Packing for your pike on the fly trip to Ontario:

Ontario has a wide variety of weather and even in the mid summer month of July, Ontario weather can be unpredictably extreme. Temps can plummet to 40°F and rise to extremely humid, hot 95°.  Although that’s worse case scenario, and generally the typical norm is lows of 60 in the summer to day time temps 70 to 80° F.  

Essentials for you:

Clothing: Pack for any kind of weather! Hoodies, warm socks, baseball hats, beanie / toque, warm gloves, long underwear, light jacket (I use a puff jacket from Patagonia), flannel shirts, jeans, and regular tee’s. SPF long sleeves sun shirts, hot weather shirts, swim suit, and shorts. 

Sun gloves – get the ones from Simms, they have striping pads built in for fly line.

Cargo shorts – extra pockets come in handy.

Rain gear:  Pack your gortex waders and fly fishing rain jacket. There will be days heading back to the lodge in a downpour – you’ll be thanking yourself for bringing along the right rain gear.  

Sunblock Stick - SPF 45-50. Using a stick - you do not want sunblock on your flies!

Sun “buff” or bandana – protect your face from long days on the water from the sun and wind.

Foot wear: trekking sandals, runners,  boots. Bring multiple pairs of footwear, with one pair of waterproof shoes.  

Bug repellent: We have black flies, mosquitoes and no-see-ums. I use a natural citronella balm; apply before leaving for the the lake and it works well.  Keep bug sprays away from fly line, flies, and sunglasses.

Eye wear: Polarized sunglasses are 100% essential! They’ll help you see “thru” the water, and of course offer up protection from catapulted flies.

Band-aids, for the possible cuts – watch those sharp essox teeth!    

Vet wrap – for your fingers. You can buy this at fleet farm. It’s a self-adherent veterinary medical fabric. I have horses, and grew up using it on the ranch. But it is an excellent material to protect your fingers from fly line burn! Try it, you’ll thank me after you hook and fight a big toothy fish that takes a lot of line!  

Now that we have you sorted…

Pike on the fly essentials:

Two to three fly rods  – in case you bust one, you will still have two for the trip! You need two rods – one for floating line and one with sinking line.  The third will be up to you .

Pack two nine-foot, eight  to 10-weight graphite fly rods. 

Remember, you’re not fishing for those little pike anymore – these are the big mommas and you need strong, powerful rods to handle a big fish, and the big, heavy flies you’ll use.

Reels: Matching reels with smooth drag and large arbor.  

Fly line:  Big fly taper line is a must.  Weight forward floating cold water fly line. I use lines from RIO – there are even species-specific fly lines, such as RIO pike line. 

Sinking line: you’ll need 200 to 300 grain sinking line for lake fishing – full sink line will get the fly down to the lurking fish!

Tapered leader  - If you feel like buying ready made pike leader – then I recommend RIO toothy critter with snap end. 

If you feel like making your own 5 to 7 foot leaders, then you’ll need 3-4 ft of  40 lb test mono, 1-2 ft of to 30 lb mono  to  1.5 ft section of 40 lb test wire bite tipper.  “40- 30 – 40”.  

You can also run straight 30 to 40 lb mono to 6-12 inch 30 lb coated wire.    

Rarely are pike leader shy.  There are numerous variations on leaders – these work well for Ontario pike.  With so many opinions, and ways of creating leaders, these are just suggestions and ones that I have used successfully.   

Flies:

Flies are the key to success! There are endless companies and individuals who tie incredible pike flies available for sale.

Nearly everything is edible to a pike!  Flies that imitate food to a pike are: walleye, bass, whitefish, suckers, yellow perch, and small pike.

Also leech patterns, streamers, lefty deceiver, flash tail whistler, dahlberg diver, gurglers, mice, frog “poppers” are a must to add to the pike fly box.

Fly sizes: 4-12 inch in length, I typically use 6 to 8 inch flies tied on 2/0 – 3/0 hooks.  Streamer colors in any combination of black, yellow, red, white, and chartreuse.

Nets: I prefer a cradle net with rubber netting. A big rubber landing net will do – do not use cotton mesh nets.

Don’t forget: Pliers, nippers, jaw spreaders, long nose pliers/ with wire cutter.    

Early season pike on the fly is highlighted by the ability to sight fish for them. 

Post-spawn pike are often seen in large groups up in shallow water.

Around mid-June, the bigger post-spawn pike make their way to the thicker vegetation, and by mid July they move to ambush points such as large rocks, wood, and drop zones of depth, where they can usually be found for the remainder of the season. Creek mouths and back bays can be very productive locations for big summer time pike.

Fall can be another prime season for getting big pike on the fly. The cooler temps have these fish actively working the shallows. I call their behaviour “putting on the feed bag.” It’s a time most fish are preparing for the long winter ahead by bulking up.

Tips and Essentials for Fishing in Ontario

Ontario has endless rivers and lakes to target pike on – the possibilities of landing your fish of the lifetime, are highly probably!   Packing and preparing for the trip is key to success.

I wish you a wonderful trip to beautiful Ontario, no matter where you chose to stay; you’ll have a wonderful time! Tight lines & happy fishing!