Pike fishing is a staple across the Midwest, producing some of the biggest fish in the lower 48. These toothy predators typically hunt along weed edges and in shallow bays, where they’ll aggressively strike a well-placed fly. On our recent trip to South Dakota for Fly Shop Tour, we experienced northern pike fishing firsthand, and what we found was a completely unique fishery. The shallow bays were swapped out for deep reservoirs, steep drop-offs, and clear water sightfishing.
Pike Fundamentals
Regardless of where or how you fly fish for pike, the gear, flies, and fundamentals remain the same. If you’ve never fished for northerns, here’s what you need to know.
Gear
Pike fly gear is centered around throwing big patterns. These fish don’t make long runs, and your casts don’t need to look pretty. What you do need is a rod that can throw 8-inch plus flies regardless of conditions. For this, we recommend a specialty pike or musky rod. Generally, these rods feature an extended fighting butt that allows you to two-hand cast as well as figure eight at the boat. The newly released St. Croix Tannic Musky/Pike is designed to check all these boxes. It’s available in weights ranging from 10- to 12-weight, with the 10-weight being ideal for most pike fishing. Pair this with a reel of your choosing and a dedicated pike/musky fly line like the SA Sonar Musky Gen 2. For leaders, run a thick section of mono or fluoro to help turn over big flies and a section of bite tippet. Knottable wire is great for toothy fish like pike.
Flies
When pike fishing, fly selection is the next part of the equation. The recipe for a perfect fly is balancing profile with weight. Ideally, you want big flies that imitate the bait sources, but these flies also need to shed water to cast. Typical patterns include bufford-style flies or game-changer patterns. Depending on the fishery, match the fly profile and colors to the bait to draw more strikes.
Strip Setting and Figure-Eighting
The last pike fundamental, which can be particularly frustrating for trout anglers, is learning to strip set. While strip setting is pretty straightforward—strip the line until you feel the weight of the fish, then lift the rod—in the chaos of a bite, it can be easy to revert to old habits. It’s also worth noting that anglers should always figure eight the fly in the water before recasting. You never know when a pike is following the fly that you don’t see.
South Dakota Pike Fishing
During our stint in South Dakota, we were on a mission to catch a pike on the fly. Rather than the shallow bays and weed edges we expected, what we found were deep, clear reservoirs—not exactly textbook pike water. Nonetheless, we knew pike were around and adapted to the conditions.
The reservoirs we fished had fairly steep drop-offs and, in some places, sheer cliffs. Rather than targeting shallow bays, we pivoted to looking for structure like rock piles, weed edges, or submerged timber. Places like dam edges and points produced several bites during our time on the water.
In classic pike fashion, big flies were key to drawing strikes. Many of these reservoirs have trout, an easy meal for pike. Flies that match the size and profile of a trout can be very productive. Just be sure to strip set when the bite does come. To see more of South Dakota’s pike fishing, check out the first episode of Fly Shop Tour Season 4, fishing with the team at Dakota Angler & Outfitters.
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