3 Tips for Catching More Permit
I’m convinced that it isn’t the fish I manage to fool, fight, catch and release that fuels my desire to return to hot salty climates in search of the next tailing fish. Rather it is the fish the got away. The moments that haunt me are the ones where the luck and skill toed the line of creating magic. The moments I cast my fly too long, or too short. When I set the hook too early or too late. More often these moments happen when I do my part, but the permit, with its uncanny ability to know something ‘isn’t quite right’, refuses the fly and bolts for the safety of deep water. These are the memories that drive me mad, as I replay them over and over and over again in head. They are also what inspire me to return to Xcalak, Turneffe, or Punta Gorda in a quest for redemption, to test a new fly, a new piece of gear, or to correct the mistake I made last time.
Don’t get me wrong, I love completing the task. I enjoy feeling the energy of the fish on the end the line and in my hand. I love the thrill of hunting for permit. Then finding a hungry fish. Planning the attack and executing. Few things give me as much pleasure as delivering the perfect cast, striping the fly just right, and watching the fish charge the fly, tip up, and eat. Everything about permit fishing becomes an opportunity for learning and I enjoy sharing some of what I’ve learned. Here are a few tips that I learned the hard way, but I have since put into practice and work. I’m know they will work for you too.
1. Water load/Shoot
During one of my early days of permit fishing, I learned one of the most valuable techniques for presenting the fly. I was a week into my adventure exploring the northern fisheries of the Yucatan Peninsula, Isla Blanca was the last stop on my journey. For those who haven’t heard of Isla Blanca, it’s located a short drive from the hotel strip in Cancun Mexico, on the north east corner of the peninsula. It is a unique fishery, were anglers can realistically have shots at a super slam on any given day. The most notable characteristic of this permit fishery is getting shots at permit cruising on the back of sting rays. The permit that swim the flats of Isla Blanca commonly hover on the backs rays or chase the rays, opportunistically feeding on crabs and shrimp stirred up by the moving and feeding rays. This is one of my favorite permit ‘shots’… but, on this particular day we where looking for schools of permit. We had traveled north and west toward Isla Hol Box, near an area call Boca Nueva (New Mouth). It was a long boat ride, but well worth the commitment.
Shortly after killing the motor and starting to pole the flat, we found a HUGE school of permit. Still today it ranks as one of the largest schools of permit I’ve seen. There had to be over a hundred permit in this school. Lucky me. On the boat with me was my friend Marco Ruz, owner of Yucatan Fly Fishing, and a damn good angler. He taught me a lesson that I still utilize every time I see a school of cruising permit. The technique is simple. Any just about any level of fly caster can quickly master it. That’s why is so effective. Water load. Back cast. Shoot.
Step 1 - Find the fish. As with all permit fishing, the first and most important step is to find the fish. Hiring a local guide who knows where the schools will be can be critical for success, especially in foreign countries. This step should always be done as a team. Your guide and you working together to find the fish. Look for nervous water if the fish are moving fast, or tails if they feeding in a one area. Then move into position to intercept. As the fish are moving closer, anticipate the direction they will most likely continue to swim. I like to imagine a line. Cruising permit are some of the most predictable permit you’ll see on the flats, They move in mostly straight lines and if you spot them at distance (200+ feet) you can move into position, so that when you cast, your fly will cross their line. It helps to have a rockstar guide who can predict the movement of the fish and line the boat up so that you have a down wind cast. This technique (and all casting techniques) work best with help from the wind.
Step 2 - Line up for the shot. Once you’ve moved into the best position, with the wind at your back, make a ‘test’ cast in the direction school is moving. Cast enough line so that on your next back cast it will load the rod, but not so much line that you struggle to pick the line up off the water. This make takes a few practice casts when no fish are around. This test cast needs to be made well before the school is close enough to see the fly. The idea is to gage the distance you need to cast to intercept the coming fish. The test cast should fall short of the target, but it must be in the direction to intercept the fish.
Step 3 - Timing is everything. Now that you have the direction and a gage on the distance needed and the fish are nearly within range, pick the line up from off the water, loading a strong back cast. Then shoot line to the perfect distance, landing the fly slightly across the intercept path a few feet ahead of the lead fish. Depending on how quickly the fish are moving, your target should 5-10 feet in front of the school, and a foot or two past the incept path. The goal is to have the fly sink about 10-12 inches before retrieving.
