A permit swimming on a flat shallow enough to expose its black scythe-like tail certainly doesn’t seem “jack-like dumb” to fly fishers who suffer through countless fly presentations without a payoff. The most jaded fly fishers personify them, and call them [bleeping] dishonest, compared to tarpon, and maybe, bonefish. But a bait fisher who strictly plies offshore wrecks for permit loves that they act like jacks, more times than not. And yes, they are the same fish — revered wherever they’re pursued and caught.

Though far fewer Florida and visiting anglers target permit than they do tarpon, bones, redfish and others, the fish’s popularity is growing, as is the concern for their numbers and habitat. For starters this premier gamefish, released as an unwritten rule by flats anglers, is also a decent food fish, so a number do end up in the fish box. Or, unfortunately, the jaws of sharks.

The Project Goal

Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) researchers want to know more about the permit’s life cycle, its migratory habits, spawning activities and the threats to its habitat and very existence. The innovative project was launched in 2011. At the time, the Lower Keys Guides Association and BTT voiced concerns to the Florida Fish & Wildife Conservation Commission (FWC) regarding declining numbers of permit on the flats. Their suspicion was that overfishing of permit spawning aggregations, such as those at Gulf and nearshore wrecks, was the likely culprit.

There was little hard data at that time to support the groups’ claims, and FWC made it clear that data had to be provided in the future if the commission was expected to take the issue to the public. That was the impetus to ramp up Project Permit.

Dr. Ross Boucek, BTT Florida Keys Initiative Manager, says permit were an especially “poor data species” when Project Permit was launched in 2011, incidentally, the same year that the FWC established the Special Permit Zone (SPZ) which includes Florida state and adjacent federal waters south of a line running due east from Cape Florida in the Atlantic, the waters of south Biscayne Bay, and south of a line near Cape Sable running due west through federal waters.

“Within the established Special Permit Zone, commercial take is prohibited,” said Boucek. “And adjacent to the SPZ we have the Pompano Endorsement Zone, sharing a boundary with the SPZ. So there is allowance for gillnetters that hold a pompano endorsement license to take an unlimited number of pompano.” The two species frequent the same waters there, so the state allows an incidental bycatch of up to 100 legal-size permit. Unfortunately, this commercial harvest exists very close to the permit spawning grounds.

“We closely monitor long-term trends,” said Boucek. “I feel the commercial bycatch numbers are
sustainable, especially in the SPZ bordering the pompano endorsement zone. But on the Gulf
wrecks that attract permit aggregations we did some sentinel studies that revealed a concerning
number of hooked permit are eaten by sharks, which is a problem in other Florida fisheries.”

Permit Travels

Can permit be considered homebodies?

When asked about the possibility that permit travel from the Lower Keys as far north as Florida’s Atlantic Treasure Coast beaches or the Indian River Lagoon, where anglers catch them mixed in with pompano, Boucek said that’s not at all likely.

“First of all, the mixing in with pompano in that region is a big information gap,” said Boucek. “But we are very sure that permit we catch and tag here in SPZ waters of the Lower Keys do not make the jump north across the SPZ boundary in South Biscayne Bay. We have tracked thousands of acoustically tagged fish to prove that. These fish are not as migratory as tarpon,” said Boucek.

“A prime example of restricted migratory behavior is a permit that I and colleagues from Canada tagged nearly 5 years ago in the Lower Keys. We used both an acoustic transmitter and an external dart tag on that fish, the dart being the external type of tag our fishing guide volunteers use. Three years after the tagging, Keys guides Nathaniel Linville and John O’Hearn caught that fish only 100 feet from where we originally tagged it! Granted, it did move around the region quite a bit in those years, but it never left the general region.”

A Downward Permit Trend

Besides hard science data derived from tagging, Boucek credits detailed anecdotal information, provided by anglers and experienced permit guides, with helping BTT better understand the fish’s habits.

“Capt. Pat Bracher, out of Cudjoe Key, keeps the most meticulous catch records I’ve seen which he has shared with us. In fact his notes on declining barracuda catches provided Florida fishery managers with evidence compelling enough to tighten barracuda harvest regulations,” said Boucek. “Bracher prides himself on getting his flats clients a Grand Slam. And he has literally thousands of them to his credit. His fishing trip journal, which he shared with BTT shows an unmistakable downward trend for permit around Key West, which started in the early to middle 2000s. The trend became apparent in the Lower Keys a bit more recently.”

Threats to Permit Numbers

Other than allowances for some commercial harvest, it’s become apparent that recreational harvest puts a dent in the permit stocks as well. Among light-tackle and fly anglers who enjoy sight fishing the flats for them, release mortality is low. Education and improved catch-and-release techniques, including minimal time out of the water, has helped immensely.

Ross Boucek hopes that anglers of all persuasions better appreciate the permit for its fighting ability, even on nearshore wrecks.

“We get the fact that this species is a legal fish for the table, but we think there is excitement to catching a big permit over a wreck, and satisfaction in releasing them. If the angler’s ultimate goal is to kill a fish for the table, that’s fine too,” said Boucek.

