Fly fishing for pike on Åland: is it actually effective?
Yes, fly fishing for pike on Åland works, although spinning is quicker, more practical and probably more effective. Over a few days in late November, two very experienced fly anglers caught fine pike from my boat on flies up to 35 cm long. And it has a charm that spinning can't replace.
A word about the word
I love the Russian language, but its word for fly fishing, nakhlyst, comes from a verb that means to lash or whip. "Fly fishing" is much better: something flies, there's a fly, and there's fishing. Lashing at the water doesn't sound right at all, you'll agree. Writing in English, at least I get to use the word I like.
Why pike on the fly is hard
Fly fishing is generally thought of as technically demanding, and broadly that's true, though drifting a nymph along a river bed and throwing giant poppers at sea are very different things. Pike on the fly is very much the second kind.
It's not so much a fly as a monster of a fly, the wind always seems to be on your casting side, the line tangles, and the boat keeps swinging round. Nothing but trouble, in short.
The guests and the boat
This time, though, my guests were very accomplished fly anglers. One is a perpetual traveller with dozens of fishing expeditions behind him; the other is an instructor who holds, as far as I can tell, every certificate the fly-fishing world has ever invented.
My own view is that however big the boat, only two people can fly fish from it: one in the bow and one in the stern, with the guide at the wheel in the middle. The guide, as it happens, is perfectly free to fish with a spinning rod. That's how we spent those few wonderful November days.
Late November: as good as April for big pike
I should say that November, and late November especially, is just as exciting a time for big pike on Åland as April. Much the same opportunities, and much the same problems, the main one being the weather, or more precisely, the cold.
We were lucky: the temperature and the wind let us fish to our hearts' content.
How fly fishing for pike differs from spinning
Fly fishing for pike is not so different from spinning for them:
choose slightly shallower spots;
drift more slowly;
everything else is the same: colour and size of the fly, the retrieve and how deep it runs, the classic questions for any angler.
The flies that worked: up to 35 cm
On those days, very large flies did best, up to 35 cm long. That's not the length of the body, of course, but the overall length including the tail, which works much like a twister tail. This type of fly has become very popular with fly anglers lately. The tail is beautiful and moves wonderfully, but it isn't easy to cast: it catches a lot of air and makes a distinctive buzz.
The result, and the honest twist
As I said, my guests were experienced, and all I had to do was enjoy watching two masters at work. The result was some excellent pike, which you can see in these photos. I don't remember how many we caught in all, but I do remember the biggest: 7 kg (about 15 lb), and it took, alas, a plug.
So, is fly fishing for pike on Åland effective?
Yes, spinning is faster, more pragmatic and probably more effective. And yet, somehow, none of that takes away the charm that makes millions of people love fly fishing.
So if you've been wondering whether to try pike on the fly, set your doubts aside and give it a go: it does work, and all the more so here on Åland! You'll find more about the water on our fishing on Åland page, and you can see which of our boats suit two fly anglers and a guide.
If late autumn appeals, the packages and dates are on our prices page; write to me and I'll tell you honestly how the season is looking. See you on the water.
Read next: pike lures for Åland, ranked, and the story of our 116 cm trophy pike.
