Pike Country
Author: Brian Elward
The name of our country, The Netherlands, literally means the Low Lands. Most off our land lies below sea level and thus we do not have typical streams that flow through the landscape. Our country is like a delta formed by the great rivers flowing out from the alps en Ardennes. Large rivers like the Rhine, the Maas and the Waal are the only rivers we really have. A 100 years ago they were the main highways for salmon en trout migrating to Germany. But due to dams, intense industry and bad choices in past we lack every form of Salmonids in the rivers.
The lack off salmonids is largely compensated by the abundance of water; lakes, canals and the famous polder waters are home or many species of fish. Roach, carp, bream, ide, perch and of course the most vicious predator of fresh water in the northern hemisphere the Northern Pike, Esox Lucius.
In the Netherlands there is a closed season for fishing pike, this coincides with the mating season and that is the main reason for leaving them at rest. During this season, roughly march to June, the pike is left to spawn and to roam the waters as the apex predators. After that period they are prime targets for flyfisherman.
The fishing for pike really takes a leap at the start of Autumn, the summer is mainly used for fishing other species and going abroad for trout . At the start of autumn the shortening days and drop in temperature makes the pike switch to a different behavior. That off feeding and stocking up heavily for the coming winter. The pike follow the schools of roach throughout the year so at the beginning of Autumn, for us this actually means the start of the Pike season, the baitfish can be found scattered everywhere. Thus the flyfisherman needs to move and probe out potential hiding places. When winter comes the fish start to congregate in large schools along places where the water temperature is slightly above average. In lakes this usually means the deeper pools. In canals usually the harbors but in our famous Polder waters this means that they tend to congregate around the farm houses. The year round aggressiveness towards other rivals and even cannibalistic trades of the pike are set aside during winter and for some reason the pike seem to tolerate each other on such small areas. Probably due to the abundance of baitfish. Every farm house has a bridge to connect the driveway with the main road. During winter times these sheltered places of water tend to have a slightly higher temperature and every bridge is a potential hot spot. You can almost say that every bridge has pike residing on either one or the other side. It’s a mere question off; is she hungry, has she been hooked the last couple of days (fishing pressure can high) or can you provoke her?
The pike in typical polder water has an average of around 50-60 cm, small, but the huge numbers of them can make a cold winters days a very busy adrenaline filled one. At the beginning of the season seeing 10-15 pike a day are very common. The small ones are the numerous ones but you can stumble upon larger more impressive species in the polders. Pike over 80 cm are caught as long as you master casting underneath bridges trees are docks. In the beginning you will lose loads of streamers but that’s all in the game.
The rivers aren’t as easy as the polder waters, but they do give you the opportunity to catch bigger and stronger pike. Many pike over a meter are caught weekly by devoted pike fisherman. Small rivers you can walk along the bank and cast towards obstructions which might be a nice place of ambush for miss Lucius. But moreover you get the most takes just in front of your feet when you least expect, the question usually comes to mind: “did they follow the fly all the way to the river bank or were they lying there at the bank all of the time?” Both can be true although I do get the feeling that pike do not like a strong water flow so lying at the sides gives them the most calm ambush place.
Lakes for the flyfisherman are only interesting in summer autumn when the baitfish can be still found in the shallow parts, when the temperature drops the fish migrate to the deep centre and then fishing will be very difficult. Fishfinders and 400 grain lines are a must at that time.
Flies As a beginner I used to tie streamers that looked huge in my opinion. Taking a 1/0 hook and tying a Bunny bug was the way to go. Off course I did catch my pike and actually my very first pike on the fly was a 92 cm mama, but over the years other patterns took over.
