Pike epiphany

January and Winter is finally tightening her grip. Thoughts are turning to pike. I am a child of the epiphany, born on  twelfth night, and it's become something of a tradition to try for a chalk stream pike on my birthday. And tradition dictates that she should be taken on the fly. 
 

I need streamers to take with me and experience tells that the pike in this  river prefer bright and loud, turning their snouts away from more natural patterns. I want streamers that can be teased back across the little stream very slowly and with lots of movement. Natural materials seem a good choice and time is short so some bright feather, fibre and fur creations are hastily knocked up. For this one I used soft hen hackle and nayat hair with  a few strands of flashabou. A pair of rattling googly eyes and this wee beastie is ready to swim.

Conditions on the day are tricky. The stream is up from the heavy rains of Christmas, but more problematical are the thick beds of Elodea canadensis that choke the channel even now in January. Freakishly mild weather has allowed it to flourish when hard frosts should be cutting it back. High winds too have brought much tree debris into the water and swimming a fly deep enough to reach lurking pike will be a challenge!  

I do know of a couple of spots though where  deep holes have been dredged from the chalky stream bed and here the water is less weedy and usually holds a few pike. I cast to the far bank and a good fish hits the
fly instantly but a few head shakes and the hook is shed.   

I try the next deep run and a lively jack obliges and this time stays on. A small birthday gift this year but a welcome one! The fish is returned and honour is kept.