The Merkin crab has come a long way from its origins in the west Atlantic, where it was invented by Del Brown (who tied it with yarn) to target Atlantic permit.

Here, Milan Germishuizen of Flycastaway explains how to tie his version of a Merkin used for the Indo-Pacific permit of St. Brandon’s atoll. The flat coin shape and heavy tungsten dumbell sinks the fly into the zone quickly, and the long ‘crazy’ legs and hackle claws produce a ton of static movement. This is Milan’s and the rest of Flycastaway’s most successful St Brandon’s permit fly to date. For more from Milan, this fishery and its permit, check out this interview Peter Coetzee did with him during the dark days of lockdown.

In this step-by-step fly tying tutorial, Milan takes us through how to tie the Merkin, and how to fish with it. Watch the full video below.

MATERIALS USED:

• Hook: Gamakatsu SL12S #2.
• Weight: 3mm tungsten dumbell eyes
• Thread: 8/0 Veevis chartreuse
• Tail: Indian cock ‘Badger’ hackle
• Body: Sand sculpting fibre.
• Legs: Hairline Pearl crazy legs

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