The Muskin - The Stillwater Fly You Never Knew Exited!
Morning,
I hope you had a great Bank Holiday weekend. For me, the August bank holiday weekend always signals a few things:
- The end of the summer, and with it the transition away from longer leaders and increasingly small dry flies to the larger flies in our boxes.
- More water in the rivers (hopefully) - September usually includes a fair bit of rain, which finally tops up the rivers, and looking at this week's forecast, it's not going to disappoint us - I'm not sure there will be enough though; and
- Another candle on the cake - it always coincides with my birthday, so it's nice to have that extra day to recover!
As you may be aware, over the last few months, we have been building up our library of stillwater-focussed patterns.
On visiting my local stillwater - purely for research purposes, honestly - I found myself chatting with some of the regulars, one pattern kept being mentioned as a 'virtual banker' - I'd never heard of it before and I was intrigued ...
It's called a Muskin - no, I'd never heard of it either - here's one:
From all the research I did, it seems to be a cross between an unweighted buzzer and a Cruncher.
Some fly patterns seem to arrive with a fanfare; whilst others slip quietly into fly boxes and, before long, onto every angler’s cast. The Muskin seems to belong firmly in the latter category.
Here's another one:
First developed on Chew Valley Lake, these slim, buzzer-like patterns were tied to imitate pupae drifting mid-water. No beads. No bulk. Just a slim body, a hint of translucence, and the suggestion of life. They proved devastatingly effective - not just on Chew, but on stillwaters large and small across the UK.
Please Note: If this fly is as new to you as it was to us, you're going to need some tips on how to get the best from them - just scroll to the end of this email and you will find 7 (and a half) tips and tricks to help you out.
In many ways, the Muskin embodies the old truth that less is more. Where big, lurid lures fail in the warmer late-summer/early-autumn water, the Muskin whispers instead of shouts. And trout - especially in late summer and autumn - seem to prefer a whisper.
Whilst it was created down south, it quickly made its way north, where it’s found a perfect home on the small stillwaters and reservoirs of North Yorkshire.
At this time of year, trout often turn picky - fast. Surface activity slows, and the fish shift their menu to buzzer pupae and other delicate morsels drifting just beneath the film.
Enter The Muskin (or Muskin’s / Muskaan’s, as I've also seen them referred to) - a whisper-fine buzzer/cruncher hybrid, born on Chew and now one of the most subtle yet deadly stillwater nymphs around. With a slim profile, soft “breather” filaments, and zero bulk, it slides through the water - just enough of a silhouette to intrigue, not spook.
Fish it slow, fish it sly, and the trout will tell you it works
From all of the research I did, there were four different patterns which really stood out as "the ones to have", these were:
- Black Muskin
- Buzzer Muskin
- Pheasant Tail Muskin; and
- Hot-Spot Pheasant Tail Muskin
So, we set our "guys who tie" the challenge of creating a selection of Muskins, using each of the above patterns as a reference, but adding their unique twist to each.
We received them in the office last week, and they are stunning - let's be honest, if they weren't, we wouldn't show you them!
We are now making these flies available as a selection of 16 (4 patterns, 2 of each in sizes 12 & 16) - just click on any of the images or buttons above and below to view more detailed images of each individual nymph.
This selection of 16 Muskins is priced at only £24.00, which includes free delivery to anywhere in the UK in our eco-friendly packaging.
We only have 40 of our Muskin selections available for sale - I'm keeping some to use in my own stillwater exploits - more details of which I will explain next month!
We also have these Muskin's available to buy individually, for only £1.75 each - just click here.
You can see more of the individual patterns included in the images below:
We are making these flies available as a selection of 16 (4 patterns, 2 of each in sizes 12 & 16) - just click on any of the images or buttons above and below to view more detailed images of each individual nymph.
This selection of 16 Muskins is priced at only £24.00, which includes free delivery to anywhere in the UK in our eco-friendly packaging.
*** If you would like a set, you will need to be pretty quick - we've only got 40 of our Muskin selections available for sale ***
When the lazy days of summer slide into autumn, trout feeding habits shift. Gone are the frenzied buzzer hatches of spring; they are replaced by pickier, mid-depth feeders sipping on pupae, corixa, and the last of the season’s buzzers.
This is where Muskins come into their own: slim, subtle, and deadly when fished with a little thought, here's how:
1. Fish Them Mid-Water - Muskins were designed to imitate buzzer pupae - exactly what trout are tuned into between 2ft and 6ft down in late summer. Use a floating line with a long leader to cover this zone.
2. Slow Figure-of-Eight - A gentle figure-of-eight retrieve keeps the fly moving naturally. Think “barely alive” rather than “swimming strongly.”
3. Add a Pause - Every few turns, stop. Let the Muskin sink just a little - that change in level often triggers a take.
4. Go on the Dropper - Fish a Muskin 3ft to 4ft above a heavier point fly. The natural sink-and-sway of the dropper position makes the fly breathe in the water.
5. Match the Colour to the Day - Natural shades excel in clear, bright conditions; darker Muskins come into their own on dull, overcast days when silhouettes stand out better.
6. Fish Teams, Not Singles - Late summer and autumn trout often cruise and pick selectively. Use two or three Muskins at different depths to find the feeding zone faster.
7. Don’t Ignore the Margins - As the evenings draw in, trout push back into the shallows to feed. A Muskin twitched through weed channels can be irresistible.
7½. Believe in the Subtlety - The Muskin isn’t flashy - it’s suggestive. Fish it with confidence. The takes can be soft, so lift into anything suspicious: a twitch, a stop, even just a feeling.
Late summer and autumn are transition months on both large and small stillwaters - and a Muskin fished well will turn a tricky day into one full of memories.
Tight lines.
