Pike on the Fly

It has been a few weeks since I was last able to venture into trout infested waters – and with other home projects and family commitments, it will likely be a couple more. The best I could manage this weekend was a short foray to one of my favorite Northern Pike haunts on the North Saskatchewan River.

Conditions were ideal. With the river still in runoff, many of the backwater areas just off the river that are normally too shallow were now several feet deep. The high water pushes the bait fish into these backwater areas as they try to avoid the main thrust of the current; and if the water is deep enough, the pike will follow. Under conditions such as this large pike can sometimes be found several hundred meters from the main river. This makes for some exciting fishing – stalking pike in the narrow channels with surface flies.



Tall grass and willows along the banks make roll casting a necessity

The takes can be spectacular (and sometimes downright violent), and the fish seem to fight harder in the confined quarters. Most fish are small (2-4 pound range) but I did manage to hook a nice 7 or 8 pounder that tore up and down the channel, stripping line and taking air at one point.

One of the many smaller Northern Pike found in the North Saskatchewan River

Simple 4” long slider or popper patterns tied tube style are the way to go.

All black, or yellow/olive are the most common colors that I use.

Expect fish to materialize from anywhere. I usually alternate between casting straight to the far bank, quartering down and across, and straight shots down the near bank. Always let the fly sit a few seconds and then give it a few final twitches before picking up for the next cast - pike will often follow the fly right into shallow water before making a final lunge for it.