On the subject of shark depredation, Bouchek cited BTT’s studies of that situation on a few sentinel wrecks in the Gulf and some sentinel spawning sites on the Atlantic side of the Keys that hold flats permit.

“We found that about 35 percent of hooked permit are killed by sharks on Western Dry Rocks, out of Key West, and that has been a consistent number before and even after the closure period (April 1 through July 31),” said Boucek.

And the numbers are even greater (up to 80 percent of hooked permit killed) on some Keys Gulf wrecks and those in Florida Bay just outside the Everglades National Park boundary. The BTT feels these are not sustainable numbers. In light of these troubling numbers, which are anecdotal according to BTT, researchers are not sure whether anglers after permit (or snapper species) are changing their behavior by avoiding “sharky” wrecks or not.

The post Solving the Permit Puzzle appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Tucked away in the southeastern corner of the Yucatan Peninsula, this tiny Central American nation (about the size of Massachusetts) was known as British Honduras until 1973. Belize boasts the second largest barrier reef in the world (after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef) with dozens of cays and islets. The country’s 174-mile coastline offers huge areas of sandy flats dotted with patches of turtle grass — ideal habitat for bonefish and permit.

Among anglers, Belize is known for its consistently productive, year-round fishing for both of those prized inshore trophy species. Add tarpon to the mix and it’s understandable that Belize ranks near the top of places in the world where anglers can accomplish a coveted shallow-water slam: permit, bonefish and tarpon in one day. But don’t limit yourself! Belize boasts a good population of snook in its rivers and mangrove-lined bays. Add snook to the other three species and join the ranks of super-slammers. Slam or not, fishing Belize is particularly popular with fly fishermen.

Unique among Central American nations, at least 40 percent of the country’s mainland and coast is protected. The barrier reef system has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996. The reef runs for more than 180 miles, in places only 1,000 feet from shore but in other areas 25 miles out.

Some popular areas include Turneffe Atoll, the country’s largest atoll, located about 20 miles off the coast, near Belize City. It’s renowned for big schools of bonefish, but also numbers of permit. A marine reserve, Turneffe remains pristine, with vast expanses of mangrove and seagrass habitats around the island. Ambergris Caye is Belize’s largest island, famed for white-sand beaches and turquoise shallows. It’s perennially popular with tourists, being a mere 15-minute small-plane flight from Belize City. Nevertheless, it remains a solid spot for inshore fishing, particularly for sight-casting to tarpon on its extensive flats. Some of Belize’s other outstanding spots for anglers include the Placencia peninsula, and Hopkins and Glover’s reefs in the south.

Planning a Trip

When to Go

As noted above, this is truly year-round fishing. Larger tarpon tend to be more seasonal, given their migratory nature; late spring and summer is a peak time but smaller fish can be caught anytime on flats, in channels, creeks and bays. Winter can be tougher for bones, while fall is prime time for permit. Because fishing can be good throughout the year, timing a trip may come down to weather more than anything. Spring tends to be a bit windier (prevailing trade winds are generally from an eastern quadrant). From late February into May is the dry season, and June through much of the fall, is the wet season. It’s worth noting that the northern part of Belize receives considerably less rain than the south. Also keep in mind the possibility of hurricanes summer and fall. Direct strikes on Belize are rare, but tropical wind and rain spun off by big storms can hinder fishing.

Where to Go and How to Get There

Major airlines offer regular flights from several U.S. cities into Belize City’s international airport. Once in Belize, there are regular flights and ferry service to Ambergris Caye, but more distant resorts are reached primarily via chartered flights that the resorts provide or arrange.

Grand Caribe Belize is a beautiful resort in San Pedro Belize, located 2 miles north of town on Ambergris Caye. The condo style accommodations cater to anglers and families, plus the barrier reef sits just a half-mile offshore their beaches. This year, the resort hosted their 7th annual Deep Sea Classic fishing tournament in July.

What to Expect

English, for one thing: While you’ll hear Spanish and creole, English is the primary, official language, making Belize the only country in Central America where this is true. You’ll find plenty of hotels in Belize City. Most resorts provide tackle, though serious fishermen often bring their own (and fly fishing is particularly popular in Belize’s shallow waters). Though largely overlooked, reef and bluewater fishing await just beyond the flats. Besides fishing, in Belize’s forested interior you can plan visits to the country’s amazing Mayan ruins, remnants of a great ancient Maya empire. Note: upon leaving, you’ll need to pay a departure tax (unless included in the airline’s fare), and only cash is accepted.

Helpful Links

• For general information: travelbelize.org
• You’ll also find more good information at: travel.usnews.com/belize

The post The Beauty of Belize appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The Not So Common Permit

For permit addicts, the Florida Keys is a special place. But the holy grail is somewhere else entirely: the Seychelles. The Indo-Pacific permit, with its yellow-tipped fins, thrives here on the remote Poivre and St. Joseph atolls. Sometimes called the snubnose pompano, it’s a top-five fish for any globe-trotting flats fly angler.

