About Permit
The Permit is the most exclusive sport fish, and the most prized element of the Grand Slam.(See: Grand Slam)
It also got a reputation of being the most frustrating
fish of the flats, and lots of skills and patience(and some
luck?) is required to catch it..
The fish is hard find and spot, very fastidious when it
comes to food, and hard to hook. It seem to have a sixth sense when
it comes to flies, and sometimes reject even to look at some
of the flies you present.
The Permit can become more than 20 kg's(44 pounds),
but the most common size is 5-10 kg's(11-22 pounds). They could
svim around one by one or in groups of 4-5 fish. We have also seen
shoals up to 30 permit in our trips...
Adults feed on crustaceans as shrimps, crabs, gastropods,
bivalves, mollusks and smaller fish.
Permit are usually found in shallow, tropical waters such as
flats, small reefs, channels, and muddy bottoms.
They are usually seen as individuals or in small schools.
You can also find the permit feeding together with Stingrays,
where it eat crabs and shrimps that is trying to escape from the
Stingray.
Flies and equipment
Flies:
Crab patterns in sizes 1/0 to #4 (smal crab patterns is
also ideal for big Bonefish)Some recomended patterns: Enrico
Puglisi Palometa crabs in Tan and Beige (1/0 and 2), Anderson
McCrab in size 2. Light colors of Mantis
Shrimp patterns size 2-4( good at schools of "floaters")
There are many good crab patterns though, so bring several
patterns.
Rod:
9-10 Wt rod
Reel:
10 Wt reel with capacity for the line plus at least 150-200
yd. of 30 lb. backing.
The reel must have good backing capacity and a strong,
smooth drag.
Line/Tip:
9-10 wt tropical line in neutral colour.(light blue or
sand/beige)
Leaders: 9-12 foot, 16-20 lb. fluorcarbon tippets
How to catch and land Permit
You are supposed to present your fly just in front of the fish,
and then let the fly sink. If the fish doesn't take your fly while
sinking, try some short and gently strips, where the speed and
movement depends if you fish with a shrimp or crab imitation.
Try to give the fly the same movement as live shrimps/crabs
have. When the Permit "Tails" in more shallow flats, it could be
recomended to drop your fly a few meters in front of it, so the
crab imitation sinks down and land at the bottom, cause sometimes
thePermit sucks up the fly up from the sand.
Remember, crabs cant swim faster then the Permit and normally
will try to get to the bottom and hide. This means that you could
try to make your crab imitation swim until the Permits gets close
to it, and the let it sink to the bottom and see if the Permit
tails over your fly. If so, gently thighten up your line to se if
it have taken your fly. If any resistanse, make a strip to hook the
fish. We try to set the hook as on Bonefish.
It looks like the Permit prefer flies which is not moving to
much or to fast. The fight will be a memory of a lifetime.
With its huge flat sides and its sharp fins, it got huge power and
a good "grip" in the water.
When the fish is at the side of the boat, gently lift it up and
remove the fly.
Then remember to take a photo of the fish of your life ;-) Now
your guide probably will try to go for a tarpon, and then a
Bonefish to get the Grand Slam. They say that you have made
more than 50% of the Grand slam when you catch a Permit..
