As temperatures gradually get cooler and the daylight hours get shorter, northern pike will emerge from their lethargic summer habits. Some of the best pike fishing is during the shoulder seasons, both spring and fall.

Many of our mountain reservoirs are home to northern pike. And after spending the summer in deeper water, pike will return to hunt in shallow water during the fall months. As ambush predators, they can often be found near weed beds, submerged logs, rocks, and drop-offs. When fishing a streamer along these underwater structures, the aggressive strikes can feel electric! 

We took a poll around the fly shop, asking our crew for their pike fishing tips. Here’s what they had to say… 

Delaney’s Pike Fishing Tips: 

“When fishing for pike, look for weed lines and suspended weed beds,” Delaney said. “I’ll often fish deep shelves in the morning and then move to shallow flats. That’s because during the fall, pike will sit in the deep cuts and off shelves before the sun is up. Then they’ll move to sunning themselves on the shallow flats. I’ve also found that windy, choppy days are some of the best.

“Try changing your retrieve on each cast,” he continued. “For example, start with a long strip retrieve with ticks in between. If they are following, speed it up with two big, fast strips.”

When it comes to his pike setup, Delaney prefers fly lines with an intermediate running line and a sink-3 or sink-5 head. His go-to pike fly rod is an 8-weight Scott Sector – though he noted that he will also use a 10-weight for the biggest fly setups and on especially windy days. 

For his pike leader, Delaney uses three feet of 20lb Maxima, then two feet of knottable wire, using an Albright knot it between. Finally, he uses a clinch knot from the wire bite to fly, noting that a loop knot won't tighten to his liking. 

Delaney’s favorite pike flies include the Jungle Junkie, Northwoods Ninja, and Big Johnson. He likes perch colors like orange, brown and yellow. He notes that a fly line with a heavier head, followed by a shorter leader, and then light (unweighted) flies produces great results.

Larkin’s Pike Setup: 

Larkin’s favorite setup for Colorado pike fishing includes an 8-weight, full-intermediate line like the Rio Outbound Short. This helps get those buoyant, deer hair flies to sink into the right zone. And he prefers to pair that fly line with medium-fast fly rods like the Sage Payload or Scott Centric.

“For the leader material, I prefer a heavy nylon or fluorocarbon,” Larkin told us. “When fishing big articulated streamers, pike usually bite the back end of these flies anyway, so you’re less likely to lose those flies. When fishing smaller flies, it might be wise to use wire leader. Still, inspect the leader often for nicks and then cut it back or replace it if necessary.”

Larkin’s top pike flies include the Big Johnson, Articulated Sparkle Minnow, Drunk and Disorderly, Circus Peanut, Sluggo, and Barry's pike fly. As noted above, all of these flies will benefit from using a full intermediate fly line to get them to sink.

Rachel’s Pike Setup:  

Rachel also prefers a heavy fluorocarbon leader rather than wire when fly fishing for pike. 

“I like fishing 80-pound saltwater fluorocarbon straight to the fly,” she said. “I’ve found this set up seems to get more follows than with wire.” 

From there, Rachel will use a Scientific Anglers Sonar 500gr musky fly line along with a 10-weight Sage SALT R8 Core fly rod.

Johnnie’s Pike Fishing Tips: 

Johnnie’s personal best pike came on a size 8 bugger, proving that you don’t always have to go big in order to catch pike. He also noted that fishing from shore and focusing on the top 14 inches of the water column is a great strategy.

“Don’t forget mouse patterns!” he told us. “They are great for skirting over weed beds and it’s fun to fish something different.”

Johnnie went on to say that his most frequently used setup is an 8-weight fly rod paired with a Rio Predator floating fly line in order to fish that top end of the water column. He also noted that you can always use a Rio Versileader when you need to get the fly down a little deeper. 

“When it comes to my leader, I’ll use a few feet of 40-pound nylon butt section, attached to wire bite tippet using an Albright knot,” Johnnie added. “A lot of anglers think they need a longer wire section and have trouble casting it. You really don't need more than 12 inches.”

Need to brush up on your Alright Knot? Watch our video HERE. 

Drew’s Pike Fishing Tips: 

Coming from Minnesota, Drew has been pike and muskie fishing for a long time and he offered some great tips. 

“See if you can hit the water at moon rise or set,” Drew suggested. Especially if the moon is beyond half full. I learned this from the old timers back home, and I have to say it works! “In the fall, focus your efforts over structure. Pike are ambush predators and you’ll often find them laid up around blown structure, deep points and fingers, deep shore drops and wind blown rock piles.”

Drew likes fishing a 9-weight Sage Payload fly rod, along with a Rio Outbound Short full intermediate fly line. He notes that you can still fish the top of the water column with this setup, or go deep with a weighted fly. 

Drew’s go-to pike leader consists of three feet of 50-pound fluorocarbon, to a barrel swivel, to 12-inches of wire bite tippet with a snap swivel at the end. His top pike flies are the Manbearpig, Big Johnson, Sluggo, and of course some of his home tied flies.

Contact Us With Questions

Have questions or need help getting rigged up for pike fishing this fall? We are here to help! Visit us at the fly shop in Littleton. Or give us a call at 303-794-1104. Get out there and enjoy fishing for some of our favorite predatory fish this fall.