But this Indian Ocean adventure is not for the weak, requiring plenty of planning and travel to get there. Then, it’s wade-fishing all day on shallow flats, searching for a fish known to laugh at a perfectly placed crab fly. Once you hook and hold one, all that frustration disappears. —Sam Hudson

In Honor of the Toughness of Tarpon

Tarpon are survivors. After all, they’ve been swimming the seas since dinosaurs roamed the earth. They can live more than 70 years. How have tarpon survived for so long when so many other species have gone extinct? It’s their ability to survive in a wide variety of conditions, and on a wide variety of sustenance.

The silver king can live in full fresh or full salt water, but most important is its special ability to breathe air at the surface using a row of lunglike tissue in the swim bladder. As juvenile fish, this allows them to live in stagnant, low-oxygen waters with fewer predators and competition. Canals, ditches, ponds—waters that don’t connect to salt water for most of the year—are no problem for them.

And the juvies make do with whatever food they can forage in these backwaters. Baby tarpon are opportunistic feeders, eating ants, shrimp, crabs and fly larvae. In fact, in 2020, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust highlighted a study that looked at the diets of juvenile tarpon in seven Florida locations. The conclusion: Tarpon will eat whatever fits in their mouths. —Nick Roberts

Bonefish Slime Matters

Props to conservation organization Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, which recently launched the Save the Slime campaign to promote proper bonefish handling techniques, developed in collaboration with top guides and bonefish lodges. Poor handling can remove their protective mucus layer and leave them vulnerable to sharks after release.

The techniques boil down to this: Avoid touching the fish, and if you want to hold one for a quick photo, then do so without sun gloves and limit air exposure to less than 10 seconds. Research shows that a bonefish held out of water for longer than that is six times less likely to survive once released.

As the campaign slogan proclaims: “The important part isn’t how you catch them. It’s how you let them go.” —Nick Roberts

Pumpkins With Fins

Over my 40-plus years of feeding flies to redfish in five coastal states, little compares to the Louisiana marsh. The shallow-water, bull redfish in bright auburn hues are like nothing else in inshore fishing. I call Venice “the Pumpkin Patch” due to the color and size of the red drum willing to eat a fly any day of the year.

On my first cast to a string of 30-plus-pounders one November morning, I made the typical “Florida cast,” leading the oncoming fish by 5 feet. They were gliding slowly, pec fins out, glowing golden orange in the muddy water.

“Mike, pick up and go again. Give the lead fish a mustache,” urged Capt. Brian Esposito from the poling platform. I picked up my line and slapped my big, bushy streamer between the fish’s eyes. The take was immediate and explosive. I cleared my running line to the reel and held on as it towed the skiff. After a couple of bulldogging runs, Esposito staked the pole and grabbed the fish. It weighed 31 pounds.

“A pretty good one,” Esposito said. “But we’ll see bigger, I promise.”

And we did. The pumpkin parade went on all day—singles, pairs, small schools. Out of about 40 shots, we landed 30 or more reds.

This happens year-round in Louisiana, with the biggest fish common from fall through spring. I once fished with a guide on a January week when the Roseau cane lining the outer marsh was covered in ice all day, with highs in the upper 30s. And amazingly, the fish ate flies. So, book a Louisiana poling guide, dress right, and be damn sure to give ’em a mustache. Chances are you’ve fished for reds, but haven’t experienced anything like Louisiana’s Mississippi river mouth monsters. —Mike Conner

A Striped Bass Favorite: Sand Eels

Sand eels are one of the baits that cause stripers to abandon caution and venture into dangerously skinny water. Correctly known as a sand lance, these thin, eel-like fish burrow directly into the sand. While some stretches of the coast have sand eels all season long, fall brings in large schools that hug the shoreline, and stripers follow.

Schools of 20- to 30-pound stripers are often right on their heels, slipping along the lip of an open beach with their backs and pectoral fins cutting the surface, massive tails wagging back and forth. These feeding frenzies look like something out of a BBC wildlife documentary, and offer some of the most exciting fishing of the entire season. —Joe Albanese

The post What You Might Not Know About Your Favorite Flats Fish appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Spokane, Washington angler Mike Ward boated and released six coveted permit with fly tackle to win the 2022 Del Brown Permit Tournament in the Lower Florida Keys. The tournament spanned three days of fishing and ended July 13.

The tournament is based on an aggregate score, with each caught-and-released fish measured by length. Ward and his captain, Brandon Cyr of Key West, tallied permit measuring 27.5 inches on the tournament’s first fishing day, and two more fish on the second day measuring 24- and 26.75-inches. On day three, they caught-and-released three more permit with fly gear, measuring 28.25-, 26.5- and 23.25-inches.

The permit catches tallied 900 points for the Ward-Cyr team, claiming the event’s top slot.

Second place went to Robert Dougherty of Dallas, guided by Capt. Nick LaBadie of Key West with four fly-caught-and-released permit for 600 points. Their catch included a 30.25-inch fish, largest of the event.

Noted Keys captain and permit angler Simon Becker of Cudjoe Key led angler Clint Packo of Littleton, Colorado to third place with three permit releases and 450 pounds.

“It is honestly still surreal and has not set in,” says 28-year Brandon Cyr about being on the winning tournament team in the Del Brown event.
In 2020 he was the winning guide for the inaugural year of the IGFA Permit Invitational tournament.

