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This week I welcome author, retired outfitter, IGFA world record holder, George Bernstein. George has traveled the world fly fishing and on this interview we will focus on his love of fly-fishing for Pike.

It won’t take to realize George is a true sportsman. For starters, he has been practicing “catch and release” for over 30 years. The articles he wrote many years ago were ground breaking then and today have become common practice.

To begin with, George gives tells us the difference between fly fishing for the Muskie and the Pike by comparing them (in detail) with two jungle predators. George’s descriptions are highly detailed, but told in such a way that you feel like you are sitting right next to him in the boat.

Not only does he have a great deal of experience fly fishing for Pike, but George has a deeply ingrained biological knowledge of the fish and an almost game warden-like knowledge of where they live and why they live there.

When it comes to the flies for Pike fishing, George tells us that there are many, many, flies out there for catching them, but your really only need 3 or 4, in different colors.

Here is part of George’s email about his flies for catching Pike…

My flies for any season are my marabou streamer, in white/red; yellow/red; orange/red; pink/red (best color lately); and black/red. Premium Marabou feathers, 6 – 8 inches, with a Flashabou overwing, extending 2″ beyond the feather tips. Patterns are in the book

My Flashabou streamer, in silver; pearl; gold; & black. 6″‘ – 8″ for pike & musky, but can be as long at 12″ with a stinger hook. Especially easy to cast, and the long ones, w/stinger, are also great for Lake Trout. Pattern also in the book.

Neither of those are currently available commercially. I have tied and sold them on a limited basis, and also sell a fly-tying kit geared to my flies from my web site.

The 3rd pattern needed is the Dahlberg Mega-Diver. They can be bought, and run from 6″ – 12″. Best colors are red/wht; yel/wht; green/blk (frog); and black/red. Great patterns in shallow, calm water, and in and around reed beds.

Patterns generally available commercially are the Reynolds pike fly (Rabbit strip, and heavy to cast), divers, poppers, other streamers, but none…in my opinion…are as effective as my streamers. Both the Marabou and Flashabou continue to catch fish, even when badly chewed up. I was recently contacted by someone who wanted to tie them commercially. If he does, I’ll let you know.

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My favorite part of the interview comes when George tells us about setting an IGFA world record for Pike on the fly. It is fantastic to listen to everything he had to do just to put himself in a position for the possibility of catching a world record. Very cool stuff.

Sit back and enjoy listening to a modern day master speak about the ins and outs of Pike fishing.

Did you hear that sound just now?

That was me putting “Catch a Pike On the Fly” on my bucket list.

Tight lines!

David Darling

Email: PikeFlyGuy@aol.com

George’s Website is PikeFlyGuy.com

Music  Provided By JewelBeat.com

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Montana Fly Fishing Guide Dennis Alverson

This week I welcome Dennis Alverson from Dennis Alverson Fly Fishing Guide Service out of Livingston, Montana.

As everyone knows, Montana offers some if the best dry, nymph, and streamer fly fishing anywhere on earth. Dennis guides on the longest freestone river in the country, the Yellowstone River, which is said to have the longest stretch of “blue ribbon trout stream” in the Americas.

His fly fishing territory includes the nearby spring creeks (or “cricks” as he calls them) with names like Armstrong, Dupuy, and Nelsons. In within a two hour drive he can guide you on the Boulder, Madison, and Stillwater rivers or take you to fish the Burns and Storys lakes.

Needless to say, Dennis Alverson and the great state of Montana offer every type of fly fishing adventure for anyone at any skill level.

PART ONE

In the first part of the interview Dennis starts out by telling us that he grew up in Montana with the Gallatin River not more that five feet away. He remembers fly fishing guides from the Yellowstone National Park asking his fathers’ permission to fish on their property and how eventually Dennis tagged along to see what they were doing. Dennis tells us how going to church every Sunday made him want to be a guide even more than he already did.

I mean, if you had 5 world-class fisheries, plus the Yellowstone River, in your neighborhood, wouldn’t you want to be a fly fishing guide?

Dennis explains how to effectively use the reach cast when you are casting from his drift boat. He gives up a guide tip on the one thing to do at the very end of that drag-free drift you just did that drive trout crazy. Dennis tells us about the one spring creek that he doesn’t talk much about, what size fly rod he uses for dropper rigs (and everything else), and why placement & presentation is more important that the fly pattern.

Information about the 3 parts of a good run, don’t look under the rocks, and hopper hatches of Biblical proportions round out Part One of the interview.

Montana Drift Boat Fly Fishing

Top Fly for Fly Fishing with Dennis Alverson

WINTER

• 18 Blood Midge
• 18 Sawyer
• 14 CDC Soft Hackle Pheasant
• 12 Girdle
• 18 Prince

SPRING

• 14 Soft Hackle CDC Pheasant Tail
• 8 Girdle
• 12 Prince
• 12 Caddis
• 10 Chubby

SUMMER

• 12 Caddis
  

  Fly Fishing In Montana

• 14 Parachute Adams
• 12 Chubby
• 12 O-Natural Hopper
• 14 Black Ant

FALL

• 4 Black Rabbit Streamer
• 14 Parachute Adams
• 14 March Brown
• 4 Girdle
• 338 cal.- 180 Grain bullet for Elk

PART TWO

In Part Two of the interview, Dennis talks about what to do at the end of a strip to get a reaction from the trout, what his new favorite floatant is, window shade casts, and how to properly present your dry fly.

I have always wondered what the difference is between a riffle and a ripple and Dennis puts in his two cents worth about that subject.

Wrapping things up, Dennis talks about his Take A Kid Fishing program he started and the success of getting kids to be aware of the great natural resources they have right outside their front door.

And finally, he gives us a guide tip that we all know we should do, but most of us do the exact opposite and a guide story that shows just how far he will go to make sure his clients get great fish!

Tight lines.

David Darling

Call Dennis at (406) 220-0755

Email: dennis@guided-fly-fishing-trips-montana.com

Website: Dennis Alverson Fly Fishing Guide Service

Music provided by JewelBeat.com

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