"Pike are definitely not the scourge people think And the people who complain about them are the same people who are grateful to catch them on days when nothing else is biting." -- Rick Lorson, Fish and Boat Commission biologist Click photo for larger image. Fishing Notebook: Good trout opener might help offset license fee increase

Dave Csanda, editor of "Walleye Insider". said the most fun he has had fishing is when he went after northern pike with a fly rod.

"There's nothing I like better than catching big pike on flies," said Csanda, who visited Pittsburgh in February. "In Canada, we've caught a lot of big ones on hardware, but the biggest were on flies. Around here, you may not catch a 20 pounder, but there are plenty of nice size pike."

Because Western Pennsylvania has few natural lakes, Presque Isle Bay on Lake Erie is the best water for pike -- a native species -- in both size and numbers, according to fly fishing guide Mark Sikora of International Angler in Aspinwall. The largest pike he has pulled from the bay is 18 pounds.

He begins targeting pike during ice-out. That when they start to spawn in the back of bay, which warms up the quickest.

"Fish over the dead weeds," Sikora said. "The pike will be there and the muskie will come with them."

Although pike are out of season until May 7, according to Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission biologist Rick Lorson, "targeting pike when they're out of season is no problem if they're released quickly at the site of capture."

"Spring is a good time because they cluster around the edge of marshy areas," Csanda said. "If you go to the back end of bays on a sunny afternoon, you'll see them laying like logs, warming themselves."

A fast-growing, cool water species, pike will stay in shallow water for just a few weeks before heading to the flats and then dropping to deeper holes.

Bob Shuey of Neshannock Creek Fly Shop has had his line bitten off by pike plenty of times fishing Presque Isle Bay for smallmouth bass in May and June.

"They'll be right off the edge of the flats," he said.

Weeds are key when it comes to targeting pike, since submerged vegetation is their preferred habitat. They need weeds to spawn, and, as ambush predators, hunt in weeds for food during the day. In the spring, fish the shallow edges of weeds and, in summer and fall, the deeper edges.

If fish are shallow, floating fly line will do. For deeper fish, Csanda recommends a sinking tip fly line. He typically targets pike with a six-inch fly, such as Orvis' CH Bunny Worm in black.

"It has a lightly eighted cone head that will get you down a little with floating line, or you could go to the sinking tip fly line," he said.

Because even small pike can bite off your line, Sikora recommends a bite guard called Tiger Wire, which can be tied to the end of heavy leader with a blood knot.

"You want a weight forward floating fly line, preferably with bass or pike taper, between 7 and 9 weight, with Tiger Wire, and a fly with a lot of soft motion, three to 10 inches long," he said.

Csanda said even beginning fly fishermen can manage casting to pike since they usually won't have to cast far.

"People say you have to start your fly fishing for blue gills or trout. I don't agree. You could start with pike," he said.

The thrill of targeting alligator-size fish will compensate for lack of technique, he added. "Your adrenaline will be pumping so hard you won't even be thinking about how you're casting. Your enthusiasm will carry you." It also will help anglers develop a new appreciation for a species that many would rather avoid.

"The teeth, the slime, turn some people off. But they're a fascinating fish. They have a keen sense of smell. They'll inhale your lure and gnash down on it," Csanda said. Releasing pike can be tricky, since even the gill plates can cut an angler if mishandled. A boga grip can make the job easier.

The Allegheny Reservoir at the Kinzua Dam yields big pike. It produced the 38-pound state record through the ice several years ago.

Other pike-angling options include the upper Allegheny River near Warren and the middle Allegheny in the Oil City area. Lake Arthur in Butler County, Conneaut Lake, before boating season heats up, in Crawford County and French Creek from Cochranton to Meadville, which can be floated or fished from shore, area also prime spots.

Yellow Creek Lake is known for its pike, as is Highpoint Lake and the Youghiogheny Reservoir, said Lorson, however, populations in Lake Somerset have declined.

Neshannock Creek is a known hot spot for pike fishing with a fly in the summer when water is low and clear enough to sight fish.

"We've caught them in the 20- to 38-inch class and up to 15 pounds," said Shuey, who fishes Clouser Minnows or big bunny fur strips in white or chartreuse.

"Pike are definitely not the scourge people think," Lorson said. "And the people who complain about them are the same people who are grateful to catch them on days when nothing else is biting."