Step 4 - Move the fly. Just as the fish approach the incept zone, begin moving the fly. Strip slowly in front of the lead fish, and notice the reaction. If you’ve chosen a good fly, you should see the lead fish, and the rest of the school charge the fly. Then wham!! It’s that easy.
That morning Marco explained this technique to me and the light bulb grew bright. As I remember, the wind was stiff that morning and false casting was difficult (and dangerous). Water loading before shooting a long cast worked perfectly. As the school move closer, I tested my distance, then picked up one last back cast, and shot the line. The fly landed perfectly in front of the charging school, I striped slowly and the line came tight. Brilliant! Thanks for the tip Marco.
Spook or Catch
Perhaps one concept over any other has helped me bring more permit to hand. “Spook ‘em or catch ‘em”. These are the words my close friend Mark Hyde shared with me while in his boat for the week at Turneffe Flats. Sport fishing runs deep in Mark’s family. His father Eddie Hyde was one the first fishing guides in the entire country of Belize. Mark grew up under his father’s tutelage, learning where to fish, when to fish, and what flies to use. Most importantly, mark learned that being a great fishing guide wasn’t only about catching fish. A professional guide has to be able to teach the fishing skills needed for his guests to have a successful day on the water. Mark is one of the most well rounded guides I ever had the privilege of fishing with. And I’ll never forget one particular lesson he taught me.
After a few good shots that went unfollowed, Mark paused from poling the boat and stepped down from poling platform. I mistook this move for frustration with my performance. The truth is, I was more disappointed than Mark was. That’s when he let me in on the best secret in permit fishing. He told me to cast as close to the permit’s nose as I could. Me the pupil questioned this notion, “won’t I spooking the fish?”. “Yes mon, but it could eat it too”. Wisdom so simple it was genius.
Part of why permit are so difficult to catch is exemplified by the fish’s feeding behavior. Permit are notorious for unpredictable feeding routes. They swim straight until they feed, then change direction as they return to hunting for the next meal. Unlike bonefish that will swim in a linear path, giving anglers a predictable target to cast to, permit move erratically, providing anglers with less unpredictable targets to cast to. If you lead a permit too far, the chances it will never incept the fly are much higher than casting the fly to a dinner plate size target just off the fish’s nose. Since receiving Mark’s wisdom, I’ve employed this concept religiously. Sure, I’ve spooked plenty of fish by casting too close, but just as Mark predicted, I have enticed enough fish to never change my plan of attack. Even if the fish spooks, I get comfort in knowing that they saw the fly.
Strip Slow
By far the most valuable tip I can share with you is how to strip the fly. Rather, how not to strip the fly. The number one mistake made while fishing for permit is stripping the fly too quickly. After years of managing a top fishing lodge in Belize, I can’t tell you how many times I heard the guides moan about how their guests should have had a permit (or two) in the boat, but they stripped the fly too fast and turned the fish off. If you’ve experienced a ‘follow’ only to be rejected at the moment the fish should have eaten the fly, then most likely your excitement got the better of you. I’ve been there. It’s hard not to get excited and speed up the fly. Stripping the fly slowly when a fish moves to inspect is difficult. Seeing the fish react to the fly charges up our adrenaline and we naturally respond with a boost of energy, inadvertently speeding up the fly.
The best way to stripping a permit fly is slower then slow. If you think you are stripping slow, strip slower. Sometimes, not moving the fly works best, or twitching the fly just enough to make it look alive. Unlike stripping a bonefish fly, which is done so with relatively short and abrupt strips, permit prefer slow moving flies with long, painfully slow strips. The resulting action mimics the behavior of a real crab, slowly creeping along the bottom of the flat. Be the crab.
Permit can be found in the surf of a reef, shallow flats and deep flats. They can be found moving through channels and cruising cast flats. In some parts of the Caribbean, they prefer the company of sting rays and eagle rays. They can be found in schools or hunting alone. Wherever you find them, how ever you find them feeding, if you use the tips I’ve shared, there is no doubt in my mind you will be a more successful permit angler. Good Luck!!!