Bulky Bunker

Big and wide! Years ago, before S.S. Flies existed Peter tied commercially for several Northeast shops. The Grocery Fly was standard fare then and I tied hundreds of them. The original was basically a Deceiver with big schlappen tails, a bunch of hi-tied bucktail topped with peacock herl. Over the years I started high tying the bucktail in at a forty-five degree angle in and attempt to bulk up the profile. I gave some to the flies to the buyer at Hunter's Angling Supply and he started fishing them. We tweaked it a bit, adding more flash, making the profile even wider and, for him tying it really long, up to 10"! It was no longer a Grocery Fly and was dubbed the Bulky Bunker. It's won striper tournaments, has feed many huge stripers and has remains a staple fly among Northeast anglers and captains.

We carefully tie in different lengths of schlappen to enhance the movement of the Bulky Bunker then weave in a few different kinds of flash in a couple places. The bucktail we use is chosen carefully for the right length and crinkle then the fly is finished with a topping of peacock we choose carefully and cut off quills. This fly should be as nice to look at as to fish.

The Bulky Bunker comes in two sizes, 4/0 and 2/0. The big one is close to six inches long, the smaller one more like four.