“It’s just mind-blowing to me,” he says. “I still feel like I’m the young guy trying to chase everybody down, so to actually have success like this is just beyond me. I don’t know how we pulled it off, but we did.”

The task at hand is no easy feat, with angler and guide both deserving equal recognition for every successful release. Permit have an incredible sense of sight, smell and hearing, and inspect prey food with a keen sense of survival. Fooling such a flats fish to take a small fly imitating its food is daunting. To do it successfully over three days of fishing, competing against some of the best fly rod anglers and guides in the world is even more formidable.

“If I could pick the perfect permit weather, I would choose 10 to 15 mph winds,” says Cyr. “Just enough [wind] to hide boat noise and hide the noise of a fly landing, but not enough that it hinders casting. Ninety percent of the time we are permit fishing in the wind, and we had the opposite of that all week for the Del Brown. The first day we left with about 5 to 8 mph of wind, which makes things a lot harder.”

The catch rate during the event was light compared to other Del Brown tournaments, and Cyr says hot weather in the 90s with mild wind made conditions tough. For that reason, he targeted permit places having strong current, which the fish preferred and they’d take a fly.

Fly-rodders in 17 boats caught 19 permit and one bonefish in the event. The tournament is named for the late Del Brown, who pioneered fly fishing for flats permit. Brown’s innovations in flies (like the famed “Merkin”) and other tackle is renown. He is credited with catching 513 permit on fly, plus several IGFA world records, angling accomplishments that may never be matched.

The post Are Permit the Toughest Fish on Earth to Take on a Fly? appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Here he comes! my mind screamed. But I held my tongue: I didn’t want to spook the fish or my nephew, Hunter Salyers. Coming straight toward us was an overslot redfish, as subtle as an 18-wheeler ­rolling through South Beach. Hunter held a 10-pound spin outfit armed with a ­righteous blue crab, prepped just in case we came across one of Biscayne Bay’s rare, albeit hero, redfish. His finesse, 10-foot straight-on touch cast landed ­perfectly as the fish surfaced only 20 feet ahead. We had done our part to get the bite this mid-October morning; the rest was up to the fish.

Hunter crouched on the casting platform to avoid detection as I steadied the boat. The redfish submerged where the crab had fallen. I couldn’t see the hookup through Hunter’s wide frame, but once he stood up, I saw the rod bend. From my perspective, the bruiser red had taken total control, pulling drag, swimming left, then right, in close quarters near the mouth of a creek. The fish broke left again, heading toward a menacing mangrove point.

This time I was wasn’t so silent. “Stop him now, Hunter!” I yelled, as I leaned hard on the push pole, changing the skiff’s angle. Hunter held the rod low and turned the fish’s head just enough to alter its path. However, from my previous experiences with these bulls, I knew this battle was long from over.

The red looped around, and with a full head of steam, swam right for the mangrove canopy. The 20-pound fluorocarbon leader parted. Oh well, I mused, we’ll just have to be happy with our snook and snapper—all in a half-day of ­fishing south Biscayne Bay.

Beauty and the Beast
If you like shallow-water inshore fishing, Miami’s Biscayne Bay can certainly spoil you. Hip, urban, glitzy Miami—known for its beaches, clubs and skyline—also hosts a natural crown jewel that lies just to the east. This magnificent bay not only accents Miami’s world-class resort atmosphere, but it also offers up unique world-class fishing. As a second-generation Miami native, I am lucky to have fished Biscayne since childhood.

Biscayne stretches from North Miami to Key Largo and encompasses 428 square miles of water (almost the same size as the city of San Antonio). A portion of the bay—270 acres—receives some oversight and protection as part of the Biscayne National Park, which was established in 1980. However, because the bay sits in the shadow of Miami’s ever-growing skyline, it’s also subject to the effects of population density. Minimizing human impacts on Biscayne will be vital to the bay’s future.

For instance, a recent Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management study showed sea-grass die-offs in various parts of the bay. As a result, the county has recommended improving water quality, ­habitat monitoring and public awareness, as well as spurring continued restoration activities.

However, the damage is relative. “Compared with other estuaries and coastal waters around Florida, sea grasses in Biscayne Bay are doing quite well,” says Brian Lapointe, research professor and water-quality expert at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, Florida. “Both Florida Bay and Indian River Lagoon have suffered severe phytoplankton blooms in recent years, which reduce light,” and ultimately cause low oxygen levels and sea-grass die-off.

While phytoplankton blooms and some ­sea-grass die-off have occurred in northern Biscayne Bay, the southern bay has remained relatively clean and clear, favorable for sea-grass growth and healthy fisheries habitat.

“The relatively good water quality in southern Biscayne Bay results from very low phosphorus levels that prevent phytoplankton blooms. In addition, southern Biscayne Bay has a high degree of flushing with clean, clear seawater from the nearby Florida Current (in the Gulf Stream system), which dilutes land-based sources of pollution, such as nitrogen. The relatively clean, clear water and healthy sea-grass meadows in southern Biscayne Bay are the ­reason that ­fishing in this sweet spot is still very good.”

Indeed, Biscayne still holds a wealth of ­popular gamefish such as bonefish, tarpon, ­permit, snapper, mackerel, sharks and even the occasional grouper. Anglers often find it tough to focus on a single target species any given day.

