Would the Real Permit Please Stand up

If you ever mention the word ‘permit’ to any avid fly fisherman who has been fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to fish for these fish, you can expect a variation of reactions. Some, if not many of them however, will result with a tear in the eye. In my personal opinion I see permit fishing as a love/hate relationship, or more precisely: I love to hate permit.

By JAKO LUCAS Photography by JAKO LUCAS, JOAQUIN AROCENA, HENRY GILBEY, CAMERON MUSGRAVE, KEITH ROSE-INNES and ALPHONSE FISHING CO

To take this to an even higher level is to compare the Atlantic permit with Indo Pacific permit. This is a subject that has the potential to start endless debates and is seriously taboo. To clear this up, we spend most of our time on the outer atols in the Indian Ocean, thus we guide and fish for the Indo Pacific permit predominantly. In saying this, my time spent fishing for Atlantic permit is a fraction of time compared to time spent for Indos.

Lets see why I am of the opinion that our Indo Pacific Permit are harder to target.

Having spent over 9 years guiding on these pristine flats for many different species I can honestly say that the Indo Pacific permit is the one fish that haunts my dreams. The reason for sharing this deep passion for Indos vs Atlantics with you is a comment a client made not too long ago when I was guiding. I told him that the area that we will be fishing has the potential of producing permit. He turned to his friend and said, “don’t worry these Permit are much easier to catch than Atlantic Permit”. I managed not to give him a death threat and we moved along. Needless to say I must have shown them over 20 Permit, of which, they caught nothing. So lets see why I am of the opinion that our Indo Pacific Permit are harder to target.

Atlantic Permit vs Indo Pacific Permit - What is an Indo Pacific Permit?

Indo Pacific permit are also known as Silver Pompano or just Pompano (Trachinotus blochii) and is a member of the Carangidae family and a relative of the Atlantic permit (Trachinotus falcatus). For those of us based in the Indian Ocean we see them as the baby brother of the Atlantic Permit but what they lack in size they sure do make up in attitude! For this reason we simply refer to all fish belonging to this family and found in the waters of the Indo-Pacific as permit.

The one point to argue is the size difference; I have landed an Indo permit close to 30lbs with clients, which is considered a once in a life time experience. Generally, you’ll find them more likely between 6lb-15lb. Compared to the Atlantic permit you will find fish of over 40lbs and between 20lb- 30lb more regularly.

In my opinion, Permit are the ultimate quarry to catch on a fly. They are fast, powerful, beautiful, spooky and suspicious of any unnatural food presented to them. Fishing for them demands dedication and commitment as there will certainly be days, weeks and sometimes even months with little chance of reward. To find Permit, you have to think like a Permit. To catch Permit, you have to know where to find them, what they are eating and then hope and pray they woke up on the right side of the bed!

Habitat and Tides

Juvenile permit inhabit sandy shorelines and shallow, sandy or muddy bays near river mouths while adults move out in schools to clear seaward reefs. Juveniles are found in small schools, while larger adults are usually solitary or in pairs. We also see the juveniles crushing with sting rays in St Brandon’s. Permit feed primarily on sand mollusks and other hard-shelled invertebrates; however they tend to spend the majority of their time in deeper water in lagoons and drop-offs, close to coral ridges and bommies.

I have even found specific coral bommies that had shoals of resident fish and every time I took clients to have a look, they would swim towards the boat for a closer inspection. Permit love to feed on crabs and other forms of crustacean and if the tide and area allows for safe passage, they will jump at the opportunity to feed in the shallows where these prey items are abundant. So much so, you will be surprised at how shallow the water needs to be for them to sneak onto the flat.

I have found flats with a mottled bottom and a fair amount of turtle grass to be the best areas to focus on. This type of bottom provides cover and food for a vast array of marine life including the ‘crabby’ treats that permit love to wolf down. Areas, which have this type of bottom, and which are found close to the lagoon edge or surf usually yield your best chance of success. But best keep in mind, however, these fish have the ability to appear and disappear at any time and any place. We call this the David Copperfield effect!

Why are Indo Pacific Permit so hard to catch?

There are many different factors that you need to consider before even thinking of catching an Indo Pacific permit. Here are some of the essential criteria, which have brought me success:

Fly selection - always fish the fly with confidence… If you’re not confident with the fly, cut it off and tie one on, which either you or your guide believes in. Secondly, have a clear plan in your mind on how you are going to fish the fly i.e. are you going to strip it or just let it sink and keep tension. These fish are feeding very shallow and are very exposed so they are very aware of their suroundings, this means that the weight of the fly and the presentation are huge factors. The flies for Atlantic permit tend to be a bit bigger as you find these fish in deeper water. This also means if the fish is in deeper water he is a bit more relaxed.

