Many of us have fished for Northern Pike at some time or another. Maybe not with a fly rod and maybe not intentionally but if you have ever been fishing in Northern waters you have probably had one of these "water wolves" strike. Because of this many people pursue the Northern Pike on a fly. This pursuit usually involves heavy gear and big flies. Plus, you can do a lot of casting before you get into some big pike.One alternative, often overlooked, is the Chain Pickerel. The Chain Pickerel is related to the pike and the Musky but just smaller and more compact. They also come up into the shallows during the early spring (March and April) to spawn and can be very aggressive. You can fish for the Pickerel in much the same fashion as the large cousins but with lighter gear and flies, like your normal trout stuff.
Joe Cermele put together some information over at Field & Stream about fly fishing for Chain Pickerel that is worth a look see. He has a video with information on tying a easy pattern and then shows you how and where to fish it. If you have any lakes, ponds, etc.. around you that have these mini-pike in them (would that be like a "water pup"?) it can be worth targeting. These are a great fish to get you out on the water a little earlier in the year.
