THE HOLY GRAIL
Are you up to the challenge of catching a permit?
Our bucketlist spotlight falls on permit.
When fishing inshore tropical reefs and flats, many inshore lighttackle sports enthusiasts regard permit as the ultimate prize. With a well-deserved reputation for being ultra-wary, catching a permit on bait is at best a challenge, while catching one on fly is regarded as being the holy grail of saltwater fly-fishing.
Further, anyone who has ever caught one of these stunningly beautiful fish will be able to confirm that, pound for pound, permit fight out of all proportion to their size.
There are several species of permit, but when most anglers refer to fishing for permit they are usually talking about Trachinotus falcatus, found in the western Atlantic Ocean ranging from Massachusetts to Brazil, including most of the Caribbean Islands.
The average size of permit varies from destination to destination, but in many areas it will be fish of 5-15lb, with anything over 20lb being regarded as a trophy.
The IGFA record for the species is a fish weighing an incredible 60lb, which was caught off Brazil.
Permit fishing is mostly about sight fishing. It’s a sport where you spend time either on foot or aboard a shallow drafted skiff, hunting for fish in shallow water.
Permit have distinct, elongated dorsal fins and tail flukes, which are black in colour. These are usually the first thing you spot, when a fish slices sabre-like through the surface film and upends to feed in water barely deep enough to cover its back.
It’s an incredible sight, and I’ve seen more than one angler crumble when presented with the opportunity of casting to an actively feeding permit.
EFFECTIVE BAITS
Live swimming crabs and shrimps are two of the most effective baits for permit. If you manage to successfully cast either of these in front of a fish without spooking it, then there is a good chance the fish will take the bait.
One scenario where permit are not quite as wary as usual is when they are found in shoals swimming over reefs or a shallow-water wreck. When this is the case, hooking a fish can be almost guaranteed, but landing it is an entirely different matter, as the fish invariably make long and incredibly powerful runs heading directly towards any snags, and often there will be many of these in the vicinity.
Likewise, when hooked on a shallow-water flat, the fish will make exceptionally long runs. Many fish are lost as a result of the line being cut on coral heads or mangrove shoots.
You can, of course, increase the strength of the tackle you use, but invariably this will be to the detriment of stealth. It is far easier to accurately cast a freelined bait in front of a fish using light tackle rather than heavier.
BEST DESTINATIONS
Belize and theYucatan Peninsula in Mexico are two of the best destinations to get plenty of shots at permit, either fishing with a guide or walking the local beaches and flats on your own.
Plenty of permit are caught at numerous holiday destinations throughout the Caribbean, including Cuba, the Bahamas, the Bay Islands off Honduras, the Cayman Islands and the Los Roques archipelago off Venezuela.
The Florida Keys are probably the ultimate place to target big, 20-30lb-plus permit, but these days inshore guides typically charge in the region of $750 to $800 for a day’s inshore fishing, considerably more if you plan on heading out into the Gulf of Mexico to fish for permit on wrecks.
Permit are abundant throughout The Keys, notably at Key West and the distant Marquesas Keys, which are located about 25 miles west of the mainland.
Permit fishing is very much a specialist game. While all guides will happily take you fishing for permit, some have more of an affinity with the species than others. You’ll find several excellent permit guides based at Bud n’ Mary’s Marina at Islamorada in the Middle Keys; great guides with whom I have experienced some incredible sport fishing for permit. ■
Dave Lewis’s recently published book, ‘Destination Angler 2,’ features 26 beautifully illustrated chapters, covering fishing for permit at several locations including The Keys, Belize and The Cayman Islands, along with many other bucketlist species at destinations around the world. Cost is £30 plus £3.99 p&p to a UK address. Contact: david.lewis21@hotmail.com