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After the last few summers we have had, all this heat is a little unexpected. Not the most productive of fishing weather, but it was nice to get onto Chew to spend the day targeting pike with a fly. After an early start, I met up with Derek on route and the journey was taken up with casting and pike talk. I had spent a few days previous to the trip tying a few new pike flies to try and was looking forward to Derek trying them out. We arrived at Chew and after the usual brew got the rods set up and made our way down to the boats. The last time I was on Chew with Jax, we had picked up a few fish behind Denny Island. So we decided on the way out, to try there first and see if Derek could catch his first pike on the fly. Chew has produced some massive pike over the past twelve months and when your floating above its relatively shallow depth, there is every chance that your fly will pass over the top of one of these fish. And with this in mind Derek was ready for it! By the time we had arrived around the north side of Denny Island, there was a bit of cloud cover and the water has a slight ripple. With good water clarity and a dulling sky it didn’t take long for Derek to get his first pull. I watched his rod bend over as a pike hit the fly three times before it was hooked. I sighed a breath of relief and checked out Derek‘s grin. He was chuffed to bits!
After the first fish of the day, it wasn’t long before we were making the same drift over an old streambed whilst Derek was trying to search out another fish. We’d taken a good selection of flies to use, and played around trying to confirm if there was a particular colour or style of fly that would bank us a few more fish. I rummaged through the fly box and Derek carried on casting away. He had a few follows on various colours in quite a short period, but you could clearly see the pike turning away at the last minute. Out of all the colours that we tried, white seemed to be the most productive colour and produced a couple more fish in a few casts. I was glad that Derek was moving and hooking a few fish. I enjoyed watching the pike fire in like trains and grab hold of the flies. It made all the hours spent at the vice worth while. It was one of the new ’articulated flies’ that caused most of the mayhem. It is a tandem pattern that is about 10” long with a separate tail and body. When pulled through the water the fly has a sideways wiggle that most pike in the area wanted to check-out and destroy.
Derek with his best fish of the day, & new PB.
I would just like to thank Derek for the good company and look forward to meeting up again soon for a bit of a fly fishing adventure. Speaking to Derek a couple of days later after the trip, and I get the feeling that pike are now in his blood. Pike on the fly, AWSOME!
Derek bent into his first pike on the fly.
A nice pike to get the day started!
After the first fish of the day, it wasn’t long before we were making the same drift over an old streambed whilst Derek was trying to search out another fish. We’d taken a good selection of flies to use, and played around trying to confirm if there was a particular colour or style of fly that would bank us a few more fish. I rummaged through the fly box and Derek carried on casting away. He had a few follows on various colours in quite a short period, but you could clearly see the pike turning away at the last minute. Out of all the colours that we tried, white seemed to be the most productive colour and produced a couple more fish in a few casts. I was glad that Derek was moving and hooking a few fish. I enjoyed watching the pike fire in like trains and grab hold of the flies. It made all the hours spent at the vice worth while. It was one of the new ’articulated flies’ that caused most of the mayhem. It is a tandem pattern that is about 10” long with a separate tail and body. When pulled through the water the fly has a sideways wiggle that most pike in the area wanted to check-out and destroy.
Derek with his best fish of the day, & new PB.
It wasn’t too long into the afternoon when Derek hooked into a nice fish and his new personal best pike on the fly. The pike hit his fly close to the side of the boat and set off in the opposite direction. All of the pike hooked in the session were fit and pulled back, and this fish was no different. After 10 minuets or so the fish was ready, and we gently lifted into the boat where Derek cradled her for a quick picture. The day ended with a couple of more fish and plenty of others that followed the flies right to the boat. If your into numbers Derek finished up with 7 fish, which considering the conditions was pretty good going. As a quick note to anybody fishing for pike during the warmer months. Please take good care of the fish. Try and get the fish in as quick as possible, keep the fish wet whilst it is out of the water, and return it as quick as possible. Pike, unlike a lot of other course fish are more prone to stress during the warmer temperature. Make sure that the fish is full revived and ready to swim off under their own steam before letting go.
How a ‘Chewed up’ pike fly should look at the end of a session- chewed up!
I would just like to thank Derek for the good company and look forward to meeting up again soon for a bit of a fly fishing adventure. Speaking to Derek a couple of days later after the trip, and I get the feeling that pike are now in his blood. Pike on the fly, AWSOME!
