Heart stopping BIG action all the way!

No big pike pictures? Sadly not… but it doesn’t mean I’ve been devoid of action.

The last three outings have seen me on different venues using new flies as well as the old retainers; the latter have been given a more modern twist… an extra bit of zing!

I recently read that some folk hate reading the dreamy descriptive stuff in magazines preferring the “how to” techie approach to articles. Hopefully anyone reading this blog can siphon off the words that join the information together and drill down to the important bits for them. For me it is perhaps the narrative that inspires me to “go out” and “just do it” to coin a well known phrase.

So (tongue firmly in cheek) for the technically orientated amongst us, here are my thoughts for the day on fly fishing for pike:

1. Get to know your venue
2. Locate bait fish hotspots
3. You have to know where pike are lying up/patrolling
4. You have to watch and see if they are on the feed (swirls etc)
5. Appreciate that if they aren’t on the feed you can still trigger them
6. Hook size and style are important, but a blunt one won’t catch anything
7. Fibres in flies, ring the changes but natural fibre for me mixed with flash out fishes flash only, don’t take my word for it though
8. Colour and size of flies are important for the venue, time of day and the size of pike you are trying to catch
9. Vary your retrieve and at the end of the retrieve STOP and wait… strikes do happen at your feet
10. Be confident in your presentation and ability to outsmart the fish BUT be prepared to alter tactics… don’t just change flies in the hope the next one will work
11. AND read dreamy descriptive articles that impart a sense of adventure and that inspire you to fish and have fun

For those who like dreamy descriptive… I had a few really good takes of late and last night’s nailing of a fly by a good specimen was a real high point that could have only have been eclipsed by landing the fish. Sadly my last view was of the pike with its gill covers flared, tail walking across the lake and great shaking of the head which eventually threw the hook.

That’s fishing!

I didn’t blank during the last three days by any stretch of the imagination. I switched to a pheasant tail trout fly and look what it brought in… yes, the smaller specimen! The other perch is from the same venue back in March… now I have to catch the bigger mamma's and pappa's of this little fella!