A four years ago, my wife and I were married on the beach at sunrise in Tulum, Mexico. To celebrate our one-year anniversary, we decided to make the trip back. We had a lot of beach time planned, and penciled in a few hours for some flats fishing.
On the morning of our anniversary, Kristin wanted to go fishing. (She likes flats fishing as much as I do.) Our day started early, and we were on the flats at the perfect time. Within minutes, we where casting to schools of bonefish. It was fun, but secretly we where both hoping to see permit.
The morning lulled on with few more shots at cruising bonefish, without success. So we turned around and started back to the rental car, to drive back to the cabana for rum punch and ceviche. As we waded back, Kristin went right, I left. I was focused on the flats, looking for fish, when, like a clap of thunder, I heard my wife from across the flats shout, “OH MY GOD!”
As I looked over, she was scrambling to her left and stripping line from her reel. She cast and stripped, then cast again. Then a large, black, forked tail broke the surface of the water. . .it was unmistakably permit. The happy fish was easily pushing 20 pounds and was comfortably working the flats.
She cast again and again, but each time for naught as the fish would stop short, feed, then turn and move in the opposite direction. Evidently, the fish returned to the deeps, unaware of inspiration he had provided us. The few hours fishing adventure, quickly turned into five hours. We saw a few permit and each had a follow, but no eats. Hungry and a bit sunburned, we reeled up and started for the car. I could already taste the cervesa.
With in a few feet of dry ground, we each spotted what we thought was a bonefish swimming toward us, and neither of us reacted. As the fish closed to with in 60 feet, I could see it was no bonefish and instinctively freed the crab from the rod and made a cast, plopping the fly gently a few feet from the fish. One short strip and the fish saw the crab; another long strip and the fish was on! It was pure shock and awe as the reel screamed.
Luck smiled on me that day: first when my beautiful wife wanted to go fishing and then insisted on staying on the flats, and finally when years of botched casts gave way to this Anniversary Permit.