked well for me.
Attachment 6896
this one is a great lead fly in a tandem. it is a very short tube (1/2 inch) with white rabbit wrapped around the tube and then brown rabbit or pine squirrel laid over top running leanght wise and extends behind the tube about 1/2 inch to tie into a follow on tube well and hide the seam.
Attachment 6897
hope these pictures help feed the fire. I am not great at tying tube flies and I know that thier are members on here much better at them than I am. I like the tubes because they allow me to have larger flies with a short hook which seems to help me play the fish. I do not weight these flies since I try to use a beads on the leader ahead of them or sometimes in the middle of the flies. beads in the middle seem to help the swimming "action" of these flies with weight or glass not changing that attribute.
I forgot to add, if I feel that the pattern has to swim with a specific orientation, ie, the top has to be the top, I tie in a very small piece of foam on the top of the tube then add the materials over it. I have also tied some clouser type tubes, tied in the barbell weight towords the front and then tied in the materials, I only used enough tube to tie in then had the hook hidden in the materials. there is also a FOTW on here called the bunny baitfish. this fly is pretty much the same as mine but gives great tying instructions.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flyt...022304fotw.php
How about something like this?
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...s/IMG_2275.jpg
I think that would work just as good as a tube fly. what did you tie it with?
It was by accident that I hooked into a very large Tiger Muskie while fishing for Largemouth Bass, I was using Olsen's Deceiver http://www.kwsu.org/Offers/FlyTying.aspx Episode 309. Very effective deer hair surface fly. ~Parnelli
I would recommend these. The Christmas tinsel streamer. These ones are pretty decent sized, roughly 6" to the end of the tail. Remember that pike will eat prey that is up to 30% of their body length so don't be afraid to throw a really big fly. I think the hook on these are 3/0 (I think) aberdeen style. They are almost 2 inches long. If I were going to tie any larger I would use a stinger attached with steel wire. Also, the epoxy head is really helpful to add to the lifespan of almost any pike fly.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...0/softs010.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...0/softs015.jpg
So far my best fly has been a red & white deceiver tied on a 3/0 streamer hook.
hugefish 80, is your fly seriously tied out of christmass tree tinsel? just curious because that fly looks intriguing and that stuff is on sale right now. I am not always so bright when it comes to what something is tied with.
Yes it is tied with christmas tree tinsel, the kind that is often sold as "icicles". This particular kind looked a lot like the magnum holographic flashabou, but i suppose and tinsel would work. I also use standard flashabou to tie this same fly in smaller sizes.
Check out the "Warm water flybox filler swap".
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/s...ler-swap/page2
Post #24 shows the steps for the monster Pike flies turned foam diver heads I did for the swap.
Post #41 shows some of the finished flies.
I am going to have to try out Christmas tinsel now. thanks for the idea.
Bass bug, those divers look really great. got lots of motivation to experiment again. can't wait for ice out to start fishing again.
They'll really eat most anything, from Whistlers (Google the pattern...simple fly) to larger top-water poppers, in the fall especially...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ke/pike017.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...e/IMGP0327.jpg
A good bit of flash and color seems to help, just like a supple, knotable wire leader *grins*
Jeremy.
Sorry I am so late....been doing a lot of aquarium stuff the past week or two. My fly was tied with:
1/0 Gamakatsu B10S stinger hook
Iceland Sheep hair
Flashabou (or however you spell it)
Doll eyes
Some of them I super glued the heads or epoxied
Bass will eat them...They have a great wiggle to them as you strip them in.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...g/IMG_2280.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...g/IMG_2281.jpg