Permitted Pleasure

If the tarpon is the King of the flats, the permit has to be the Prince. This silver sided, yellow bellied member of the jack family is definitely royalty to those who have ever presented a fly or cast a crab at the powerful denizen.

There is a special mystique surrounding permit. Whether it’s on a deep water wreck off the southwest coast, a shallow flat in the Keys, or along the pristine Treasure Coast beaches, the catch of a hefty permit is surely one of the most prized accomplishments an angler can achieve. Permit have a vast habitat, ranging far offshore on wrecks, reefs, and around debris all the way to the inshore scene where they are most frequently targeted.

In shallow areas permit tend to hang around grass, sand and mud flats. These locations are prime hunting grounds where they can catch unsuspecting crabs and other baits which are drifting or crawling by in the current. Small open areas called “potholes”, which are usually surrounded by turtle grass and mud beds, are home to multitudes of shrimp, worms, minnows and other permit delicacies. These brilliant predators will often root out their prey in shallow water by sticking their face and mouth into the grass and mud. Many times permit will be seen “tailing” while feeding this way, using their forked tail as leverage to hold themselves in one position while the morsel is dug out of the bottom. The eyesight of a permit is second to none. With large black eyes, permit can pick up movement fifty feet away. Especially when fly fishing, a stealth approach is key to success regardless of what area you are in. Anglers should cast from the side rather than overhead as to lessen the chance of being seen and spooking the fish. This technique has its advantages for all of the species targeted in clean, shallow water. As previously mentioned, the permits diet consists primarily of crabs, shrimp, sand fleas, small clams and baitfish. Permit spend a large part of their time searching for prey just below the surface where crabs can often be seen leisurely cruising by.

There is no doubt that the largest populations of permit reside in the southern half of the state, and that’s also where the largest trophy size fish are usually caught. Currently the State record is a whopping 51 plus pounds. Permit generally gather in packs of 10 or more with an average size of 5 to 15 pounds, although 30’s and 40’s are not uncommon. With their oblong, laterally compressed bodies, permit have the ability to exert a tremendous amount of pressure against you and your tackle. The prolonged length of an excruciating battle will test your equipment to the limits. With the permit’s instinctive hard runs into deeper water, a smooth drag and quality line are a must. In addition to being extremely powerful, permit also seem to be very smart. A hooked fish will often scrape and bump his mouth against rocks and coral on the bottom in an effort to dislodge the hook from it’s leathery lips. When fighting a permit, try to keep the fish off the bottom by applying constant pressure and by pumping from different directions. Try the “reel down and pump up” technique in rapid succession if the fish tries to break you off on any jagged edges.

To land a trophy size permit is an astounding accomplishment, to do it on a fly, is simply an act of amazement. Fooling one of these warriors with a crab or shrimp imitation combined of fur, feather & steel is the holy grail of saltwater fly fishing. Don’t get me wrong, this not always hard. I have had an angler hit a permit on the head and have the fish blow out, do a tight two-foot circle and eat the darn thing, but that is definitely the exception.

Without a doubt, the most important aspect, other than quality tackle, is the actual presentation of the bait. The fish must see the bait first with the leader hidden behind it. Just like throwing at tarpon, the best scenario is to cast directly in front of the permit. Then, by pulling the bait away from the fish will greatly reduce the permit from seeing the leader. Your presentation should allow the fly to dive to the bottom. Once you’ve gotten the permits attention, lower your rod tip toward the water and make the fly move by twitching the rod, or by stripping ever so slightly. A natural crab will try to dig itself into the bottom, so you are attempting to imitate that type of behavior.

As the fish snatches your fly and makes his initial run, raise your rod angle. While clearing line to your reel, gently pump the rod sideways several times in the opposite direction than the fish is heading to lodge the hook in the victim’s rubbery mouth.

A live crab, on the other hand, is the best bet for slaying a permit. This favored forage is the reason we find many of these fish hovering close to the top of the water column. A swimming crab spends most of its time on the surface clinging to small floating weeds and debris, which is just fine with the permit. When crab fishing, silver dollar size critters are perfect for fish in the 5 to 15 pound range while a three inch crab would be ideal bait for big boys in the 20 pound plus range. I am a true believer in circle hooks due to the 95% hook-up ratio I have been experiencing and with the hook embedded in the corner of the fish’s mouth, releasing the lucky fellow unharmed is a sure thing.

When targeting permit with a spinning outfit, the use of Power Pro® line is a giant advantage. The sensitivity of this line is incredible, not to mention the tiny diameter and the almost zero stretch factor. Power Pro® has been the deciding factor in landing many big permit due to the lines ability to actually cut right through sea fans during a fight. While on the flats, 10 to 15 lb. test Power Pro is ideal with a 24 to 36 inch piece of 20 lb. Seaguar® fluorocarbon finishing things off. The knot recommended for this connection is a palomar on the braid side, and an improved clinch on the fluoro side.

In addition to the sand and grass flats throughout the Keys region, creek mouths are also prime permit hangouts. The outgoing flow of water will hold fish at the drop offs which are waiting to feed on any crabs or shrimp that might get caught up in the wash. The Ragged Key’s, Sands Cut, Ceasar’s Creek, Broad Creek and Angelfish Creek, are just a few of the prime locations to search for hungry permit on the outgoing tide. Pole the outside edges of these major current areas and look for the dorsal and tailfins of the permit. In full sunlight they look like black fillet knives slicing through the water. Another sure giveaway are the mud trails which are created by fish that are moving or “mudding” along the bottom in search of an easy meal.

If inshore flats fishing isn’t your cup of tea, large permit can also be found at most inlets, and often in big numbers. Capt. Greg Bogdan, a full-time professional charter captain who runs the Permitted, a 27’ center console out of Sailfish Marina, targets permit on more than 200 trips a year. “Throughout the fall, large concentrations of big hungry permit invade the southeast coast. These fish station themselves on wrecks and structure a mile or so off area beaches which are convenient to the local inlets.

As the strong flow of the outgoing tide forces large concentrations of baitfish, shrimp, and crabs out of the mouths of these inlets, large schools of big 20, 30, and even 40 pound permit move in for the feast. These fish are hungry, mean and extremely powerful. This is definitely not the place for your 12 lb. spinning outfit” says Bogdan, who primarily focuses his efforts right at the mouth of these inlets. Quality 30 pound class spinning or conventional tackle is recommended with 50 lb. leaders to prevent break offs on the sharp rocky edges. Drop a mullet or shrimp tipped jig down and hold on! Remember that the larger inlets will push a greater volume of water out and that in itself translates into more bait and more fish.

Regardless of where you target this glorified member of the jack family, the permit will not disappoint you. They are super strong, super tough, have a bad ass attitude, and are great fun regardless of what size they are. Go get ‘em and see you on the water.