Permit

Permit are the hardest fish to catch on a fly rod, full stop. They're skittish, they have remarkable eyesight, and they eat primarily crabs — which means getting a shot requires sight-hunting on the flats, a perfect presentation, and a fish that happens to be in the mood to eat. Serious permit fishermen consider 1-in-20 shots a good conversion rate. Some trips end without a single fish landed. The ones that come together are the best days of a saltwater angler's life.

Turneffe Atoll (Belize), Ascension Bay (Mexico), Cuba's Jardines de la Reina, and the Florida Keys produce the most consistent permit water. Belize is the highest-percentage destination for first-time permit hunters; the fish are less-pressured, the guides are specialists, and double-digit shots per day are routine during the March-July window.

Best Methods

• ● Sight-casting crab patterns (Merkin, EP Crab) to tailing fish
• ● Poled skiffs on the edges of deep flats
• ● Wading isolated flats at low tide
• ● Blind-casting known permit lanes as a secondary tactic

Gear Notes

9-weight rod, 9 feet. High-quality saltwater reel with strong drag. Floating tropical line. 9-12 foot tapered leader to 15-20 lb fluoro tippet. Crab patterns in tan, olive, and natural tones — sizes 2 to 2/0.