Alaska Pike trip

[Lee Haskin]

Hey guys,

Just got back from an incredible trip to the Innoko River, Alaska. The pike here were huge, with most averaging around 15 lbs. and many between 15 and 20 lbs.
This 24 lb. monster was my largest fish of the trip.

Keep in mind that this fishing was ALL top water action, with the gurgler leading the way.



Check out my blog for more pictures, story, and several video clips.
http://leehaskin.blogspot.com/






Cheers,
Lee Haskin[/img]

[Mik]

Awesome fish Lee! On the top with the gurgler must have been epic. What size leaders are you using on those sharks? Did you pick up any She-fish?

[Lee Haskin]

Hey Mik,

Other than the 24 lb. fish, we caught many fish between 15 and 20 lbs., and those are big pike.

I used a simple leader system. I started with a short, 5', twisted leader, and then looped a 16" length of class tippet. Then I attached a small swivel to the the class, and then 12" of Cortland Toothy Critter wire to the swivel. This made it easy to replace the wire.
A simple 2-turn Kreh Loop to the fly.

The Sage bass taper in the 330 gr. with a 9 wt. rod, was the perfect line.
Actually, the 290 gr. with an 8 wt. cast very well, but was a bit too light to lift the bigger fish for a quick release.

Cheers,
Lee