Pike and freshwater predators fly rods
Fly fishing for predators such as pike, largemouth bass, zander, perch, catfish (wels), asp, etc. requires the use of specific rods due to the size and weight of the fish being targeted, but also due to the sometimes very large size of the flies and other lures used.
For pike fishing, flies can exceed 30 cm in length and, depending on the materials they are made of, have a fairly high air resistance, which requires the use of specific weight forward taper lines.
The common denominator of “pike lines,” Pike Taper, Musky Taper, and Bass Taper is that they have a shortened, overloaded, and “aggressive” weight forward taper (WF) to facilitate propulsion and easy turnover of large flies in a few false casts.
They also “load” these dedicated rods more quickly to save energy during long fishing sessions spent prospecting or blind casting.
The ideal rod must therefore have a certain “flexibility,” an ability to bend along the entire blank so that it loads quickly thanks to the heavier than normal weight of the line, leader, and fly.
With a few false casts, these rods generate enough energy to reach the right fishing distance, whether or not a double haul is used to increase the speed of line transfer.
The lower sections (butt and sections No. 3 from the tip) are reinforced with significant leverage to fight and control the power of large predators, particularly in the final moments of the battle when you need to shorten the fight, bring the fish to the surface and guide it towards the landing net.
The handles are sometimes extended and all have fighting butts of varying lengths, relieving the angler during prolonged fights.
What length of rod?
The heavier the lines and the larger the flies, the shorter the rod should be, for obvious reasons of total weight (a large, fairly bulky large-arbor reel is often used in combination with these rods, as its weight helps to ensure a good balance between the rod, reel, and line, and can accommodate thick lines with a large total volume).
As with saltwater fly fishing, a rod that is too long will catch the wind and be very tiring to handle during long sessions of repetitive casting.
The ideal length is between 8'6” and 9'.
What rod power/line weight for which fish and what use?
In terms of power, we offer a wide range of fly rods for lines from 6 to 12, depending on the species and average weight of the fish you are targeting.
Rod weights 6 and 7 are dedicated to light fly fishing for medium-sized predators, largemouth bass, asp, perch, and pike up to 60/70 cm, and when using small flies up to 10 cm max: small poppers, large terrestrials, fry imitations, various streamers, crayfish, etc.
Rod weights 8, 9 and 10 are the most widely used for freshwater predator fishing.
A 9'0”#9 is undoubtedly the most versatile combination for pike or zander fishing with flies up to 20/25 cm and floating or intermediate lines, or for largemouth bass fishing on the surface with large poppers or deep with sinking lines.
For heavy pike and medium catfish fishing (up to 1.50 m long) with flies or tube flies up to 30/35 cm long (including Wiggle Tail and Dragon Tail), floating, intermediate or sinking lines, rod weight 10 is ideal.
Rod weights 11 and 12 are designed for musky fishing, very large northern pike in difficult conditions (wind, great depths, obstacles) and with huge streamers and catfish up to 2 m long (to give an idea of the size).
We offer a selection of 45 models in stock or on order (with short delivery delays) from the biggest brands: Guideline, BFFCFR™, TFO, Beulah, and Winston.
Check out the Guideline LPX Predator series, the three models 9'0“#7/8, 9'0”#8/9, and 9'0"#9/10 from my Brittany Fly Fishing™ (BFFCFR™) custom rod series, and the TFO BC Big Fly designed by Blane Chocklett.
