part one
Pike on the Fly Gear Set Up
Bite Guards & Leaders
Part 1: Bite Guards & Leaders
The single most common question I get from people when they hear about fly fishing for pike is always "well don't you need a steel leader for that? How do their teeth not cut through the leader?" That's a fair question and so now that we have high muddy rivers and its peak season for pike and walleye we're going to take this opportunity to address how to get setup for Pike and even Walleye on the Fly.
The first thing you'll need to start chasing pike is some sort of bite guard to protect against their numerous rows of teeth. Bite guards can be made from Steel, titanium, or flourocarbon and can be added to the end of any stiffer leader. Let's look at the pros and cons of each of the different type of bite guards.
Bite Guard
There are 3 options we recommend for those sharp toothed critters!
Pros:
- Low memory and resistant to kinking
- Tieable and easy to work with
- More affordable than many alternatives
Cons:
- Can kink after multiple fish
Pros:
- Very low memory and resistant to kinking or coiling
- Extremely strong and thin
Cons:
- Hard to tie with (best to use crimps to make your leader)
- More expensive than steel
Pros:
- Lowest visibility for line shy or spooky fish
- Tieable (use a figure 8 knot to the fly and albright knot to your leader)
Cons:
- Very large pike have still been known to cut through even #100 fluoro if the leader is under tension and hits a tooth at the wrong angle. This is typically only an issue with the largest pike, although those are usually the ones you'd least want to lose.
Leaders
You've got 6 options to help you turnover big flies for big fish!
- Very low memory and resistant to kinking or coiling
- Extremely strong and thin
- Comes with snap for quick fly changes
- Intermediate Polyleader is stiff and turns over the biggest flies extremely effectively
Cons:
- Intermediate Polyleader sinks so isn't ideal for smaller topwater patterns, but still works just fine for larger poppers, mice or frog patterns
- Proven, bombproof design for toothy predators such as pike or muskie
- Hand Tied in the USA
- Features abrasion-resistant 40LB fluorocarbon section
- Premium 1×7 nickel titanium wire section is super straight, ultra kink-resistant, and 100% corrosion proof
- Stay-Lok snap closure that won’t open while fighting fish
Specs:
48” 40LB fluorocarbon
15” 35LB 1×7 nickle titanium
Size 3 Stay-Lok Snap
- 8’ tapered leader aids in smooth turnover of larger flies
- Abrasion-resistant leader material holds up to harsh conditions
- Premium 1×7 nickel titanium wire section is super straight, ultra kink-resistant, and 100% corrosion proof
- Stay-Lok snap closure that won’t open while fighting fish
Specs:
8’ 20LB tapered leader
15” 35LB single-strand titanium
Size 2 Stay-Lok Snap
8’ 20LB tapered leader
15” 55LB single-strand titanium
Size 3 Stay-Lok Snap
- Designed specifically for finishing muskie retrieves with boat-side figure 8s to convert more follows
- Hand-tied in the USA
- Premium 40lb 7×7 stainless steel; 100% corrosion proof
- Stay-Lok™ snap closure that won’t open while fighting fish
Specs:
30” 50LB fluorocarbon
15” 40LB single-strand 7×7 Stainless Steel
Size 3 Stay-Lok Snap
- 7.5’ tapered leader aids in smooth turnover of larger flies
- Abrasion-resistant leader material holds up to harsh conditions
- 15” section of tooth-resistant 1×7 stainless steel wire
- Black nylon coated for low visibility
- Heavy-duty black single-barrel sleeves for secure attachment of flies
Specs:
7.5’ 20LB tapered leader
15” 20LB black-coated 1×7 stainless steel
7.5’ 20LB tapered leader
15” 45LB black-coated 1×7 stainless steel
- 8’ tapered leader aids in smooth turnover of larger flies
- Abrasion-resistant leader material holds up to harsh conditions
- Premium 15” section of 80LB fluorocarbon for ultra-low visibility
- Stay-Lok snap closure that won’t open while fighting fish
Specs:
8’ 20LB tapered leader
15” 80LB fluorocarbon
Size 3 Stay-Lok Snap