Spotting

You are obviously limited with the amount of water you can scan accurately whilst wading in comparison from when you are fishing from a skiff. Be 100% focussed, stay alert and look for any sign of a fish, a tail, nervous water, gold and silver flakes shining back at you in the water. These fish have feeding paths that are notoriously difficult to judge. Once you’ve spotted the fish, make certain you know where the fish is and even more importantly where its head is facing before you cast. It can’t eat the fly if it lands behind it, and should this happen it will most likely end in the fish spooking off the flat.

When fishing for Atlantic permit you will be fishing from a skiff the majority of the time. This gives you a huge advantage when it comes to visibility!

Positioning

Putting yourself in the correct position in anticipation of the fish, and for that matter before you cast, is paramount. Make very slow movements, it is very important you make sure the fish does not spot you… Basically don’t try and run down the Permit like they were a herd of buffalo. Especially over a mottled bottom, you will be making a lot of noice wading. The advantage of having a skiff is that when you can spot them from further away you can position the boat quietly by pulling into range.

Casting - This goes in line with positioning, you know your own ability to cast, but try and make it as easy as possible to make a quick and accurate cast. Keep the false casts down to an absolute minimum; they will only alert the fish to your presence. This coincides with line management. Casting from a boat gives you more elevation to turn over your fly.

Line Management

Make sure your fly line, leader and fly are free of tangles or any obstructions before you make the cast. If you spend one second looking down at your line to get it untangled, you can lose sight of the fish or spook it! Casting from a boat, you don’t have the line drag nor do you have to contend with current or your line getting caught up on structure.

Fly Positioning

Most important of all, the fish has to see the fly. This sounds very obvious, but too many times I have seen people cast a fly just in the direction of the fish hoping that he will see it and eat, this is unfortunately the most frequent error I have come across. I am a firm believer in presenting the fly close to the fish and not leading him by a substantial distance. Put it on his nose. The only time I lead a fish is when he is sitting in a bit of current so that I can get the fly down and swing it in front of his nose.

Fly Movement

Although I have seen fish take the fly on a quick or large strip, on most occasions I prefer to let the fly sink to the bottom and then make one or two small strips to get tension on the fly. Watch the fish’s body language for a reaction and ensure you remain tight to the fly. Because you are also standing higher on the boat you have better visibility on the fly and can fish more effectively with regards to the fish’s body language and the possition of your fly.

Setting the hook

In my opinion anglers are generally too gentle on the strike and end up not getting sufficient hook penetration once the fish has eaten the fly with many fish being lost even before the fight. Once you think the fish has eaten the fly, make a long deliberate strip until you get tension, at all times keeping the rod tip down. If the fish has not eaten the fly, this will prevent you from pulling the fly too far away or out of the water.

The Fight

After managing to keep your cool and getting an eat, keep stripping until you are sure the fly is in the mouth and set the hook by strip striking the fly line.

Make sure you get all the line under control until you are on the reel, keeping tension at all times. When the fish takes off try to follow it and stay as close to it as you can, remember the fish probably wants to get into deeper water and you are not on a boat. The fish is going to use its girth to stay side on to you and he is going to try and rub the fly off on the bottom.

Maintain tension!

Stay calm and just tire him out. If all goes well and the stars align and you get the opportunity to land the fish, grab hold of the fish’s caudal and hold on tight. These fish are notoriously strong and can kick hard when you grab hold of them! In the case of Atlantic’s you are already on the boat, and if the fish would run you into trouble you can just follow him immediately. We have had may fish lost because we just could not follow them quick enough!

Summary

Indo Pacific Permit are very close to my heart and I have probably lost many years off of my life span chasing them. What I love about them is that they will challenge you as an angler to the maximum, there is no room for error!

What I would like to bring home is not that Indos are better and harder than Atlantics, it is just the way that we target them and the enviroment that we do it in. I was once told, “It is like comparing a 10lb Trout in Southern Argentina with a 6 foot feeding line, to a 6in Cherry Salmon in a spring creek in Japan that is super spooked. To get that Cherry Salmon to eat is exceptionally difficult.” And that is where the challenge lies.

Good Luck

Know that when you start fishing for permit you are setting yourself up for some very tough times but it is probably one of the most rewarding fish to catch. There is a reason why they are called the holy grail of fly fishing. Watch out…….it can be very addictive!