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Permit
- Size and Distribution
If you’re serious about pursuing
permit with a fly rod, then you absolutely have to come to Belize. Certainly,
there are other locations where the permit fishing is good (Honduras /
Mexico / Florida Keys) but none of these places offer the level of consistent
permit action that Belize does.
The Reef
A large reason why Belize is THE permit destination is because of the
Barrier Reef, which runs down almost the entire length of the Belizean
coast. The reef generates and sustains an enormous amount of sea life
and permit take full advantage of this in terms of how and when they feed.
Permit are migratory by nature and they will go where food is abundant.
They use the Belizean reef as a highway, moving both north and south,
looking for better feeding grounds. When they get hungry, they’ll
slip inside the reef to feed for a few hours, or even a few days. When
food is plentiful, permit will hold in deeper water cuts and channels
near the productive flats, waiting for the incoming tide to allow them
to get back up onto the flats to feed. But, when the food supply in a
particular area dries up, permit will simply move on to a new location.
I’ve seen permit pouring over the reef in less than a foot of water,
coming in to feed at the beginning of an incoming tide. They turn onto
their sides and actually swim over the reef in 3 or 4 inches of water,
which is no small feat for a 20 pound fish! It’s an extraordinary
sight and one I never quite get used to seeing.
Size
The average sized permit in Belize is somewhere between 6 and 10 pounds,
with much larger fish being the norm rather than the exception. The smallest
one I’ve caught on a fly was less than a pound. It hammered a size
8 Bonefish Bitters in 10 inches of water, and true to form, put up a scrappy
fight for such a small fish. In general, though, it’s unusual to
run into fish this small. Baby permit tend to swim in schools and stick
close to the mangroves. On the other end of the spectrum, big permit can
be found throughout the coastal waters of Belize. The larger fish (25
pounds+) tend to swim and feed alone or with one or two other fish. Large
permit will also hang in behind rays looking for an easy meal. One of
the biggest permit I’ve ever seen landed on a fly was picked right
off the back of a 4 foot sting ray in about 10 feet of water. The “Blue
Crab” fly is a very effective fly to throw behind a ray and is always
my first choice in water over 6 feet deep.
Weather
If you’re going to target permit you have to
accept the fact that you are going to be completely at the mercy of the
weather gods! Weather will play a huge role in all aspects of chasing
permit and you have to be prepared for all contingencies. Critical
gear requirements include a full rain suit, a heavier rod for strong
winds, and an extra pair of quality polarized shades (I recommend Action
Optics) with an amber glass for overcast days.
Rain
Permit absolutely hate rain and will
fade off the flats as soon as its starts to drizzle. One of my guides
has speculated that they don’t like the fresh water on their backs
and fins and it’s difficult to refute this. My theory is that the
fish do not like the noise and vibrations caused when the rain hits shallow
water. Whatever the reason, permit will disappear when it starts to rain
and will not feed. So, if it’s raining, you may as well pack up
and wait it out somewhere dry.
Last year I was with a client and we had been stalking a school of permit
for about 20 minutes, trying to get into the right position to make a
good cast. When the fish finally started to cooperate and come our way,
the skies opened up and it began to pour with rain. We just stood there
helplessly watching the school of about 30 fish slip off the edge of the
flat into deeper water. I thought the guest was going to break his rod
over his knee!
Wind
While most saltwater anglers curse the wind, when
you’re chasing permit, the wind is actually your ally.
Permit have extraordinary eyesight and can see an
angler wading on a flat from a long way off, especially if the angler
is wearing the wrong colors. Yes, you can wear your loud shirt with the
parrots on it, but just not on the flats. Save the fashion statements
for the bar when the fishing day is done. You should be avoiding white,
orange, red and pink. Bring shirts and shorts and pants in neutral colors
for fishing on the flats.
Wind helps the angler in that it creates a chop on the flat that serves
to obstruct the permits long range vision. The ideal wind conditions are
about 8-12 miles per hour. This will create a chop on the flat that will
hide the angler, while not making overly difficult casts necessary. Permit
will also feel safer with waves and a chop on the flat because they are
more hidden from their predators (sharks and barracudas) in this weather
environment. The end result of this is that permit are more relaxed and
will feed more aggressively in these conditions as opposed to the water
surface on the flat being calm. Heavy winds of 20 miles per hour and permit
will still come up on the flats to feed. The downside of this situation
is that presenting the fly accurately becomes extremely difficult. The
first thing I’ll do in these conditions is turn to a heavier rod.
