Permit are objects of intense angler affection. They are not as well known or widely distributed as some
celebrated species like marlin, sailfish, tuna, dolphin or redfish, but for an elite group of fisherman, they are considered the ultimate sportfish. The feat of catching one on fly is arguably the greatest challenge in angling and the challenge does not lie in the rarity of the species. A day spent in good permit spots during the correct time of year offers numerous casting opportunities. This fish is wary beyond belief, fights as hard, pound for pound, as any member of the jack family, can be extremely finicky about eating and is dazzlingly beautiful. Such a combination assures the permit top position in the Flats Grand Slam.

The permit is most often associated with the flats because that is the classic way to pursue them. However, they are also found around wrecks, reefs, off the beach, in inlets and even in the open Gulf waters.

Stalking permit on the flats may be the best known method, but also the most difficult. Understanding some of their requirements is the first step. At high tides, permit will come to the crown of flats and tail in a manner similar to bonefish. At low tides, look for them along deeper edges of the flats or in adjoining channels. The depth of the water is crucial, since permit cannot go as shallow as fish with cylindrical bodies - like bonefish and redfish. Permit also are more sensitive to cold than bonefish, but
less sensitive to heat. They can be found on flats in the middle of the day in the hottest part of the summer, whereas the bonefish generally will not. Permit have a more specialized diet than other flats species. They eat shrimp and occasionally some baitfish, but crabs make up the bulk of their diet. Flats with good crab populations are the best bet. Permit spawn in May and early June. In those months, only the smaller fish are found on the flats. Flats techniques involve poling across a flat, looking for tailing or cruising fish. When a fish is spotted, the poler approaches as quietly as possible to within casting range.
Some anglers prefer to stake out at a specific spot and wait for the fish. If you are staked out, chumming with crushed crab will improve your chances.

Live blue crabs are usually the bait of choice, available at many local bait shops. Flies should resemble shrimp or crabs. Presentation is key. A quick, accurate cast must be made. The bait cannot land too close to the fish. You can cast beyond it and reel back to put the offering in the fish's path. The permit may refuse it and move off without spooking too badly. This is your chance to reel in fast and make another cast. When - or if - the fish takes the bait, do not react to any visual signs. Do not set the hook at all. Wait until you feel it move off with the bait and raise the rod tip to remove the slack in the line. Striking a permit is unnecessary since it has one of the softest mouths of all fish. Even a dull hook could imbed just about anywhere in there. Reacting to the sight of a permit swallowing your crab and setting the hook hard is a common mistake that usually results in pulling the bait out of its mouth. Techniques for fighting a permit are important, since the battle will be long and hard, with many chances for the fish to win. The first run is liable to spool you if you are using line that is light in relation to the size of the fish. Therefore, you need to pole rapidly after it or start up the engine and pursue under power, if there is no danger of tearing up a flat with your engine. After the first run, there are many other runs of gradually decreasing distance, interspersed with long periods of stubborn resistance as the fish turns its big slab side toward you to rest. During these periods of rest, increasing the drag with some finger pressure on the spool will help finish him quicker. Don't use too much drag and when you feel the fish start to run, release the finger.

In some cases, a permit will run off the flat and dive into the deep channel that borders it. Here, he will cut the line on the edge of the flat. In the areas populated by sea fans and gorgonians that permit frequent, if the fish gets out too far, the line angle will cause it to become entangled in these underwater obstacles. These are two more reasons to chase the fish as closely as possible during the fight and keep the rod tip high. You can expect a fight lasting 30 minutes to an hour from a 25 pound permit in shallow water when using the customary, light 8 to 12 pound lines.

Permit are also common on wrecks, reefs and other underwater structures on both of Florida's coasts. During May and early June, they will spawn in these areas and the fishing is truly phenomenal. Divers can enjoy the sight of these big, silver beauties swarming around many popular diving wrecks in the Keys. The fish are in mid- water or near the surface and rarely at the bottom. A crab free-lined back into the current or cast to fish spotted on the surface is the best method. Chumming with crushed crab is also helpful in many situations. If the wreck or structure is large enough to allow a permit to enter or wrap around it, then you should use heavier line to stop him before he can do this. Lines in the 20 or even 30 pound range would not be too heavy.

