What I Do and Don't Know About Permit

Permit are put on a pedestal as one of the most elite fish species that you can fish to with a fly rod and that is for one simple reason - they are damn hard to catch.

There are so many elements that need to line up favourably in order to catch a Permit with a fly. Some within your control and a lot outside of it. There's weather, tides, moon phases, locations, flies, approaches, casts, presentations, retrieves, the list goes on. Then there's the fact that for no apparent reason, even the most set in hooks seem to have a habit of just falling out during the fight.

Permit are said to be the fish that everyone knows the exact number that they have caught. That number for me is 13. I started my Permit journey back in early 2022 and I'll be honest that I had no idea what all the fuss was about. I went on a flats fishing trip and I was truly happy to land just one half decent fish for the week. Then on a clear, sunny day, we stalked, hooked and landed my first Anak Permit. I went on to land a total of five for the trip, including both the T.Anak and T.Blochii sub-species.

I thought I had reached the absolute pinnacle of my fly fishing career... then I got told about the "Big 4".

There are four sub-species of Permit that get targeted by fly anglers. They are the T.Anak and T.Blochii (both found in Australia, with the latter among other places), the T.Falcatus that's found in middle America and the T.Africanus that is found in Oman. These Permit vary slightly in their looks and typical size, and together they make up the so called "Big 4". To catch the Big 4 is an international quest and one I plan to take over the next few years. I don't want to rush it, but one thing is for sure, there is no turning back for me now.

So why Permit? Why travel the entire world to catch four different types of the one fish?! Like I said, Permit are hard to catch and they present challenges that even the most experienced of anglers struggle and often fail to overcome. I think it is fair to say that most guides could pretty well guarantee a catch of their target fish if all 'controllable variables' are executed correctly. But I'm not sure if the same could be said for Permit. Well not from my relatively brief observations anyway. I just don't think that even the best-of-the-best anglers could set out to catch a Permit and get one every time.

The uncontrollable variables certainly play a huge part. Spotting Permit in lowlight can be next to impossible, so sunlight is key. Strong winds cause all manner of problems with stalking fish, not to mention playing havoc with water clarity. Tides certainly play a huge role in the movement and behaviour of Permit, and at certain times you can absolutely put the odds in your favour by studying these patterns closely. Locations are important too. Like nearly all fishing, if you find the food, you will invariably find the fish. Permit like to eat crabs and shellfish, so if you can locate places where these are abundant, then once again you will move the odds further in your favour.

But in my experience so far, none of the above guarantees you'll find the fish. Even when you come back to the same spots, on the same tides, with the same weather conditions. For reasons we will likely never know, Permit run their own program and often more time spent on the water chasing them will present more questions than answers.

It is for these reasons that I now completely understand what all the fuss is about. Permit are the ultimate adversary. As fly fishers we are programmed to try figure things out and we may never figure out Permit. Our fishy brains are trapped in this forever now. There is no escape!