Glitter for pike
By Anders Isberg

Pike bites not only in fat wobblers. They are also interested in larger model flies. Why not try a fly made of sparkly glitter instead for a change and take your pike fishing to new heights.

Pikeflies of this type is quite long. I have found a good fly box in a retired aluminum lunch box with a piece of thick cut foam in the bottom.
Simple and stable

  A large, light and sparkly fly moves alluring in the water and is a attractive bite for a hungry pike. With a 9-10 foot fly rod in class 7-8 and a fast sinking WF line you can cast long distance and reach great places from both land, from belly boats or boats. Fished near and along a reed area, it is basically just a matter of time before a pike takes you fly..

  Flies with flash materials have the advantage that they fish well even though they are as large as 15 to 20 centimeters, the material does not absorb water so that the fly is light when it is lifted from the surface. All flash is tied in to a short lenght of the hook shank above the barb, it prevent the wing to wrap itself around the hook bend. Using the tying method presented in this article also give the fly volume and some nice movement in the water. It is easy to tie, holds quite well and can be varied in color and size. All you then need to do is to find places where the pike are.

  Make it simple

  The principle is very simple. You tie on a bundle off flash approximately in the middle of the hook and fold it back. Repeat a few times and you're done. To get more style to give the wing more life I tie on the wing in three stages. Each wing is tapered so that the shortest flash fibres sits underneath and the longest on top. You cut off a small stack of flash and form the fibre tips uneven with your fingers, (see first tying step). Then I pull excess part backwards, but without tying it down. The reason is that the material then stands out better from the hook shank and contributes to the volume and movement. I do the same with the first two bundles. And I add each new bundle just in front of the previous so that I get as much spread as possible. When the third stack, which is the longest, ties on, I also tie down the material which was folded backwards, to get a nice form to the profile on the fly.

  Taper the wing

  By creating the fly so that each bundle is tapered, and that each new stack is longer than the previous, creates more movement to the tail end when fished. The flash is cut to the full length (about 20 cm), the first and possibly the second bundle can be shortened somewhat before the fibres is pulled appart lenghtwise for creating different length position from of each other (tapering).

  But the last stack used in full length. By the straw pulled unevenly and to fold back the front part forward while tying the fly, you get almost no waste of materials. You use almost all the cutoff material. Flash material starts to cost a lot, but by tying this way you utilized as much as possible of the material and it will be quite many flies from some bundles of flash material and a packet of hooks.

Check out the feeding trap of this pike, number of teeth are about 700. Even a thick nylon leader have no chance of holding in this environment

  Flash and hooks

  Flash come in all varieties and colors. The fly in the picture is tied with a first bundle of flash called Mirage, which is extremely shiny and a little thicker which is great for creating volume.

  The next batch is a mix of Mirage and Rippleflash (Veniard) in gold and silver. The top stack is a mixture of black holographic flash and plain black flash from Flashabou. But the field is free for mixing colors of all kind. Avoid flash materialof the type having small thin threads spun around each flash fibre. After just a few casts and some encounters with pike teeth these threads will losen from the flash fibres and the fly instead becomes stiff and bushy.

  I usually choose a single hook with a straight eye in size 2/0-3/0 in stainless steel from Partridge "Sea Prince", or Tiemcos saltwater hook 811 S. They have a “nice” weight that help casting and how the fly's moves in the water. A whetstone may be good to bring if you need to sharpen the hook.

  Choose the correct leader

  Modern pike leaders have the nylon softness and steel leader toughness. Often it is kevlar like, soft and relatively expensive material that is meant to cope with the pike sharp teeth. I for my part concluded that making ordinary pike leaders in 30 lbs class, but with a little more slender connecors, will give a very smooth combination with relatively thin and light tippet that always has the same length, and makes it easy to change the fly. The tackle shop sells different kinds of steel leaders, with or without kevlar, connectors, locking device, making it easy to design a leader that you are happy with. These leaders are cheap, easy to make and lasts a long time.

  The Nylon leader between the fly line and steel leader should be a bit thicker and not too long. A leader consisting of equal parts of 0.60 mm, 0.50 mm and 0.40 mm for a total length of about two meters are easy controlled in the air and works well. And the end should be a steel leader at around 0,3 meters. The connector allows the fly move a bit better in the water.

  Allow yourself to fish by boat

  Fishing is then done at the usual pike areas from shore and boat. Do not forget the belly boat fishing. It's fun, but paddle for safety's sake always with companion if you'd put the big hook in the ring and get a flat. Fly from a boat is probably really the most easiest option because it takes less time to get away if the wind increase and it gives more opportunities to switch places. In addition, and one casts higher in the air which makes it easier to cast farther and more accurately.

1. Make a bed of tying thread of about 1 cm above the hook barb. Cut off a stack of 20 cm flash, shorten it by 5 cm and fold it in half. Cut the loop formed so that you now have a half as long bundle with twice as many fibers. Then, pull the ends of the fibers so that they are of different lengths. Let differ about 3-4 cm between the shortest and longest fiber. Tie the whole stack on top of the hook shank and inline of the barb with about 10 hard waxed thread turns, so that the middle of the stack is offset against the hook eye by about 1-2 cm. Fold back all flash straws that points to the hook eye and bring the thread just in front of these straws. But do not tie them down. Let the fibres point in in all directions.

2. Now take a little thicker bundle of flash, but do not shorten it, but pull the ends and tie it in the same way, on top of the hook shank, and above the previous stack. Fold backwards all straws that pointing to the hook eye, but do not tie them down.

3. Take a third bundle of flash, do not shorten it, do the same as with the previous stack, but with the difference that now you fold it back and tie it down on top, at the same tying spot. Tie the braided flashtinsel with glued eyes if you want it. Forming a even head and put on laquer.

4. Varnish underneath the therad turns you can access. It increases the fly's durability. Note that by using of a very short length of the hook shank where you tie on the flash, this will also increases the fly's durability.

5. Saltwater resistant single hook in size 2/0-3/0. The biggest available eyes for flies glued to 3 strips of braided holographic tinsel with super glue. Use hackle plier to hold the strips in place until the glue sets.

6. One should use a real steel leader for a Pikefly. I have certainly caught pike weighing over 4 kilos on tippets of 0.40mm, but lost many when I not used steel leader. It is also more responsible towards the pike using strong leader. I use the equivalent of 30-pound steel wire, with or without kevlar lining and swivel at one end and only hook or swivel and hook the other end.

From the left: Mirage, Rippleflash (silver and gold) and Flashabou holographic black Flashabou Original, Flashabou fluorescent and luminescent.

7. Flash comes in all varieties. I use the most common type that is about 1mm wide. Holographic flash and Mirage Flash is thicker than Flashabou original, which itself is very soft. The Flash should be slippery and shiny, then it works fine. I mix Flashabou original with holographic flash, Veniard's rippleflash and Mirage Flash. It provides the fly with real shining reflex. It is my opinioon that the fly should be seen clearly and fished home at a good speed, the fly should shine and pulsate.

8. The pike leader should be long. One reason is that a Pikefly is light, and can go far into the mouth of the pike when it bites over the fly. On this fly, a pike that had the hook 25 cm into the mouth, was caught. But the leader was longer.

By Anders Isberg © 2001

Editors note: Article translated from Swedish using Google translate service so you have to excuse for incorrect grammar. Feel free to inform us if you find any errors in grammar.