Spring Pike on the fly

After reeling in my first pike of the day, the first thing I noticed was that my trout hemostats (or shall I say my friend Terry’s, since I still haven’t returned them) were not long enough to reach the hook imbedded deep inside of this pike’s mouth.  Believe me, I’m not sticking my hand anywhere near its mouth.  I’ve seen the damage done by these toothy creatures. 

When I lived in Alaska, a buddy of mine once took his fingers and opened the mouth of a three foot northern.  Let’s just say it was unforgettable for all of us.  His mistake resulted in profuse bleeding and all I could think about was the 2 ½ hour drive back to Fairbanks on a rough washboard dirt road instead of being worried about his hand.  Yes I’m the insensitive one, but you must first understand that we just got there two hours before and this was trophy type water.  He received twelve stitches and was left home on the next trip.

Pike are very feisty carnivores that feast on baitfish such as suckers, fathead minnows and perch.  Smaller trout also are a favorite of these long slender meat eaters. 

These fish spawn shortly after ice out or when water temperatures rise significantly.  During this time, they can usually can be found in shallow water surrounded by weedbeds.  Female fish seek the shallow waters to lay their eggs. Even after depositing their eggs, these large pike will often linger in these waters to regain their strength after the rigors associated with nature's call to reproduce. These areas become prime feeding grounds.

I use a 6wt to a 8wt rod with floating line for some exciting top water action. If the water is calm enough to spot the fish and allow you to cast properly, you can lay a near-weightless fly within a few feet of the pike and work it to within inches of their mouth. A pause in the retrieve causes the fly to hang there, suspended, much like a live minnow.  I also like vary my retrieves by stripping my line back at different speeds.  Like with all days on the water, there are some days when a faster retrieve works and there are other days when only a slowly stripped fly will work.

When the water is a bit deeper, say 4 or 5 feet, and the fish are a bit spooked or unresponsive to shallow flies, it may be necessary to sink to their level. Switch to weighted streamers to get your fly down a little deeper. Use the same technique of twitch-and-pause here as well.

A few lakes to fish in northern Arizona are Stoneman Lake, Upper Lake Mary, Mormon Lake, and Long Lake.  Parker Canyon Lake is a good choice for the southern part of the state.

Wire leaders are recommended because of the very sharp teeth of the Northern Pike.  Favorite patterns are the Deceiver, Seducer, Rabbit strip Zonker and Wolly Buggers.

The upcoming months will offer some of the best action for Arizona Pike, so get out there and catch some of these monsters.  Have fun and be safe.

Scott Milkovich