Hero Fish
Local guides and anglers claim that Biscayne Bay bonefish are more skittish than bonefish in the Bahamas or even the Florida Keys. However, the payoff can be worth the time because ­double‑digit fish can be caught.

Anglers can hunt bones most of the year; however, some bigger fish haunt the west side of Biscayne in winter, where the water stays warmer due to the dark bottom. One of my longtime captain friends, Jorge Valverde (low​placesguideservice.com), got me out on some cool winter mornings to prove his theory, and he did not disappoint.

Permit can be large enough that their backs show when they’re feeding in just over a foot of water. They’re also famous for appearing and sometimes quickly disappearing on the edge of the finger channels while the tides pour in and out of the bay.

Summer months produce the best opportunities because permit really prefer warm water. However, I must admit that one day this past February, I saw the most permit at one time I’ve seen in 10 years in the waters near Homestead Bayfront Park.

Tarpon swim throughout eastern and ­western Biscayne before many migrate to the Keys and beyond. Anglers target them around bridges, flats, finger channels and the local inlet—Government Cut. The fish range from north Biscayne west to the tidal creeks and coves, and down to the southern border of Biscayne National Park. Large, triple-digit tarpon migrate south to the Florida Keys in spring.

All three of these hero flats species fall to live or dead shrimp and crab baits. Tarpon can also be taken on pilchards and even big mullet. Some folks choose to fish bones, permit and even tarpon with artificials such as a jig tipped with a piece of dead shrimp. I personally prefer to use mostly live bait with a circle hook sized to match the bait.

Besides the headliners, a few overslot redfish cruise the mangroves in the southwest corners of Biscayne. Snook can be found throughout the region; they seem to borrow tactics from their brethren in the Everglades, where they ambush prey from potholes within the turtle grass. If not using live bait, cast a Rapala Skitter Walk, Bomber Badonk-A-Donk, MirrOlure Top Dog or Yo-Zuri 3D Pencil.

Mutton and mangrove snapper as well as spotted seatrout also make periodic appearances in the bay, enhancing the smorgasbord.

The Pros Know
Fresh water once flowed in sheets from the mainland to the bay, and springs fed Biscayne through the porous limestone aquifer. But today, most natural tributaries have been channelized to facilitate water flow away from the city.

Capt. Joe Gonzalez (captainjoegonzalez​.com), one of the region’s most respected guides, has fished south Biscayne Bay (Rickenbacker Causeway to North Key Largo) since 1987, and he has seen many changes. Gonzalez says that although the fishing’s not what it used to be, the ecosystem still seems healthy, due to the nearby Gulf Stream, as Lapointe also suggested.

Well-known Miami captain Bouncer Smith (captbouncer.com) has fished the bay since 1956. My first trip with him dates back more than 20 years, when he took Ariel Pared, president of SeaVee Boats, and me to Dumfounding Bay, north of Biscayne. We wore out ambitious and acrobatic juvenile tarpon to 50 pounds by just floating shrimp back from the boat on medium‑size spinning outfits.

Sparsely populated south Biscayne garners most of the accolades from today’s anglers, but north Biscayne still produces snook, tarpon, seatrout, bonefish and permit. Its backdrop looks decidedly different, with developed tall office and condo buildings that rise dramatically from this sea-level city.

Read Next: Tarpon Fishing in Miami at Night

In a strange way, development has also helped anglers target some species—bridge-fishing for tarpon, for instance. I’ve fished with captains, such as Dave Kostyo (knotnancy.com) on Knot Nancy, who are specialists in targeting these tarpon that hang in the bridge shadows. With his trained eye, he sight-fishes tarpon at night, as they move up and down the shadow line.

The tidal flow through Government Cut ­funnels bait and fish to north and south Biscayne. Smith finds good grouper fishing in the cut, but he quickly points out that dredging in and around the busy commercial Port of Miami adversely affects the fishing.

Although bait species might be less affected, other fish such as bluefish, trout, ladyfish and snapper are slow to rebound. Among Smith’s pet peeves is the damage from dredging and other detrimental human events that turn grass flats into giant sandbars.

“I would also like the park service to stop removing wrecks covered with marine growth,” he adds, explaining that inshore structure—whether introduced or accidental—has become marine habitat and part of the ecosystem.

Locked and Loaded
Fishing Biscayne’s diverse fishery means ­preparing for multiple species at any given time. When fishing my Yellowfin skiff, I try to keep at hand a silver-dollar-size crab on a light 10-pound spin outfit, a shrimp on an 8-pound outfit, and usually some sort of topwater lure on a 12-pound rig. Yes, my boat deck might seem ­littered with rods, but I never know what species might show.

Just this past winter, on Capt. Jimbo Thomas’ 25 Contender (thom2187@comcast​.net), we were targeting snook in a tidal creek. Usually it’s like ringing the dinner bell when you have nice pilchards as we did, but the snook were not cooperating. We drifted the mouth of the creek only to see a school of permit swim right alongside the boat. With no crabs to pitch to them, we could only watch them as they cruised by unafraid. Although my natural instinct was to throw something—anything—at them, we did not have the right ammunition.

