Fly Fishing for Pike

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

Anywhere a pike will take a lure, it will take a fly. On pressured waters where the fish have seen every spinner and jerkbait going, a big, slow fly is something different, and something different often gets a response.

Fly fishing for pike needs less new kit than most people expect. In one line: a 9 or 10 weight rod, a short aggressive-head line, a short heavy leader finished with a wire trace, and big baitfish flies, fished slowly and set with a strip strike. In England and Wales you also need a rod licence.

The six steps below run in the order you’d actually do it, from rules to release. They assume you already fly fish for trout or fish for pike with lures. On Windermere I fish for pike with both fly and lure, and the fly holds its own. For the wider picture, start with our pike fishing guide.

Step 1: Check the Rules and Pick Your Water

Turning up at a water that bans the method, or on a river in May, is an expensive way to learn the rules. The goal here: fish legally, somewhere pike on the fly is allowed and practical.

Nation	Licence	What to check
England	Rod licence from 13 (free for 13 to 16)	River close season, fishery rules
Wales	Rod licence from 13	Natural Resources Wales rules
Scotland	No rod licence for recreational fishing	Permit or written permission from the owner of the fishing rights
Northern Ireland	Different permissions apply	Check DAERA before you fish

Licence prices change, so check the current price on GOV.UK before you buy.

Pike are coarse fish, so in England the river close season applies: no coarse fishing on rivers from 15 March to 15 June, according to GOV.UK. Most enclosed stillwaters and canals are open all year, but private waters set their own rules, including on fly for pike, single or barbless hooks and traces. Check with the fishery before you travel.

Then pick the water:

Canals and small rivers: short, accurate casts to structure on a floating or intermediate line.
Big waters: reservoirs and the Norfolk Broads fish well on the fly.
Winter rivers: prime time, with January a peak on some chalkstreams as pike feed up before spawning.

By now you should have a licence or permit and a water that allows fly fishing for pike. If you’re new to this, start on a canal or small stillwater, where the casting is short.

Step 2: Choose a 9 or 10 Weight Rod, Reel and Line

Get the rod and line right and everything else in pike fly fishing gets easier. Get them wrong and you’ll spend the day fighting the fly rather than the fish.

The rod. A 9 or 10 weight is the common answer across UK sources, in a medium-fast to fast action. One useful split is a 9 weight for flies of about 10 to 15cm and a 10 weight for anything bigger. Some anglers go up to 10 or 11 weight saltwater rods for the largest patterns. The trade-off is fatigue: a 10 weight is tiring to cast all day, while a 9 weight pike fly rod is lighter and still stops a big fish.

The line. Pike lines are usually shooting heads with a short, aggressive front taper to turn over big, air-resistant flies. Match the line’s AFTM number to the rod (a 9 weight line on a 9 weight rod); if the numbers are new to you, see how fly line ratings work. Some anglers overline by one size, for example a 12 weight line on an 11 weight rod.

Line	Best for	Drawback
Floating (with optional sink tip)	Surface flies, shallow canals, versatility	Needs a sink tip to reach deep winter fish
Intermediate	Canals and rivers	Limited on deep water
Fast sinking	Deep reservoirs	Snags in shallow, weedy water

The reel. Keep it simple: large arbor, disc drag, and about 100 yards of 30lb backing. Pike rarely make long runs, so the reel is mostly line storage.

Coming from trout? A typical 5 or 6 weight trout rod is too light to cast pike flies or land pike safely. Spend on the rod and line; the reel can be any sturdy model that holds the line and backing.

By now you should have a matched outfit. Compared with a trout set-up: three or four line sizes heavier, a shorter head, and a reel that barely matters.

Step 3: Tie a Short Leader and a Wire Trace

That long, tapered trout leader that turns over a size 14 nymph so nicely will tangle and wind-knot with a 15cm pike fly. Pike need something shorter, heavier and, at the business end, bite-proof.

The leader. Use about 4 to 5ft (roughly 1.2 to 1.5m) of 25lb to 50lb fluorocarbon or nylon. For flies over about 15cm, a saltwater tapered leader cut back to around 2m is a good alternative. Attach it to the fly line loop-to-loop, with a perfection loop in the leader.

The wire. Pike teeth cut mono and fluorocarbon, so the last link is always wire. UK sources quote anything from 12 to 19in and 30 to 40lb, and the spread has a reason. Shorter wire, around 12in, turns up in winter river set-ups using very large single hooks. Longer wire guards against pike taking the fly deep, which they often do. Use at least about 18in (45cm) of flexible or knottable wire of around 30 to 40lb.

Build it in this order:

Fly line to a loop.
Loop-to-loop to the 4 to 5ft leader.
Leader to the wire trace (loop-to-loop with knottable wire, or a strong swivel).
Wire to the fly, tied direct or on a strong clip or snap.

By now you should have a bite-proof terminal set-up. Never fish for pike without wire, however clear the water or however shy the fish seem.

