We have decided that we’ll start running a series of blogs with the same theme – Three Flies. These won’t be the usual “if you could only have three flies…”, but more as an inspiration to those starting fly fishing or venturing in to new species and locations. We’ll try and mobilise some of our Ahrex ambassadors and ask them about three essential flies for their fishing and local conditions. Since we’ll depend on the good will of our ambassadors and others as well, they won’t be regular entries, but ones that we’ll run every now and then. They’ll be seasonally relevant as well.
But where do we begin? Don’t take the recommendations too literal – see the flies more as patterns up for interpretation or types.
If you’re just getting into fly fishing for pike there will be a number of things you’ll most likely be unfamiliar with. Casting big, wind resistant flies and wire leaders, primarily. It’s a bit of a misconception that you need excessively heavy gear. I often fish the same 6-wts I use in the salt, but if you have an 8-wt, start there. It’s also a bit off a misconception that huge, complex flies with materials enough to tie 683 trout flies are needed. Really big flies sometimes do make a difference, but begin with a simple, easier to cast fly.
Jesper Lindqvist from Go Fishing is a prolific fly tier, who we’ve featured a number of times on our Youtube channel. His Black Ge’ Fly is a perfect place to start. Just a few materials that can be varied in colours very easily and in size as well. But black is a good place to start. Check out Jesper tying his Ge’ Fly here:
Another fly – or type of fly that can be really effective is the Water Pusher that Søren ties here:
It’s certainly more involved and as Søren ties it requires more materials. But starting out the most important part of this fly is the head. A big, water (and unfortunately also wind-) resistant head that pushes a lot of water and also creates a hefty profile. Both traits that are effective when the water is unclear.
I’m very partial to white and white/chartreuse. Lefty Kreh, certainly no stranger to big fish and big flies, is credited with the saying, “It ain’t no use if it ain’t chartreuse”. That seems to have stuck with me and it rarely fails. I tie many pike flies of different types in white and white/chartreuse colours and the same types seem to repeat themselves in black.
I hope you have found a little inspiration in this.
