You saved the fly shop. Musky Fool lives on.

When we announced that we were closing Musky Fool, we could never have imagined what the next few weeks would bring. The outpouring of love and support for this little fly shop has been overwhelming in the absolute best way. You knocked on our door, placed orders from across the country, sent messages, shared memories, and reminded us just how special the community around Musky Fool has become over the last six years.

And somehow, out of all of that love for Musky Fool, came something we truly did not think was possible when we wrote that goodbye. You saved the fly shop.

We are so happy to share that Musky Fool is being taken over by Ben Traves, owner of Salt Fly Pro, and the Musky Fool fly shop will live on. Ben found Musky Fool through the amazing response to our closing announcement and saw what we have always known: there is something really special here worth continuing.

Ben is thrilled to carry Musky Fool forward, reopening the shop here in the Madison area soon and continuing to serve anglers across the country through muskyfool.com. And we could not be more excited to see those doors open again. Stay tuned for more on what’s next and when Musky Fool will officially be back open.

It has been a wild month over here, winding down six years of business while simultaneously working behind the scenes to transition Musky Fool into Ben’s hands. There is a lot to put back together, so give him a little time to get settled, restock the shelves, fire the website back up, and make the place his own. He’ll be sharing more very soon.

But today, we mostly just want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who made Musky Fool what it is today. Six years ago, it was just us packing boxes in our basement. We could never have imagined where it would take us or the community that would grow around it. The last six years have been the ride of a lifetime, and we couldn’t be happier that this isn’t goodbye after all.

A lot of you have asked what comes next for us. For now, we’re going to take some time to get back on the water and remember what made us fall in love with this sport in the first place. You can keep up with us at @muckfusky

Congratulations to Ben on this next chapter for Musky Fool. And to all of you who showed up for this shop over the last month, thank you. Somehow, you turned our goodbye into a new beginning. We knew this community was the best.

Musky Fool lives on.

With love,
Dan and Jenn