Step 4: Pick Pike Flies by Size, Colour and Depth

A pike fly box doesn’t need thirty patterns. It needs answers to three questions: how big, what colour and how deep.

Size. UK sources list pike flies from about 4in to 1ft (10 to 30cm). Around 4 to 8in is the common range, going up to about 12in on rivers in winter. Hooks typically run 2/0 to 6/0, and some river anglers go as big as 8/0 in coloured water. Treat these as ranges, not rules.

Colour. Natural baitfish tones work in clear water. In coloured water, switch to dark or high-contrast colours, such as black, or silver and black.

Depth. Fish unweighted flies on an intermediate or sinking line, and use weighted or heavy-headed flies to get down on a floating line. In spring and summer, add poppers and surface flies. Heavier flies are harder to cast, which matters in Step 5.

Situation	Fly type	Typical length
Clear stillwater	Natural baitfish, unweighted	4 to 8in (10 to 20cm)
Coloured winter river	Dark, big single hook	Up to 12in (30cm)
Shallow, weedy canal	Unweighted, intermediate line	4 to 8in (10 to 20cm)
Spring and summer shallows	Popper or surface fly	4 to 8in (10 to 20cm)

On Windermere I’ve found it pays to change pattern often when the pike aren’t responding, rather than flogging one fly all day. Remember the fishery hook rules from Step 1.

Best for a first box: a handful of baitfish patterns in natural and dark colours. Skip tiny trout streamers; they are too small for most pike and the hooks aren’t built for them.

Step 5: Cast Slowly, Retrieve and Strip Strike

One chalkstream keeper blames the most common mistake on the rod, not the fly: letting the tip drift off the fly, then lifting to strike as for a rainbow. On a hard, bony jaw, that strike often fails.

Three trout habits need breaking when you start fly fishing for pike: rushed casting, rod-lift striking and lifting the fly out too soon.

Casting. Slow the stroke to roughly half trout speed and let the rod do the work. Open the loop slightly so a bulky fly doesn’t hit the line.

The retrieve:

Cast to structure: weed edges, overhanging trees, drop-offs.
Let the fly sink to the depth you want.
Strip in slow, jerky pulls with pauses, so the fly falls and flutters.
Vary the speed and depth until a fish responds.
Keep the rod tip low and pointed at the fly.
In cold water, when pike are lethargic, strip, pause and strip again close to the bottom.

The strip strike. Set the hook by pulling the line back firmly with the rod still pointed at the fish, then lift once it’s on.

Follows. Pike often follow a fly in without taking. Before lifting off, hang the fly in the water for a few seconds at the boat or bank. On the next cast, change angle so the fly swims away from the pike rather than towards it.

On Windermere I’ve found follows are common, and a pause or a change of angle is often what turns one into a take.

By now you should be hooking fish solidly. If you get follows but no takes, slow down, add longer pauses and change the angle before you change the fly.

Step 6: Land, Unhook and Release the Pike Safely

Pike look tough, all teeth and attitude, but they suffer more than most coarse fish from poor handling. The goal: every fish back quickly and unharmed.

Strike promptly to avoid deep hooking.
Play and land the fish quickly on strong tackle, using a large landing net.
Support it under the jaw and at the vent, never by the eyes.
Unhook on a padded mat with the fins flat. Our guide to unhooking a pike safely covers the full routine.
Use long-nosed forceps or long pliers, with wire cutters handy for a deep hook.
Return it as soon as possible.

The law in England and Wales sets a few hard lines, according to GOV.UK. Gaffs and tailers are banned, foul-hooked fish must be returned alive, and rods must not be left unattended. The river take limit is 1 pike of up to 65cm per day, and local byelaws can differ. Many pike fly anglers return every fish.

Warm water leaves pike lethargic, so in summer keep fights short, keep the fish wet, or fish the cooler parts of the day. Some river keepers simply wait for the water to cool.

Kit to carry: an unhooking mat, long forceps, wire cutters and a large landing net. Get the mat out before the first cast, not after the first fish.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a licence to fly fish for pike?

Yes, in England and Wales you need a rod licence from age 13, and it is free for 13 to 16 year olds. Scotland has no rod licence but you need a permit or permission. In Northern Ireland, check DAERA.

Can I fly fish for pike all year?

Not on rivers in England from 15 March to 15 June, when the coarse close season applies. Most stillwaters and canals stay open all year, but check the fishery's own rules first.

What weight fly rod for pike?

A 9 or 10 weight suits most pike fly fishing. Some anglers use 10 or 11 weight rods for the biggest flies, but a 9 weight is lighter to cast all day.

Can I use my trout fly rod for pike?

A 5 or 6 weight trout rod is too light to cast big flies or land pike safely. A heavier reservoir rod may manage small flies, but a 9 weight is the realistic minimum.

Do I really need wire for pike on the fly?

Yes. Pike teeth cut through mono and fluorocarbon. Use at least about 18in (45cm) of 30 to 40lb wire, as covered in Step 3.