Since a couple of years a famous dutch Pike Fisherman called Ad Swier (google him, he’s got a nice book about the topic) designed a new style pike hook. Which coincidentally carries his name, surprise surprise. The old style Ad Swier was useless, but the new Ad Swier Black Nickel Absolute Pike hook is great. I tend to use hooksizes 4/0 and 6/0 (yes they are pretty darn big). They have a great wide open bend and no barb. I am not in need for a barb, if you will lose a fish then most of the time you didn’t keep enough pressure on the line. Another big advantage of barbless hooks is when the pike inhales the fly and the hook is lodged deep in her throat or even worse behind the gills. A big bleeder is usually a dead pike.
I am very fond off big flies, you tend to shift out a lot of the smaller pikes and makes an interesting meal for the bigger ones. Although I do fully believe that big pike eat small flies as well. I used to tie a lot with rabbit zonkers and bucktail. The “Dubbeldekker” from Ad Swier is a nice example. My version involves two strips of bucktail ( I use the complete strip) and making the head from flared out bucktail. Loads of flash and voila a huge pike teaser. This year I have been experimenting with a completely other material. I have gone synthetic and too much satisfaction. I have been using Enrico Pugslisi fibers, EP Fibers, to make some very large and more important very light streamers. The average streamer which I make is around 25 cm. They can be casted a long distance since the fibers do not hold any water. Subsurface they have a beautiful wavy and floating property which allows for slow retrieval, they still displace a lot of water and are visually very big. Pike tend to hunt with there lateral line but also very importantly with their sight. A site worthwhile visiting for some EP inspiration, is a site from fellow Dutch man Edwin Kerssies. He has a great blog about Dutch fishing and especially pike and carp.
Gear :
I normally like to use an 8 weight rod when fishing for pike. A 7# would do great in polder waters but I tend to use fairly large streamers and now and again you might stumble upon a big one. For the flyline, just a weight forward or intermediate would do fine. I actually use the oldest and most beaten line I have since pike fishing doesn’t involve any subtlety and usually the line gets caught in plants, trees etc. My wf-line has been gradually transformed into an intermediate line. The leader is something off debate. The standard leader for pike fishing is usually a piece of mono 40/100 thick and has a steel or Kevlar bit tippet. Because of their 700 or so teeth they are capable of sheering through thick mono and since pike inhale even 20 cm long flies, the teeth are always on the line. Since a couple of years, and several hundreds of pike, I have been experimenting with another set-up which hasn’t failed me yet. I use a 80 pound test fluorocarbon leader with steel clamps to make a loop and cross-lock. No wire tippet just the 80 pound fluo. It hasn’t been bitten through, but it is important to always check the line after a hookup. If it has some tears change it. The advantage of this leader is that it adds an intermediate tip so your flies go down a bit, furthermore casting and turning over a large streamer goes with more ease, and it is nearly invisible.
The last item on the list that every pike fisher should always carry with him/her is a long forceps, pliers. Without you should not go fishing, it is irresponsible and harmful for the pike. Pliers are handy since they can also cut through the shank of the streamer or bite tippet when the fly cannot be removed.
Furthermore it is very important to learn how to handle a pike, If you are scared of them don’t go fishing for them. Ask someone who has experience to properly show you how you can fixate them behind the gill and keep them easy. Otherwise a large enough net will make you fishing life a lot easier.
Good fishing and if ever planning a trip to Holland for pikefishing, just go! Just remember catch and release especially in our country is vital for maintaining a good healthy population in a closed environment.
Polder
The polders are large areas of land that are surrounded by dikes. The land inside the dikes lie below sealevel and because of this an active water drainage is necessary. In olden days windmills on top of the dikes pumped the water from the polder area out into the canals on the other side of the dikes. Due to this method land stayed dry to use mainly as farmland. Water drainage is a key element in this enclosed area so the farmlands are lined by smaller drainage canals. Every farmer with a piece of land has to maintain the waterways in case of blockage. And looking at an aerial map of a polder it looks like a green chessboard crisscrossed with waterways. These waterways are filled with all sorts of fish, including pike. These fish cannot leave the polders since the large drainage canals lie on the dikes.
