Video spotlight: How Northern Pike Hunt

One of fly fishing's greatest assets is its visual appeal. Watching fish hit flies is what turns a lot of us on, frankly. Trout on dry flies or bass on poppers ... these are the moments a lot of us live for when we go fishing. Even the dip of an indicator or the flash of a fish as it turns on nymph provide us with tell-tale proof that what we're doing is working. 

And the visual aspect of fly fishing might ever be more thrilling than when chasing northern pike. In fact, I would argue that pike are the most exciting fresh-water fish to chase on a fly, simply because when they eat, they do so in such an aggressive manner. Above, the folks at The New Fly Fisher give us a quick tutorial on pike, how they hunt and why they're so aggressive when they're in an eating mood. 

This last summer, my uncle and I headed to northern Saskatchewan and literally destroyed a box full of foam poppers as pike crushed them as we pulled them through lily pads. Each time a pike hit, we giggled and laughed. It was so much fun watching the big predators erupt from the lake and inhale the hapless bugs. 

I spent the better part of three weeks last year—on two separate trips—chasing pike in the boreal lakes of Canada. Pike fishing, for me, has become a summertime staple—it's an experience that I just can't seem to get enough of. Unfortunately, here in the trout country of eastern Idaho, pike aren't native, and our fisheries managers have wisely refrained from introducing them. To get to them, I need to travel north. 

And every time, it's worth the trip. Check out the video, and I'm betting, if you haven't tried it already, you'll be ready to chase pike, too. 

— Chris Hunt