Throughout saltwater fly fishing circles, the permit is seen as arguably the ultimate flats fish to target. Incredibly wary, horribly hard fighting, and one of the great fishing prizes. I know some fly fishermen who dedicate virtually their whole angling lives to chasing permit, such is the allure. I have watched Indo-Pacific permit in the remote Seychelles drive some of the best fly fishermen I know completely over the edge, to the point where they had to get off the flat and smash some GTs just to get the frustration out of their systems.
But if you can entertain the thought of putting the fly gear down and picking up a balanced spinning outfit, there is another way to fish for permit that might just equally blow your mind. For a couple of months each year, numbers of big permit gather on the inshore wrecks throughout the Florida Keys. Whereas the fly guys are more used to their permit screaming off across the shallow flats, this light tackle wreck fishing is all about trying to control a blisteringly fast crash dive. The permit's pace is close to being unlike anything I have ever experienced, indeed that delightful sound of a screaming reel clutch is now firmly embedded in my head for a quick recall whenever I feel like an adrenaline fix.
Around May and June time, many local guides offer the chance to get at these permit, and often they will actually move slowly around the wrecks and spot the fish hanging high in the water. I nearly fell over the side one afternoon in complete shock as a huge permit raced in on my crab and then turned away just as I was on the verge of striking. I also lost a few fish to sharks and structure, for it is virtually impossible to control the first run from these fish, indeed they will often fool you with their gentle bite and initial head shaking, but watch out and hang on. That run is coming...
The beauty of this kind of fishing is that one rod and reel covers so much potential in an area like the Keys. I took the Greys Missionary 6 40-100g spinning rod and a fixed spool (spinning) reel loaded with 50lb braid. The rod bends well into lunging fish and helps to protect the hook hold, but nothing is ever going to save you if a large shark decides that today is the today for a spot of permit for lunch. My favourite way to fish for these hyper-speed jacks is to simply freeline a local crab to the fish, or blind cast into the right kind of area. If there is some tide running, use a medium sized yellow jig hooked into the crab, maintaining contact all the time as the offering drifts through the clear water. Permit on the flats may well be one of the trickiest fish you can go for, but put them over wrecks and you are in with a real shout of multiple hook ups. I can't tell you how much fun this fishing is.
Try this UK skipper who runs a boat out in the Florida Keys :
Rodney Goodship - he comes highly recommended by me, and this guy seriously knows his tarpon and permit fishing.
Email : rdngd@aol.com
Web : www.fishthedream.com
