3 reasons why fly-fishing is tops for big, early-season pike

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#1  THE FLIES

Pike rarely go hard after a meal unless it looks like a sure thing, especially in spring. The ultimate shallow-water pike bait should be able to dart, swim slowly and suspend on the pause, all while looking alive and vulnerable. And nothing says “I’m easy prey!” like a four- to six-inch-long streamer fly.

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Made of near-weightless natural or synthetic materials, streamers shimmer, undulate and appear to breathe while moving, and even when suspending. No lure made of metal, plastic or soft-plastic can tick all those boxes. My pike box has about 30 flies in a half-dozen patterns and a small variety of colours, primarily  white, black and firetiger. A few are weighted, and some have mono weedguards. That’s all I need, anywhere in Canada. Pike flies are just that simple, versatile and lethal.