I normally fish with an 8 weight for permit so I’ll switch up and
use a 9 weight in strong winds. I also like to overload my rod with a
10 weight line, which further enhances my ability to punch a crab fly
through a stiff breeze in these tough conditions, I like to shorten my
leader by a couple of feet, from 12 feet down to 9 or 10 feet. This gives
me better control of the fly in terms of accuracy when the wind is really
ripping.
Sun
In terms of staying out of a permits’ line of sight, and not being
seen while wading a flat, an overcast day will work to your advantage
far more than a sunny day will. The lack of light brought on by a dull
horizon will drastically reduce a permits ability to see anglers and their
false casts. Overcast days also eliminate errant shadows, which will definitely
spook a permit off the flats. That said, I much prefer to fish for permit
on a clear day with few clouds, even though an overcast day is the more
optimal situation. I say this because there is just something magical
to wading a flat and searching for permit when the sun is shining. The
incredible colors of the water get magnified, with the different shades
of green and blue being dramatically enhanced in sun light. I also see
a lot more wildlife on the flats when it’s bright and sunny and
this is a big part of what makes wading for fish on these flats so special.
It can’t be just about the fish! Belize’s ecosystem is so
rich and varied that if you only focus on the fish, you’ll miss
some phenomenal sights and experiences.
I once had a 500 pound manatee surface near the edge of a flat I was wading,
not 6 feet from where I was standing. It lazed on the surface for about
10 minutes, with no idea that I was near by. I forgot all about the tailing
fish on the flat and just watched this beautiful and strange animal. I
was fascinated! Twice I’ve watched a school of bonefish rise from
the ocean like trout. No one can explain why they do this and very few
people have ever seen it. And once, while working a permit flat in the
Sapodilla Cayes, I had to stop and sit on a washed up log to get a small
piece of coral out of my boot. As I was working to get my flats boot off,
I noticed some unexpected movement to my left. A six foot boa constrictor
calmly slipped from the log into the ocean not 2 feet from where I had
chosen to sit down. It can’t just be about the fish! |
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Distribution
Permit can be found everywhere Belize, from San Pedro in the north to
Punta Gorda in the south. However, if you want to seriously focus on permit,
Southern Belize is by far the better fishery and the south is where you
need to direct your travel plans. The big difference between the two areas
is that in the northern part of the country, virtually all of the permit
fishing is done from a boat, targeting fish in deeper water. In the San
Pedro region, there are several very productive areas where permit can
always be found. Anglers can expect to be casting to fish that are either
laid up or cruising in anywhere from 3 feet to 12 feet of water. The south
is a completely different experience when targeting permit. This is because
Southern Belize is one of the few places anywhere where you can wade to
tailing permit on the tidal flats. These flats are hard packed coral and
offer excellent wading. This skinny water fishing environment is the ultimate
challenge for fly rodders to test their skills. I have fished in a variety
situations and locations throughout the world, and for me, fly fishing
for permit in shallow water is the most challenging angling experience
I know of. The triangle shaped area from Tobacco Caye to Gladden Cut,
and over to Placencia, is, in my opinion, the finest area in the world
to fly fish for permit. I say this for 2 reasons:
1) The tidal flats in this
area hold more permit than anywhere I’ve ever seen. The numbers
of fish are excellent and new fish are constantly being flushed onto the
flats from the reef.
2) This area represents
the best location from which
to wade, when fly fishing for permit. Personally, I much prefer to be
wading when casting to fish, rather than fishing from the boat. My accuracy
is better and I find that I have less to foul the line on when I’m
in knee deep water.
Barometric
Pressure
Permit do not like weather changes, particularly if this change takes
place quickly. A rapid drop in barometric pressure will always push permit
off the flat, and when fishing for them in deeper water, off the bite.
If the pressure rises or falls in a short period of time, permit will
act edgy and nervous when working a flat. (more so than usual) If you’re
familiar with how permit act when feeding on the flats, you can actually
see this increased skittishness and it will signal a coming change in
the weather before the external conditions do. If you are stuck in the
midst of a few consecutive days of rough weather, don’t lose faith!
It pays to get out there and work the flats. Permit will feed in bad weather,
so long as it’s not raining.
- Flats Species Information Pages -
Bonefish
- pg 1, pg
2 , pg 3
Permit - pg
1, pg 2 , pg
3
Tarpon - pg 1, pg 2 , pg3
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