So what? Soft lures didn’t work again?
A pike fly might be the answer – a versatile weapon for sluggish fish...
When an articulated pike fly gives you the edge..
Shallow bay, spinning rod up to 30g, 8g cheburashka, Pike SP fly, fairly aggressive retrieve with distinct pauses...
The result? 101 reasons to smile.
Different trip, different conditions – but still the start of the season.
A fly rod, S1/S3 line, and the articulated Fire Tiger SPE fly...
Sharp, aggressive strips and clear pauses once again.
And man, did they smash that fly!
It’s May 1st. The water’s still cold, but the fish are already holding in the shallows, and the first bits of vegetation are starting to show near the bottom. You’ve got a brand new soft lure, the perfect jig head, you change the retrieve speed… and nothing.
Sound familiar? We know the feeling. But instead of blaming the lures – we pull out a pike fly.
We won’t pretend that every pike fly – even an articulated one – is a magic solution.
But there are situations, especially with sluggish fish, when a streamer that suspends, flutters sideways, and responds to pauses can trigger exactly the kind of reaction soft lures can't.Our last quick May trip delivered answers just as fast. We tested three setups:
fly rod with a pike fly,
spinning rod with a fly,
and classic spinning with soft lures.
Fish reacted differently to each, but no question – Belcia stole the show. First, she broke her PB with a 95 cm pike, then blew it out of the water with a 101. Both caught on our flies. In fact, every pike on that trip was taken in shallow bays just 0.7 to 1.2 meters deep – with crystal-clear water.
So what should you keep in mind? First and foremost – our flies.
And if you're using spinning gear, the right cheburashka weight can make all the difference.
Lighter weights let you retrieve slower and more naturally – at the cost of distance, sure, but don’t worry about that. When fish are active, even shallow presentations can provoke strikes from several meters down.But what do you do when you know pike are in the area, and nothing standard is working?
Well, that’s the whole point — on our last trip, once again, heavily weighted, aggressively retrieved lures provoked the most interest. We had a crazy number of follows and tentative bites. It can drive you nuts, but we found the fix:
just pause the retrieve – for a split second. That was all it took to hook the next esox.When you’re fishing aggressively, that pause has the most impact.
A heavier cheburashka or a faster sinking fly line lets you keep the fly in the strike zone longer – near weed-hugging fish that aren’t coming up for anything.Fly size also matters. Sure, there are days and spots where smaller pike flies work better – especially in clear water or pressured waters. But more often than not, it’s the big fly’s presence and motion that triggers a lazy fish.
That’s why our streamers come in multiple sizes – because we know what’s going on out there.
And we never forget: the fly is the last thing the fish sees.
It has to convince them.
That’s why we build ours with Nayat (Snow Runner) – the best material available – tied in a design that gets the most out of the concept.The rest is up to you:
Spinning? Casting? Go for it.
Grab a set of cheburashkas in different weights (1–10 g), a rod rated for 20–35 g, and hit the water.And if you’re fly fishing? Even better.
Use a 9–10 wt rod, intermediate or S1/S3 lines. A sinking line can be magic – even in the shallows.
Pike in a bad mood often respond better to deeper presentations, especially ones that sink naturally, without being yanked down by a clunky jighead.You don’t have to be a purist.
Break the rules. Surprise the fish.
Sometimes that’s the only thing that works when nothing else does.
It’s not magic.
It’s motion.
And most importantly – your fish haven’t seen this yet.