To bring home the point, Hunter (my ­aforementioned nephew) sent me a barrage of text messages one late afternoon this past spring. Apparently, he had found some bones near Soldier Key’s finger channels. When he flipped a crab into the school of tailing fish, he saw the wake of what he thought would be a bonefish attempting to pounce on his bait. However, much to his surprise, a nice 12-pound mutton snapper charged the crab, and basically stole the bone’s meal in less than a foot of water.

Earlier this year, I fished the Ha Ha Working Man’s Tarpon Tournament, billed as a ­gentlemen’s tournament (though it seems to be more of an excuse to fish after work three of four nights). On our final evening aboard Tait Keon’s Yamaha-powered 27-foot Contender, we decided to fish off a local haunt called Hobie Beach on Key Biscayne. It features a shallow contour that drops from a depth of 4 feet to 8 feet and holds fish on its edge. Keon’s move proved successful as the bites came fast and furious on our spread of shrimp, crabs and live mullet—all hanging from kites.

Angler Carlos Carbonell put us on the board, tangling with an 80-plus-pound poon. The rest of the fleet found similar hot fishing, recording catches of tarpon, permit and big jack crevalle.

That early evening, as the tournament came to a close, with the sun setting over the beautiful, twinkling Miami skyline, I was reminded why those who fish Biscayne are forever grateful for the experience: There is truly no other place like it on the planet, where so many have world‑class fishing so close to home.

The post Miami’s Biscayne Bay: Still a Fisherman’s Paradise appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Line tumbled off the open spool. I shifted my body weight in the direction of my rod tip while sliding fully upright on the mesh seat of my Hobie kayak. I set my shoulders as I neared the end of my five-second countdown.

Closing the bail on my reel, I watched the line pull tight. As the rod tip bowed heavily toward the chop lapping against my hull, I reeled and lifted, driving the circle hook firmly into place. Immediately I felt the weight and wide body of my target species, a large and very angry offshore permit.

I was fairly certain I had hooked what I was after. During late April, only a handful of fish readily gobble a live, 3-inch blue crab suspended midwater over the offshore wrecks of southwest Florida.

I adjusted my kayak rudder to steer the bow opposite the permit’s direction. This additional surface drag allowed me to pull deep into the rod. I slowly and methodically played tug of war against this heavyweight.

I began pedaling the kayak away from the underwater structure: an old shrimp boat that had found its final resting place in nearly 60 feet of water, about 14 miles off Sanibel Island on Florida’s Gulf Coast. As I gained distance from the wreck, the fish quickly shifted directions. I spun the rod behind my head, switching hands as the permit sped from port to starboard.

Finally, the endgame: a vertical seesaw battle. After 10 minutes, I saw a flash about 20 feet below. “We’ve got color!” I shouted to my fishing partner, Hobie’s Morgan Promnitz. The bright-silver body of a 20-pound permit shimmered in the green water.

Hitch a Ride
The popularity of kayak-fishing has exploded over the past decade, bringing more-adventurous anglers into the sport. After years of successfully targeting easily accessible species, some of us have sought harder-to-reach targets that swim far beyond the daily travel range for most fishing-style kayaks. This desire has created a niche market for local captains and anglers piloting larger center-console boats who can reach distant destinations with kayaks aboard or in tow.

In fact, as a southwest Florida transplant of nearly 15 years, I’ve targeted a majority of our inshore and nearshore species from my ’yak. While tarpon, sawfish and inshore grouper challenged me, the one species I’ve wanted to knock off the bucket list is permit.

Permit aren’t especially difficult to catch in our local waters, but successfully landing one of these fish by kayak requires some advanced planning and the assist of a mothership. Locally, these full, eight-hour day trips can cost $750, which includes a livewell full of crabs. I’ve only occasionally needed a powerboat to reach the fishing grounds. The first time, I was in an isolated portion of jungle along the Panamanian coastline. The second time: this permit trip.

I could have spent an extremely long day trekking to some shallower wrecks 8 to 10 miles offshore. But employing the help of Capt. Matt Johnson and his 24-foot Blue Wave bay boat made the experience all the more enjoyable.

Johnson picked us up from our launch point at South Seas Island Resort. Our group of two anglers, one videographer and a photographer had gathered there with the ultimate goal of capturing permit from the local shipwreck offshore of the barrier islands.

It took a bit of muscle, but we loaded our three Hobie Pro Anglers aboard the center-console at the marina dock. We lashed the 14-foot kayaks alongside the gunwale, two on the port side and the third to starboard. With calm seas expected, we felt comfortable making the long haul offshore.

Crab Bounty
Beginning in March, from the Ten Thousand Islands to Boca Grande, massive aggregations of adult permit head offshore to feed and spawn. Schools can number into the thousands of individuals. Anglers often see these permit swimming with their dorsal fins breaking the water’s surface.

The fish begin venturing into local regions as the water temperatures hover around 75 degrees. They can be found in wrecks as shallow as 20 feet, just a few miles offshore, or as far out as 50 miles or more, in wrecks over 100 feet deep. Fortunately, this migration continues into early fall, with permit still available until the first cold fronts arrive in late October.

