First try for pike = Struggles!

[RH1]

So yesterday was my first attempt to catch a pike on a flyrod. The first river access i tried i ended up walking in on 2 different hunters that were in stands along the river. I kindly waved, apologized and backed out of there.
Next spot where a creek enters the river was a family set up with a oile of kids throwing rocks and having fun, again turned and left.
At this point ive only made about 2 dozen casts.last spot I hit has a ton of log jams and Eddie's which should be loaded. Man it's is so hard to cast a fly rod from a wooded rivers edge accurately to a log jam especially since this is the first time ive tried any fly rod over a 5wt with some little flies. Well about 45 minutes into this "cluster*****", we'll you know the rest of that saying! I hung a beautiful jointed Thrasher that Ladove tied for me in a tree top over 10 feet of water. By the time I slid on my *** down a half sunk tree I was able to cut the leader but I left that beautiful Thrasher hanging like a Christmas ornament!
This is definitely going to be a more difficult challenge than getting my first flyrod trout was!
Yesterday's casting struggles left me questioning a couple things, whether it is my ability or the setup?
My setup for pike is as follows.
9ft 8wt ST.Croix Avid
Lamson liquid reel spooled with scientific angler sonar titan 8wt full intermediate and 7ft pike leader and tippet. Casting seemed to be difficult to get out much past about 25 feet and with alot of effort. Did I set up wrong? Would you change anything or just keep at it?

Thanks for listening Friends,
Ron

 

[hooker-of-men]

My first instinct would be to shorten the leader, especially if what you're saying above means 7' leader + additional tippet. Take a foot or two off (into the 5'-6' range) and see if it makes a difference for you.

But yes, in general, that setup is going to feel a good deal different than a 5 wt and will take some getting used to. It also sounds like you're roll casting because of the wooded banks? That's plenty of work with a heavy intermediate line and a giant fly.

Do you have a wadeable lake nearby where you could get out away from the bank? That would help to play with the setup and get a feel for the bigger rod without worrying about decorating the trees.

 

[PennKev]

I can't imagine being serious about going after pike/muskie without a boat.

Probably not what you want to hear, but that's what comes to mind after reading your struggles.

 

[RH1]

My first instinct would be to shorten the leader, especially if what you're saying above means 7' leader + additional tippet. Take a foot or two off (into the 5'-6' range) and see if it makes a difference for you.

But yes, in general, that setup is going to feel a good deal different than a 5 wt and will take some getting used to. It also sounds like you're roll casting because of the wooded banks? That's plenty of work with a heavy intermediate line and a giant fly.

Do you have a wadeable lake nearby where you could get out away from the bank? That would help to play with the setup and get a feel for the bigger rod without worrying about decorating the trees.

Thanks.. my leader is 7ft total including the wire tippet.. should I shorten the entire total length to around 5ft?
Does it seem that my rod reel and line are good to go?

 

[RH1]

I can't imagine being serious about going after pike/muskie without a boat.

Probably not what you want to hear, but that's what comes to mind after reading your struggles.

I wish I had that option but our pike fishing is almost entirely in the rivers unless we head up to lake erie and fish the lagoons.