Qs after reading Pike on the Fly

[PDXFisher]

OK, I finally received Pike on the Fly yesterday evening from Amazon (still waiting for Muskie on the Fly) and it was read completely by the time I went to sleep. Though I had previously only really been interested in Muskie, I have to confess I'm kinda excited about big Northerns now as well. The book makes some general points about Northerns that I need to reconcile with the specifics of Minnesota.

1. The book states that great Muskie and Northern fishing is seldom seen in the same lake. Is this true? I think I have a decent handle on the great Muskie waters in MN, what are the great Northern waters? A top 5 maybe? Specify if you could, whether a lake is great for numbers or size. I am particularly interested in those with nice, big flats where they can be sight-casted to. My general assumption is the farther North you go, the better the fishing gets.

2. The book goes through great pains to drive home that pre-spawn and post-spawn periods in the Spring are the best time to get the Northerns on the flats. It seems to me that the opening day is pretty late in the year. Is this so that the spawning period is not disturbed? Will the big Northerns have already moved off the flats into the first dropoff by opening day?

3. Question 1 was where are the great Northern lakes statewide. What about close to the Metro area? I have caught Northerns in Tonka and Ida, but they weren't very big (not an indictment, just an observation). Are there any good choices in the Independence/Waconia/Tonka area?

4. At what water temperatures are Northerns at their most aggresive?

5. The author seems to prefer a mono-based shock tippet at 25lbs. Seems kinda light to me. What would you use?

6. What is a trophy sized Northern in MN? The author talks about catching dozens of 40"+ fish in Canada per trip. Can anyplace in MN compete with that?

7. I see the Muskie season starts a few weeks after the Northern season. I can only assume this is because the Muskie spawns later in the season than the Northerns. How do they know whether you're fishing for one or the other? If you don't plan on keeping any fish regardless, does it matter?

8. While the author talks a bunch about not harming the fish, he sure loves his vertical holds. Kinda annoyed me.

Thanks you guys, I can't wait to book my flight!

-Derek

[DEADhead]

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1. The book states that great Muskie and Northern fishing is seldom seen in the same lake. Is this true?

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I think it's true for the most part. For an example, here in town Big Detroit is a good muskie water, but not especially productive for large pike. Conversely, downstream on Lakes Sallie and Melissa, muskies are present in the lake, but pike are definitely in the trophy sized status and provides for great pike fishing.

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2. The book goes through great pains to drive home that pre-spawn and post-spawn periods in the Spring are the best time to get the Northerns on the flats. It seems to me that the opening day is pretty late in the year. Is this so that the spawning period is not disturbed? Will the big Northerns have already moved off the flats into the first dropoff by opening day?

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It depends on where in the state you're fishing and the seasonal weather pattern. In the southern part of the state pike will almost always be done spawning by the time the opener arrives. In the northeastern part of the state it can be pretty close at times. The amount of the winter snow pack and spring melt will affect when the fish spawn as well as the monthly climatology.

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5. The author seems to prefer a mono-based shock tippet at 25lbs. Seems kinda light to me. What would you use?

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maybe it was a typo? I know a lot of pike and muskie guys that use 150 lb tippet like the use on tarpon. I personally use tieable wire and have had great success with it. There have been some pretty lengthy posts on pike fly fishing and leaders in the fly fishing forum. It's worth checking out.

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How do they know whether you're fishing for one or the other? If you don't plan on keeping any fish regardless, does it matter?

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It would be harder to determine this with fly gear, since there is not quite a night and day difference between gear like the baitcaster crowd uses. I would hope that you ethically make the choice not to purposely target muskies during the closed season, even though it is possible you may catch one while chasing pike. It is no different than catching a bass while chasing pre spawn crappies.

[PDXFisher]

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maybe it was a typo? I know a lot of pike and muskie guys that use 150 lb tippet like the use on tarpon. I personally use tieable wire and have had great success with it. There have been some pretty lengthy posts on

pike fly fishing and leaders

in the fly fishing forum. It's worth checking out.

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Yeah, that was helpful, thanks. It wasn't a typo, he mentions 25lb "hard mono" many times. He checks it every time for abrasions after catching a fish.

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I would hope that you ethically make the choice not to purposely target muskies during the closed season, even though it is possible you may catch one while chasing pike.

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Heh, no worries about that, I won't even schedule my trip until the Muskie opener. I talked to Troy Anderson today about going out with him that week.

Serendipitously, I found out today I will be in Calgary the first week in May. I am trying to get the Northern fishing out of the way while I am there. If I'm forced to only fish the Bow River, well, I guess I'll just have to do that instead. Pike opener in Alberta is May 8th, which is about when I would be leaving. At least one reservoir is open all year (Lake Newell), but finding a guide is proving problematic. No guide, no boat. All the fly shops seem to be trout bigots (being from Oregon, something I am quite used to).

[PDXFisher]

Well, I just finished the first of two days fly fishing for Northerns East of Calgary on the Sik Sika reserve, fishing a spring-fed area that drains into the Bow River. My guide is one of only three non-First Nations folks allowed to fish it. It was ridiculously fun. I probably caught over 40, but nothing terribly huge. The bigger ones were probably 24-30" range. Supposedly there's some 20lbers in there, maybe I'll hook into one of those tomorrow. I probably had a few hundred takes, but sometimes they just get a bunch of fur. It's amazing how hard they clamp down, though. They can support their weight without even having the hook in their mouth.

It was a blast to have them come right up to the boat and continue to follow the fly. It can really help you to understand what will trigger a hit. I played with one fish for a few minutes before finally getting it to bite. The oars didn't matter, the re-positioning of the fly in a better spot didn't matter (causing a bit of a sploosh). I found twitching kept them interested, but long sweeps were what got them to bite most of the time (harder to do next to the boat). Maybe I'll try figure-8s with fly line tomorrow

Often, letting it stop completely caused them to swim away.

I know they're ridiculously aggressive compared to Muskies, but it's still building my confidence for my trip to MN on 6/2

Where are the biggest Northerns in MN found?