Greg Brown (A.K.A. the Water Wolf) is a fly-fishing-obsessed Vermont local with a passion for fish with teeth. A long time conventional angler, Greg first picked up the fly rod after his friend, Chris Samson, kept inviting Greg over to tie pike flies with him. Greg finally caved one night and the rest is history.
Greg can still remember the day he caught his first Pike on the fly,
“It was Chris, our buddy Harry from Berkshire rivers fly fishing, and myself. We were floating and it was my first pike float. Right off the bat, Harry, and Chris where getting follow after follow and landing fish. 5 minutes in I dropped my phone in the river and wasn’t moving a thing. Needless to say, I was not having a good first go at it.
About half-way through the float, Harry says to me “Hey, Greg throw your fly over in that back feeder stream.” No sooner than the fly hit the water you saw the head wake from this fish heading right to my fly and boom he’s on!! Didn’t get another follow the rest of the float. But in that moment of that fish chasing my fly that turned that day into my best day ever.”
Since then Pike have become the focus of Greg’s fishing energy during the warmer months. Even when he and his wife were chatting about new places to possibly settle, all Greg had to say was, “Wherever it is it’s gotta have pike.”
Greg’s secrets to catching Pike? 3 things: Fly selection, dependable rods, and patience. His most productive patterns are Buford style flies in white, black and chartreuse. When we went out fishing with Greg, we were constantly changing flies until we found what colors the fish wanted to crush that day. He recommends using a 9 wt rod with a sinking line to make casting big flies all day easier on your casting arm.
Greg’s next challenge? Exploring Vermont’s rivers in his new raft and sharing his waters with his friends. Greg is still on the hunt for the last Esox species on his list, the infamous Muskelunge.
During the colder months, Greg satisfies his fly fishing itch by chasing trout or ice-fishing around his home state. Although he’d love to be out on the water every day, Greg makes the most out of the time he does get. He uses fly fishing to relax and keep his mind at bay after a long work week, without it, he says, “I’d go crazy.”
Follow Greg’s adventures on his Instagram and keep an eye out for him if you’re ever fishing around southern Vermont!
Hoping to get tight on some toothy critters of your own this spring and summer? Add a Warm Water Postfly Subscription and get everything you need to start chasing water wolves, delivered.
https://postflybox.com/blog/2019/03/13/how-to-find-where-your-state-stocks-fish/
https://postflybox.com/blog/2019/03/11/the-5-stages-of-landing-a-monster-fish/
https://postflybox.com/blog/2019/03/08/how-this-tribe-member-is-impacting-his-local-water/
Dan Zazworsky’s passion is sharing his love of fly fishing with anyone that will listen, read or watch. You can find him exploring new waters every day while chasing any fish that will eat a fly!
I have been a long time bass and trout fisherman, but when I got into pike waters, I consistently get my leader bitten in two.
What does Greg Brown use as a leader so he doesn’t lose 50% or more of the pike that hit his fly?
We like to use leaders with a wire bit guard. There are a few of those available from Scientific Angler and Rio, but you can also make your own but tying a barrel swivel to the end of your leader, and tying the bite wire to that!