Do large flies for musky and pike crossover? Will they work for both species?
Can someone direct me to a site that has these kind of flies, maybe beginner-type flies. I’ve never tied large flies. I know I can look on youtube, but I’d also like some direction from experienced people who tie for these big fish.
Thanks
I would say they can crossover. My favorite large streamer is a variation of Bob Popovics “Semper Fleye”. It was designed for salt water but I use it in fresh water for pike and bass. Haven’t done much muskie fishing with a fly rod. The one in the picture is about 7 inches long. I can cast it with my 6 wgt or 8 wgt.
The original Semper Fleye would be a good beginner’s pattern to start with. Here’s a link to a video of Popovics tying one. It does push water and has a lot of movement.
Thanks for your ideas.
My top pike and musky fly has been a red and white deceiver tied on a 3/0 hook. Most of my fish have come in the spring so that might explain why this fly has worked. For fish later in the year I think something larger might be better.
LC,
Muskie fly, pike fly, bass fly, “SPLAT” fly…don’t let marketing get to you.
What are the targets eating and immi that…be it crawdads, mice, or most of our easiest, baitfish.
I have done VERY well with an Embellished Deceiver that is in the fly tying section here. I have recently been interested and tying some Niklaus Bauer flies. He is here…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLOhSNSXcb4
…and there is more of his.
…lee s.
This site has some easy pike flies you can tie. I tied a few up & will be testing them come spring. Hope this helps you:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6j0eieeAQapjpueeQml6IA/videos
This is what I tie (in various colours) for pike in northern Ontario. One thing about pike is that they are not fussy. My fishing buddy uses flies about half this size usually out of maribou only and they are ugly. The annoying part is they catch pike as well as anything. Musky need a little more incentive. We use large articulated flies for them. We use the water to load the rod and then a haul on the forward cast. Simple back cast and then shoot. If you can catch a musky on it then you can catch pike. Not always the same the other way around but if I only had pike flies on musky water I would certainly give them a shot.
That’s my goal, TIG. I just want to catch one of what you’re holding in the photo with a fly rod. I fished the Grand River one time for trout and wasn’t too aware of other fish that might be lurking. I threw a black woolly bugger towards a woody snag. That thing hit the water for only about a second and a monster grabbed it and ripped it off my tippet. I just stood there in shock so much that I didn’t even try and set the hook. It was a pike or musky I guess.
I like that fly, too.
