FLIES AND ARTIFICIAL LURES

For years I was no big fan of fly fishing for pike. Then I realised how many fish I could catch, and have a lot of fun doing it.

Chucking out a silver spoon for five minutes in the middle of the day is never going to fully exploit the method, but last year my eyes were well and truly opened when I took a friend fly fishing and he caught a 30lb pike. That fish never slipped up again, despite numerous live and deadbaits subsequently being thrown at it.

So now I cast a fly with confidence. That’s just as well, because I struck lucky in the Blagdon pike draw, albeit on the last day of the trial.

That’s given me at least a slim chance of a fabled forty!

For fly fishing I carry three lines, all shooting heads, which I find the easiest to cast – a Slyme, an Intermediate D3 and a fast sinker will cover all depths. These are fished with a 4ft, 30lb flurocarbon leader and a 40lb biting trace of 40lb soft Kevlar. This feels more like braid and allows the fly (or, more accurately, oversized hairy lure) to work much better.

My basic rule of thumb as far as colour and pattern are concerned is yellow for deep or coloured water and a natural perch/roach imitation for clearer conditions.

Lure fishing, too, can be great fun. My simple approach means I’m never overloaded with a baffling array of imitations, but I make sure I have the entire water column covered, from the shallow margins to the deepest holes.

I carry all lures in gaudy and drab versions, and even so, all I need for a day trip normally fits inside a lunch box. The trick now is to cast with conviction and not give up too easily.

Carry all pike lures in both bright and drab colours to cover all eventualities.

Pike flies are big, and take some casting!