The Reverse Bulkhead: Weedless Pike Flies

REVERSE BULKHEAD:

WEEDLESS PIKE FLIES

International fly tiers have contributed to a Danish solution of an old problem: How to make sure you don’t catch weed, but still catch pike. Here’s the answer together with an effective pike fly.

By Peter Lyngby // Images by Peter Lyngby and Ahrex Hooks

Most fly fishers dream of retrieving their pike flies enticingly across the surface. Briefly, of course, because the monster pike is tuned in on the fly. Before you know it, the beast inhales your fly in a big splash. Pike fishing can be like that, but – in all honesty - rarely is.

Pike can be fished almost year-round, but this means that you need to adapt your strategy on a running basis. Sometimes, you’ll need to fish near the bottom, sometimes you’ll have to cast straight into the weeds, in among the water lilies or right along the rushes. In other words, fly fishing for pike means close contact between hook and snags.

Materials for pike flies are often quite expensive and they require a good deal of time spent at the vice, so preventing solid snags is a high priority. (Also, a pike fly with a Lilypad or rushes attached to it tends to catch fewer pike than one without a snag attached to it).

Weedless or “pikeless”

Fly tiers have spent decades trying to resolve the conflict between hook and weed. A common solution is a loop of heavy monofilament from hook eye to hook bend, covering the hook point. A “V” of heavy monofilament from the hook eye to the hook point is another solution.

Unfortunately, the more effective these weed guards are at reducing snags, the more they reduce your chances of hooking up. Even when aggressively struck, the weed protector can cause the fly to bounce off the pike’s rows of teeth and other hard parts of the mouth. Sometimes the pike’s teeth simply retain the materials (and not the hook) and if you’re lucky, the hook will get a hold during the fight. In these situations, an exposed hook point is also preferable.

Above a typical texas rig hook. The Ahrex Swimbait hook has straight hook sections, so you can tie in glass beads.

The most important feature is the reverse-design that adds bulk and not weight

Pike fly fishers who have seen a big pike strike a weed-protected fly and not hook up, often end up turning their backs to weed protecting solutions. It seems to them a choice between two evils.

Upside down

Recently, creative fly tiers have taken a closer look at their conventional predator fishing colleagues. It’s common knowledge that a jig head will turn the hook point up to reduce snags on the bottom. For the same reason, bent-back flies are often used when fishing deep, near the bottom. The hook can be weighted to encourage the hook to turn upside down and many fly tiers will bend the hook shank, so the wing helps steer the hook point up. Both methods work well on smaller flies, but they are less ideal on big pike flies. Specific hooks for pike flies that help negotiate this problem have missing on the market, despite the growing popularity of pike- and musky fly fishing in North America.

Texas

The best suited hooks so far have been different versions of hooks, intended for Texas rigs, where a silicone lure is fished with a weight and the point of the hook secured inside the silicone lure. These hooks are available in large sizes and are strong, but they come with disadvantages for the fly tier.

The characteristic Z-shape near the hook eye is designed to hold the rubber lures in place, but they leave little space for the fly tier. But what’s worse is that the Texas style hooks have the hook point in line with the short shank at the hook eye, which reduces the chance of a hook up when fishing for pike. Once again, there’s a dilemma to tackle, because it’s also this very design that can make a fly weedless.

For years, creative fly tiers have been experimenting with fly designs on the Texas style hooks. Many interesting flies have emerged, but they have all come with the compromise between weedless or “pikeless”. Not to mention the time spent at the vice incorporating shanks, to get a little more space to tie the fly on.

International cooperation

When it comes to modern, innovative predator flies, Gunnar Brammer (US) and Paul Monoghan (UK) have made quite a name for themselves lately. Paul Monoghan usually designs his flies for pike, perch and zander, while Gunnar Brammer is an expert on musky- and bass flies. They share the search for the perfect solution on weedless flies and, in many ways, their experiments have led them in the same direction. Eventually they started collaborating with Danish hook brand, Ahrex Hooks, in order to make the first dedicated fly hooks for weedless predator flies.

The collaboration began with the design of the Texas hook, but the goal was to avoid the shank blocking the hook point. At the same time, a more substantial shank to tie the fly on was a priority. Like all hooks several sizes were needed and last, but not least, the duo wanted the hook to easily accept rattles. Rattles can be very effective when fishing near the bottom and it’s never been easy to fix them on the curved Texas hooks. With these demands it was on to the designing.

