The Pike Snake

Pike in springtime mean fast action on the fly rod, and just about any pattern with some bulk, some flash and a little seductive wiggle will set off a reactionary strike which can jar any long rod loose from the tightest grip. It's easy to pile up a pack of effective flies to take on the spring onslaught that northerns can dole out, and the Pike Snake is a go-to pattern that can be worked fast or slow to trigger those takes. With long undulating hackle feathers for the tail and a set palmered in for the front of the fly, along with a little flash, this pattern checks all the boxes for spring pike fishing.

MATERIALS:

Hook: Mustad 3407 Size 1 to 2/0

Weight: Large Beadchain Eyes

Thread: 3/0 To Match

Tail: Eight Saddle Hackles

Flash: 10 Strands Flashabou

Hackle: Three Saddle Hackles

Click Here for Step-by-Step Tutorial

Start the Pike Snake by tying in a pair of large beadchain eyes a short distance behind the hook eye and advance the thread toward the bend of the hook (1). The beadchain eyes will provide slight weight and cause the hook point to ride up in the water, allowing the lure to be twitched and paused for a slight fall through the column.

Next, select four longer saddle hackles and trim them off from the skin, keeping some of the webby base fibers on them for bulk. Strip the fibers from the bottom of the quills and tie them in by the base with the curvature of the feather facing in toward the hook (2). Select four similarly sized saddle hackle feathers and tie them in on the opposite side, curvature facing in again (3). Once the feathers are secure, tie in ten strands of krystal flash on both sides over the top (4).

Pick three saddle hackle feathers of similar length and snip them off from the skin just above the webby fibers and strip the bottoms to expose the quill, tie them in by the base and advance the thread to just in front of the beadchain eyes (5). Palmer the feathers forward, forming an even collar of fibers, finishing with a single wrap over the beadchain eyes, tying the feathers off there and trimming the excess (6). Create a small thread head, whip finish and add a drop of head cement to secure everything in place – the Pike Snake is now complete (7)!

The fly can be stripped quickly through springtime holding areas where you're certain pike are lurking. In those ultra-clear waters, it can be allowed to drop slowly and twitched in front of holding fish and entice a strike if they're wary. The Pike Snake provides a bulky appearance with an easy-to-cast lightweight composition, giving anglers the best of both worlds for all their spring and early summer northern fishing.