Mastering Pike on the Fly by Barry Reynolds

Reynolds brings the art & science of fly fishing for northern pike to a new level of sophistication, giving pike anglers a true appreciation of pike & their environment & a full complement of strategies, tactics, & tools needed to locate & catch pike under nearly any circumstance. Barry’s techniques on fishing the water column include innovative combinations of flies & fly lines, such as floating flies with sink-tip lines. He next updates the reader on advances in fly fishing tackle, including vastly improved leader materials. From there, he describes the best pike flies & the circumstances under which each is used. Foreword by Lefty Kreh. Colour & B&W photos, 6×9 inches, 256 pages.

The popularity of flyfishing for pike has grown every year since Barry Reynolds first challenged anglers to think outside the trout box. Mastering Pike on the Fly reaches far beyond the basics presented in his first groundbreaking book, Pike on the Fly. With this new book, Barry Reynolds brings the art and science of flyfishing for northern pike to a new level of sophistication, giving pike anglers a true appreciation of pike and their environment and a full complement of strategies, tactics, and tools needed to locate and catch pike under nearly any circumstance.

The first four chapters give a complete study of pike both as they’re known to biologists and as they’re experienced by an astutely observant angler. The author looks at the complex environment of a lake, where most angling for pike is done, discussing the classification of lakes and their life zones and showing how to use this information to locate pike. He has a chapter on the pike’s seasonal movements and another on flyfishing for pike in rivers. Many anglers don’t think of fishing for pike in rivers, but Barry describes rivers as “some of the most prolific big-pike waters North America has to offer.”

The heart of the book is “Presentations for Pike on the Fly,” where Barry builds on the technical foundation of the first chapters and shows his mastery of the sport with extensive tactics and techniques. Using the biological information and his vast experience in a variety of challenging fishing conditions, Barry offers solutions for every problem the pike angler is likely to face.

He opens this chapter with presentations for each type of fly and then describes specific retrieves, including stop-and-go, change-in-direction, and variable-speed. Barry’s techniques on fishing the water column include innovative combinations of flies and fly lines, such as floating flies with sink-tip lines. He next updates the reader on advances in flyfishing tackle, including vastly improved leader materials. From there, he describes the best pike flies and the circumstances under which each is used. Included is the Bunny Fly: “My version of the American Express Card—I never leave home without it!”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Barry Reynolds knows pike. His first book, Pike on the Fly, introduced fly fishermen to a virtually unknown gamefish. The new, more advanced book, Mastering Pike on the Fly, is the result of years spent studying the scientific literature on pike, and, most importantly, getting out and fishing for them. To Barry, “few images are more stirring than the sight of a truly large pike assaulting your fly at close quarters.” His passion for pike and the excitement of fly fishing for them fill the pages of his books.

An innovative fly fisherman, he has co-authored three books that challenged anglers to consider pursuing species other than trout: Pike on the Fly, Beyond Trout, and Carp on the Fly. He has fished worldwide for pike and other species, including trips to Canada, Alaska, Brazil, the Bahamas, and Mexico, and has been a guest host for many lodges in those locations.

Barry has made guest appearances on ESPN Outdoors, Fly Fishing America, On the Fly, and Fishing the West, along with many local television shows. He has written articles for Fly Rod and Reel, American Angler, Warmwater Fly Fishing, Wild on the Fly, and Fly-Tyer Magazine. He’s a member of the Sage Rod advisory staff and the Ross Reel pro staff and a contract fly tier for Umpqua Feather Merchants.

Barry is the current world record holder in the I.G.F.A. twelve-pound tippet line class with a northern pike weighing thirty-three pounds, eight ounces. He is a two-time Muskies, Inc., tournament winner for muskies caught on a fly. He lives in Aurora, Colorado with his wife and children.