Across the sparkling water your Florida Flats Guide guide spots the tell-tail sign of Permit, tips of tails and fins wagging just out of the water. You ready your fly rod and prepare to cast. Permit are part of the jack family of fish, and are closely related to pompano, which also feed mostly on crabs and shrimp. Permit, when hungry, can be voracious predators, and have been known to chase down large bait-fish or squid. This aggressive feeding behavior is actually a contradicting to their reputation as timid feeders that only feed on crab.
Key West has the much deserved reputation of having the finest flats fishing found anywhere in the world. Whether you are spin casting in the back country of Snipe Keys, or fly fishing in the far western atoll known as the Marquesas Keys, you will enjoy the challenge of light tackle sport fishing. Permit Fly Fishing is one of the biggest challenges in fly fishing. The fish are extremely spooky and very picky when it comes to eating flies. You will get far more refusals than takes even when you get the fly in the right spot with out spooking them.
Silver gray in color with dark blue back. Permit are found both offshore on wrecks and reefs and inshore on the flats of the Florida Keys. The Marquesas is a popular place to fish for permit and some of the largest permit have been caught here. The average weight of permit in the Keys is around 15lbs. They have been caught up to 35lbs. Permit are probably one of the hardest fighting fish that cruise around the flats. Their thin, wide body enables them to put up a very good fight. This hard fought fight is why Permit are sought after by fly fisherman. Catching Permit on a fly is a once in a lifetime achievement.