Ahrex PR378 GB Swimbait

The result of the collaboration between Paul Monoghan and Gunnar Brammer landed in tackle stores across the world during the fall of 2020 in the form of Ahrex PR378 GB Swimbait. Who would’ve thought that the solution to this old problem was to be found in a collaboration between America, England and Denmark?

Brammer and Monoghan both have their own YouTube channels where they post tying videos on a regular basis. There’s already plenty of inspiration to be had with flies tied on the PR 378 GB Swimbait hook. The goal of designing and producing a weedless hook on which all types of pike flies can be tied seems to have been a success.

Reverse bulkhead

In the following, we’ll have a look at one of Paul Monoghan’s successful pike flies. The fly is called Reverse Bulkhead and is inspired by Bob Popovics’ Bulkhead Deceiver.

The classic baitfish profile is built up with bucktail and synthetic fibres and the reverse-style gives a light weight, yet voluminous fly. The reverse-tied fibres provide the illusion of size, but don’t soak up water – so it’s easy to cast.

The drop shape of the Reverse Bulkhead is built up around the hook point, which makes the fly weedless. But unlike the Texas hooks, the design of the PR 378 allows the dressing to collapse when a pike strikes and exposes the offset hook point.

Paul Monoghan considers this a simple fly, but still offers these pointers:

- Pay attention to the first step when attaching the bucktail. Use buck from the lower part of the tail, where the hairs are hollow. Ensure that the fibres are evenly distribution around the hook shank. The buoyant hair will help balance the fly in the water, says Paul. - I often use a synthetic called Kanekalon for my baitfish flies. It’s not available in the tackle stores as it’s made for human hair extensions, but it works well in big flies and it’s cheap. After tying the fly it might look a little messy, but just try soaking the fly under a faucet when the glue is dry. Once the fly dries up, it will have the perfect shape.

Pike fly fishers who have seen a big pike strike a weed-protected fly and not hook up, often end up turning their backs to weed protecting solutions

Reverse Bulkhead pattern

Hook: Ahrex PR 378 GB Swimbait 4/0.

Thread: White GPS 150D.

Tail: White bucktail and white Kanekalon (alternative EP-fibre or SF Blend), white Magnum Flashabou and silver Polar Flash (or holographic flash).

Body: White bucktail and white Kanekalon (alternative EP-fibre or SF Blend), white standard Flashabou and silver Polar Flash (or holographic flash).

Head: Yellow bucktail, gold Ripple Ice Fiber and two slim grizzle hackles. Orange Nayat and Hedron Strung Fuzzy Fiber spun in a dubbing loop.

One of Paul Monaghan’s XXL swimbaits. Some of them are as long as 40 centimeters. In the end of the mono loop, he’ll attach lively tails that pulsate and shimmer.

Form a small bump with the tying thread at the back of the shank, before tying in the bucktail. Make sure to keep the bucktail on top of the hook shank as you tighten down to splay the fibres.

Cut off the surplus bucktail and apply a small drop of glue before tying in the synthetic fibres. Tie the fibres in so that 70% of them are pointing backwards, 30% forwards. Fold back the part pointing forwards and secure.

Tie in the flash, using the same technique. Distribute the long part over the tail and bring the short section down to the sides of the fly. White first, then silver.

Tie in another section of bucktail, but this time with the tips pointing towards the hook eye. Try to distribute the bucktail around the hook shank. Let the cut ends point backwards and don’t cut them off. Fold all the bucktail backwards and build up a bump in front of the bucktail - don’t tie it over the buck tail.

Repeat the procedure with the synthetic hair, but make sure the synthetics are a little shorter than the tail.

Tie in flash as you did over the tail, but just 6-7 strands. The long section over the top, the shorter ends down on the sides. First white, then silver.

Tie in a yellow bunch of bucktail – the tips pointing towards the hook eye and distributed around the hook shank. Don’t cut off the ends. Once again fold the yellow bucktail back to form a collar and support it with wraps of thread, in front of the bucktail only, not over it.

Tie in Ice Ripple Fibres around the hook shank as a collar like the bucktail. Then tie in a narrow grizzle hackle on both sides.

Finally mix a little Layat and Strung Fuzzy Fibres in your fingers, spin everything in a loop and turn it in front of the bucktail collar. The fly is done.