Big flies, violent eats, and aggressive fish—pike fishing is about maximum chaos, but it doesn’t mean hookups should be inconsistent. Here’s what you need to dial in:

1. Drive the Hook Like You Mean It
   1. Pike have bony, tooth-filled mouths, which means a weak hookset won’t cut it. When you feel a hit, give a hard strip-set with both hands and keep stripping until you feel the fish fully connected. Unlike trout or bass, you’re not just setting the hook—you’re driving it into bone.
2. Keep Your Rod Tip Down
   1. The second most common mistake? Lifting the rod on the hookset. That’s a recipe for a missed fish. Pike will use the weight of the fly to shake free, so keep your rod low and pointed at the fish while strip-setting to drive the hook in.
3. Use the Right Hook Type
   1. Not all streamer hooks are created equal. Some articulated flies use thinner-gauge hooks that bend out on big fish. Make sure your flies are tied on heavy-gauge hooks, preferably with an upturned or wide gap for better penetration.
4. Don’t Let Up on the Pressure
   1. Once a pike is hooked, they’ll do their best to throw it—head shakes, runs, even rolling like a crocodile. Keep steady, constant pressure and don’t let slack form. If they jump or roll, bowing to the fish (like you would for tarpon) can help prevent the fly from pulling loose.
5. Sharpen Your Hooks
   1. Even brand-new flies sometimes come with factory-dull hooks. Carry a hook file and sharpen every fly before tying it on. A razor-sharp point makes all the difference in punching through a pike’s tough mouth.
6. Pay Attention to Leader & Bite Wire Setup
   1. Using too stiff of a wire leader? That can affect how the fly moves and how fish take it. Try switching to softer, knottable wire (like 20-30lb Rio Toothy Critter) or even heavy fluoro (50-80lb) if pike aren’t slicing you off.

Final Thought

If you’re getting the eats but not the hookups, it’s usually a hookset or gear issue. Strip-set hard, use the right hooks, and keep tension throughout the fight. Pike fishing is aggressive, so your approach needs to match their intensity. Get that part right, and you’ll start landing more of those ferocious eats instead of just watching them swim away.