Inlets to the ocean along the east coast throughout the Keys, to Miami, and all the way to Palm Beach, have permit. One popular way to fish them is at night, during the summer months, on an outgoing tide when large numbers of small swimming crabs are being swept from the inshore waters toward the ocean. Once again, a small crab free-lined back into the current is the proven technique. Since the permit take the crabs right off the surface, it is necessary to keep the bait right on top. Some anglers actually glue small pieces of Styrofoam to a crab's back to prevent him from diving down deeper. There is also a very specialized technique for catching permit off the beach or fishing piers. Most notable is the Lake Worth pier in Palm Beach, where the current all-tackle record comes from. It involves using large bait casting reels and giant surf rods to throw a live crab (assisted by a heavy weight) way off the beach.

In the Gulf waters from Key West all the way north to Tampa, permit can be effectively fished in open water, as well as on wrecks. On flat calm days, you can spot large schools making wakes and slicing the surface with their sickle tails. They are less spooky here in deep water than on the flats. You can motor ahead of them, then shut down and let them come to you. Then sight-cast to the lead fish or others on the flanks of the school. A powerful trolling motor will allow you to maneuver on the school more easily. This is probably the easiest way to take one on fly since you will have many more shots in a day. Where floating seaweed is present - particularly Sargasso weed - you can find permit bumping the weed with their noses to dislodge crabs.

In Florida Bay, many small permit travel through channels among the flats accompanied by jacks and pompano. We get decent numbers of them blind-casting jigs into the deep current-swept waters in strategic places along the flats - like points or deep holes. You will get the pompano and jacks right along with them. These permit are usually small, 1 to 5 pounds, but sometimes there will be a large one mixed in. Medium sized (1/4 oz) jigs in white, pink or chartreuse, with either bucktail or soft plastic tails, are the
most productive.

Rigging for permit is very simple. Tie directly to the hook with 10 or 12 pound line. If using 8 pound or less, add a shock tippet of about 2 feet of 12 pound leader material. Use the tip of the 2/0 live bait hook to drill through the shell no more than 1/8" in from one "point" of the shell on the side of the crab. The hook must be positioned with the point up - shank down so that the crab rides correctly in the water. A good graphite rod from 7 to 7-1/2 feet long, with a medium action and a good-quality, long-cast spinning reel spooled with 8 to 12 pound, is the ideal outfit for the bait fisherman.

Fly-rodders should use a 9 or 10 weight rod, due to the strength of the fish and because you need to throw relatively bulky flies. You could fill an entire book on the subject of fly selection for permit. There are many theories and patterns simply because the permit is notoriously fickle about taking any artificial bait. They often even turn down live crabs - their favorite food. Only the obvious rule about presentation depth holds true. That is, if the permit are feeding on the bottom (usually only on flats) throw a sinking fly, if they are feeding on the surface, throw a floating fly. There many good articles in fly fishing journals to keep you informed on the latest patterns. Some traditional patterns that were once the "hottest" are Chernobyl Crab, Merkin, Puff as well as numerous realistic crab imitations.

Again, presentation is important for both fly and bait fishermen. Basically, anticipate or watch the permit's feeding behavior and present the fly to him at the correct depth. A tailing permit on a flat is feeding on the bottom and the crab or fly should be retrieved in slow short hops. A permit in mid-water over a wreck wants the offering at that level which will usually involve free-lining. When permit are in inlets, open water or channels drag the crab or fly across the surface.

A few final thoughts about catch-and-release of permit. Although I should lie and say that permit resemble their cousin the jack crevalle in edibility, my journalistic integrity forces me to admit that they are closer to their other cousin, the delicious pompano. Having said that, I should point out that first, the larger the permit, the worse they are to eat. A 25 pounder is not very palatable. Also, there is an unwritten code among permit devotees that they should be released. The permit, along with the tarpon and bonefish - create a lot of income to the local economy of the Keys and, to a lesser extent, the Biscayne Bay area.

There are guides, tackle shops, marinas and even hotels and restaurants who get a lot of direct or indirect benefit from the healthy populations of these three "glamour species". For this reason, it is the right thing to do to release permit, particularly when caught in these heavily-fished areas.