Marks Blog

Having read a few recent web sites and forums regarding fly-fishing for pike, there have been a few disagreements between using mono or wire at the terminal end. Having pike fished all of my life, and fly-fished for them for the past eighteen years, I have tried all different sorts of materials over the years. I can understand and see why some anglers opt for ‘mono’ traces. Pike flies in general can be cumbersome things to cast. Not very aerodynamic, and once waterlogged don’t like to hold up in the air during the cast.

Connected to a stiff wire trace, combined with swivels and snap links, the cast can frequently start to hinge, sometimes causing the front end to collapse. Resulting in a collapsed cast, tangled leader, or the fly kicking back on itself. So to get rid of this problem, some anglers opt for a heavy leader/trace constructed from mono or fluorocarbon. Tied directly to the leader with the fly attached, the need for all the metal work of snap links and swivels can be eradicated. Making the turn over of the fly much easier.

But when I have spoken to anglers who use mono traces for fly pike fishing, I would often ask them what they usually use if they go spinning. They all said wire trace for protection, so they wouldn’t get bitten off. So what’s the difference? It’s still the same pike that they are targeting. The most important thing in all of this is the protection of the pike. Personally I would rather not catch, than hook a pike and loose it because it had bitten me off. I would feel bad knowing that there was a fish swimming around with a 6/0 hook still stuck in its mouth.

In my opinion there is only one trace material- and that has to be wire. So how do we make it work for us? First I find it makes things easier if we get rid of the snap link and swivel. So this means we must use a wire that can be supple enough to knot, but stiff enough that the energy from the cast dissipates down the flyline, through the leader and wire trace and turns the fly over at the end.

Let me explain my set up for fly-fishing for pike. I like to use heavier AFTM rated rods and lines. Usually 9 or 10 weight. The length of rod I prefer to use is 9ft. The shorter rod length helps me to control the stop, and helps keep a straighter line path of the rod tip. For those who are new to fly fishing/casting, the straighter you can keep the path of the rod tip throughout the cast the better. This will help to maintain a tight loop. Combined with a haul to increase tip and line speed it is possible to keep even the most cumbersome of flies airborne. You must make sure that you marry the rod and line rating together. So if it’s a 9-weight rod, you use it in conjunction with a 9-weight line. Preferably a weight forward flyline. It’s not rocket science. But I have come across all sorts of combinations throughout my days fishing and guiding.

Attached to the end of the flyline I usually make up a tapered leader. This usually comprises of about five feet of thirty-pound fluorocarbon, then a few feet of twenty pound. The knots are kept simple. My favoured knot is a double grinner. Using the same knot I then attach my wire trace of about 16-20 inches. The length of leader and trace combined is usually kept as short as my fishing allows. If you use the correct wire, you can then choose you own favoured knot to attach the fly.

It was not my intention to plug any gear, but I feel that I have found the perfect wire for making up traces. Thanks to my good mate Pete Tyjas, he put me onto an amazing product called Surflon micro ultra by AFW (American fishing wire). He brought it over from the States a few years ago. It’s a wire designed for tying knots, and is perfect for fly-fishing. Damn, I hate admitting that he teaches me things. But he was right when he said how good it was! It’s a 19-strand nylon coated wire that comes in a massive range of breaking strains. I tend to carry everything from 17-50lb bs.

So as you can see, it is still possible to combine the element of the pikes welfare and still be able to cast and fish proficiently. One argument that I still hear from time to time is that some anglers don’t like the visibility factor of wire. But personally I think this is rubbish! During my jerk-baiting days, it was common to use 80-100lb braid with a solid 200lb steel wire trace. It counted for good numbers of twenty pound pike, a few thirties and a big forty that I had the honour of landing for a friend. Fish of those sizes don’t get that big by being stupid. It’s just that pike aren’t as finicky as some other species. Once locked onto a target, it only has one thing in mind. Food!!!