adh-world
Spring, finally! Winter is over and everything is starting to green up. And with May 1, a very special highlight in the fly fishing calendar is on the agenda. This is when the German pike fishing season starts and in many places soon later for perch and zander. For a successful start to the season, predator fishing expert Steffen Schulz presents his personal tips and has put together his favorite patterns for you here.
Fishing in Spring
Fishing for our domestic predators perch, pike and zander can be very successful with the fly, especially in the spring. Because as fly fishers we have the opportunity to present our bait extremely slowly and to lead the fly with slow strips. And in my opinion, this is quite often the key to success! A slow movement of the fly often brings significantly more bites - and especially the larger specimens to the hook. This is true not only for days with low temperatures, but also for milder and sunnier days! However, slow does not mean monotonous. In my experience you should strip hard once, twice or maybe even three times, then go into a sinking phase of the fly. This should last between 2 to 3 seconds for perch and pike, but 3 to 5 seconds for zander.
When choosing a fly, I prefer natural shades and imitative streamers. And of course chartreuse! This color must not be missing on perch and zander in any fly box. Manufacturers such as H2O and Fulling Mill have many great patterns on offer for the 'smaller' predators! And for pike? In addition to those mentioned, there are of course the extremely catchy streamers from Pike Terror Flies, which are tied here in Europe with very good materials and hooks. A dream for us pike anglers!
Perch
I have to admit: The months of May and June are not the easiest for fishing for perch. Depending on the water, very different things are on their menu. Classically, I now fish somewhat smaller patterns, so 5 to 7 cm. But streamers with a length of 10 cm could also make sense for selective catching of big perch. It is best to start with 7 cm. If the perch are sluggish and you know that they like to snack on crayfish, you should go for a slow and near-bottom presentation, for example with an FM Belly Scratcher Minnow or Sculpin. For fish imitations you will definitely need the Salty Baitfish and Salty Minnow as well as the Fishient H2O Streamer Mirror Image Bunker and Tiger Deceiver. For the assembly I recommend you a FC leader in 0.24mm or 0.28mm, that you combine if necessary with a short and thin steel or titanium tip. And with a rod class 6 with suitable WF-lines with Sink 3 and Sink 7 tips you are well prepared.
Successful for perch in the spring
Pike
I love to fish with light tackle for pike! An 8-weight rod combined with an intermediate line (or fast sinking, depending on where you fish) is the perfect combination for me and offers a lot of fun in the spring. And right now, I'm certainly not going anywhere without my black and gold Pike Terror Streamer. My absolute favorite for the start of the season in May! Otherwise streamers between 12cm and 25cm are used. If the bream are spawning and the pike get in between, then I fish big flies. If, on the other hand, they are lethargic and sluggish and don't really want to attack, then a smaller streamer can do the trick.
One of Steffen's favorite for May
In the end, the confidence in the fly must be there! So fish what suits you best. In my opinion, the specific pattern is not quite as decisive for pike fishing as it is for perch and zander. Much more important than the streamer is the rig. As a leader I prefer to use titanium braid, e.g. the Niti Polywire from Stroft. A load capacity of 14 kg or 18 kg on a 0.40mm or 0.45mm is ideal for me. Instructions for building a pike leader can be found here on adh-world.
Zander (Pikeperch)
At the end of May begins by far the best time for zander! In my experience, this extremely catchy phase lasts until about the beginning of July. Depending on the weather up to the middle of July. The zander are particularly active in this period and also eat like mad during the day to process the exhausting spawning business. Now the streamer must sink for a long time and be stripped close to the bottom. Definitely more demanding than perch and pike fishing! But for it also insanely exciting. Classic EP streamers work very well for me. However, I prefer streamers made of extremely soft fibers that still have their own movement when not in use, e.g. the Fulling Mill Sparkle Minnow, but also the Pike Terror Streamer. 12 to 20 cm are ideal. I like to fish big streamers for zander. If I'm counting on smaller one up to 70cm, I go for a fast 6-weight rod, otherwise an 8-weight. The lines are similar to those for pike. Here it depends mainly on the water depth. From an intermediate to a fast sinking line I have everything in my luggage - better safe than sorry. As a leader I prefer fluorocarbon, between 0.36mm and 0.40mm in diameter. A steel or titanium tip is of course a must if you can count on a pike as bycatch!
End of May is a great time for Zander
With the right tackle, the right streamers and a slow presentation at the right depth, nothing stands in the way of a successful start to the predator season. I have therefore collected my absolute favorite patterns for you below. For the exciting fishing for perch, pike and zander in the coming weeks I wish you tight lines!