The spring movements coincide perfectly with the spring crab flushes that pour from the coastal waters of Pine Island Sound and Charlotte Harbor. For several months, millions of crabs float along the surface during outgoing tides. They drift in masses to offshore waters on their own spawning journey, much to the delight of hungry permit.

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Prevailing winds tend to dictate how shallow you can find the permit schools. The shallowest and most accessible wrecks hold fish, but often only during a period of light winds. Once the turbidity kicks up in those shallow locations, permit head farther offshore. They find more-comfortable conditions in 40 to 60 feet depths, where the water clarity generally remains more stable.

Fortunately, for anglers looking to target their first permit, the coordinates for artificial reefs can be easily found with a quick online search. Such publicized locations might receive more pressure, but they can still be quite productive when the boat traffic subsides. Private wrecks can offer more solitude, but their locations often remain a closely guarded secret.

Spin Up
Fortunately, targeting these offshore permit involves pretty standard gear. For smaller permit, commonly found in shallower waters, you can use any 3000- to 5000-size spinning reel spooled with 20-pound braided line. I like to pair that with a 7-foot medium-weight rod — probably similar to an outfit for catching flats redfish and snook.

If you’re lucky and follow through on proper planning, you might encounter the largest permit — 40 pounds or more — that haunt the deeper structures. To target those fish, upgrade to heavier gear to keep them out of structure.

My favorite setup is a 6000- to 8000-size spinning reel spooled with 30-pound braid. Bump up to a medium-heavy or heavy 7-foot spinning rod with some serious backbone. Half the effort in catching larger permit comes during the vertical battle. A stout rod quickly proves handy.

Line-shy permit require lightweight fluorocarbon leaders. I start with a 40-inch section of 25-pound-test fluoro, and go down to 20- or even 15-pound-test if fish are around but not feeding. If the bite is aggressive, you can sometimes get away with bumping up to 30- or 40-pound leader. Often, the lighter leader can create at least a few opportunities versus none.

I don’t use any fancy knots for light-tackle permit fishing. A standard uni-to-uni-knot connection works great between line and leader, and shouldn’t fail with the lighter drag pressure you need to use during a battle.

Match the Hatch
Few fish seem as picky as an old permit on our offshore wrecks. I’m an avid artificial-bait angler and rarely use natural or live offerings. However, I do make an exception when targeting these permit. They focus on crabs and rarely look at other offerings.

You occasionally can hook up on shrimp- or crab-imitating lures. More often, though, you’ll see hundreds of fish swimming around your lure without the slightest interest.

Permit anglers find two options for live crabs during the spring migration in southwest Florida: blue crabs and pass crabs. Blue crabs dominate the scene early in the season and make for excellent bait. The best-size crabs for offshore permit measure two to three fingers in width. Permit tend to ignore larger crabs.

Pass crabs, also called iridescent swimming crabs, can be used later in the season. They’re smaller and more delicate than blue crabs but can work pretty well if that’s all that’s available.

Most reputable tackle shops in southwest Florida sell crabs, but be prepared to fork over $2 to $4 apiece. If you’ve got plenty of time, you can dip-net crabs yourself near the local passes — such as Redfish and Captiva — during spring outgoing tides.

Crabs can be kept alive for several days by removing all but an inch or so of water from a five-gallon bucket. Add a cloth towel to the bucket to allow the crabs dry space. Make sure to clean the water every day or so to remove waste.

I prefer to rig crabs one of two ways: With a snelled 1/0 to 2/0 Mustad 2x circle hook, pierce them sideways through the corner of the horn that protrudes from the side of the body, allowing for a nice sideways swimming motion along and just below the surface. Or place the hook between the fold of their abdominal flap and the smallest rear leg. Run the hook point about 1/8 inch from the edge of the shell, going through the crease on the belly and exiting through the top of the shell. Don’t go too far into the body or you’ll injure their organs and cause them to perish quickly.

A properly hooked crab should swim freely on an open spool and last for repeated casts before it expires. If you notice that your crab isn’t swimming much but is still alive, remove it from the hook and put it back in the livewell. Lively baits work best, but as you run lower on bait, those sluggish-but-still-alive crabs can draw bites from frisky permit.

Stealth Approach
Permit swim throughout the water column. At times, they sun themselves on the surface, making a relatively easy target. Approach these fish quietly. A revving outboard or deck hatch slamming can push them down quickly.

When fish visibly fin on the surface, an unweighted circle hook keeps the crab positioned in the strike zone. Use a light sweeping motion of the rod to move a few feet of line and keep the bait near the surface. Gently feather your line and allow the crab to swim naturally with the wind or current.

To maximize your fishing time, position your kayak upwind and slightly off the school. Cast at the school while working toward them. I often deploy a ¼-ounce jig head when fish hold deep, or on windy days when the surface chop makes it difficult to keep track of the crab’s movement.

Pay close attention to your fish finder while navigating around the wreck. A permit school often hangs on one side of the structure, usually at midwater. If you see a cluster of suspended fish on the screen, odds are you’ve located permit.

Cast your jig-and-crab combo up-current and ahead of where you mark the school. Keep in mind that the light jig head will sink slowly toward the strike zone, taking 30 to 40 seconds, depending on depth.

One Fine Day
Our time on the water flew. By late afternoon, the sea breeze kicked up, and my shoulders began to feel the dozen permit I had landed on light tackle. As I was sliding into the afterglow, I saw Promnitz hook up again. He was a glutton for punishment and was taking advantage of every moment we had left on the water.

After he landed his final fish and we snapped some ­celebratory photos, we high-fived and called it a very successful outing. Covered in salt, sweat, and a bit of permit slime and crab juice, we pulled alongside Johnson’s boat and began loading the kayaks back on deck. I’ll always think back to that first subtle, quick tick of the line — my first kayak permit — a memory that will last a lifetime.

Sanibel Sources
Endless Summer Charters
Fort Myers, Florida
239-691-1966
sanibelislandfishingcharters.com

Tween Waters Inn Resort & Spa
Captiva Island, Florida
800-223-5865
tween-waters.com

South Seas Island Resort
Captiva Island, Florida
239-472-5111
southseas.com

Anderson’s Tackle Shop
Fort Myers, Florida
239-334-3474
andersontackle.com

Whitney’s Bait and Tackle
Sanibel Island, Florida
239-579-0399
whitneysbaitandtackle.com

Tip: While you’re there, try the great shore-fishing opportunities. Check out Blind Pass for snook and redfish, and Sanibel Causeway for snook and tarpon.

About the Author
Capt. Ross Gallagher has fished the waters of southwest Florida for nearly 15 years. An avid kayak angler, he frequently pursues big-game species on his custom-outfitted Hobie Pro Angler 14. You can follow his fishing adventures, product reviews and exciting fishing videos on his blog at theintrepidangler.com.

The post Kayak-Fish Southwest Florida’s Offshore Wrecks from a Mini Mothership appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Research provided by the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust in conjunction with local guides in the Florida Keys has provided state biologists with information suggesting that the May through July closed season for harvesting spawning permit may not be long enough.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission in 2011 created a Special Permit Zone — state and federal waters south of Cape Florida in the Atlantic and south of Cape Sable in the Gulf of Mexico — to protect spawning permit from over-harvesting.

However, BTT is now proposing an expansion of the protected spawning months to include the month of April as well. The group’s ongoing Permit Acoustic Tracking Project in conjunction with two Keys guides’ associations has revealed that large numbers of these fish actually start showing up in April, when harvesting is still allowed. BTT says many guides back this proposed expansion to help protect not only offshore spawners on the wrecks and reefs, but permit that travel from the flats into deeper water to spawn. “The permit we fish for on the flats are out on the wrecks and reefs, spawning and being harvested in April. Extending the closed harvest season to April provides needed protection for those spawning fish that drive our industry,” says Captain Doug Kilpatrick, commodore of the Lower Keys Guides association.

After more research, BTT is asking that FWC pushes the expansion of this regulation to close in April. Members of the Florida Keys Fishing Guides Association and the Lower Keys Guides Association support the concept of extending the closed season and hope that it will be the outcome at the December 2017 FWC Commission meeting in Gainesville.

“This project is an excellent example of how information that is gained only though scientific research can be utilized toward the protection of a cherished and important game fish species here in the Keys,” says Capt. Pete Frezza, a member of the FKFGA board. “It shows why finding answers through Science is so important.”

BTT is seeking input on this proposed regulation change.

You can reach them at their Facebook Page or website.

Read FWC Permit Regulations in full.

The post Group Requests More Protection for Florida Keys Permit appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Permit

Before permit head to deeper waters in April to spawn, Capt. Lenny Leonard targets them on the shallow flats of the Lower Keys. From the Gulf’s Content Keys west to the Marquesas, permit fishing is available most months of the year, with February and March attracting the largest fish to the flats. Look for flats with hard bottom and plenty of current — chances are permit will be feeding or staging nearby. When fishing the flats, watch for the flash of the fish’s sides reflecting direct sunlight.

“I believe those fish are pre-feeding at this time,” says Leonard. “They head shallow to eat and warm up their bellies — almost an incubation period for the eggs.”

Leonard sight-fishes shallow flats in less than 3 feet of water, preferring fly tackle, though he guides both fly and spin anglers regularly.

“Using a live crab seems to work best, but permit will definitely eat a live shrimp presented properly on a diamond bucktail jig,” he says. On fly, Leonard prefers an 8- to 10-weight setup with a floating line. “Since most of the crab-imitator fly patterns have dumbbell eyes, there’s no need to use a sinking fly line if the fly sinks,” he says.

Besides fun fishing for permit, proficient fly anglers can compete in the March Merkin Invitational Permit Tournament from March 13 to 16. This year the tournament is held at Key West Harbour Yacht Club on Stock Island. The rules are simple: fly-caught fish must be boated, measured, tagged and photographed on a measuring device. At the close of each fishing day, a catch form, marked tape and tagging data sheet must be submitted. All proceeds from the tournament go to the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and the Lower Keys Guides Association.

Jimmy Johnson Tournaments Take Over

Famed football coach Jimmy Johnson loves to fish in the Florida Keys. This March, he helps host a trifecta of fishing tournaments.

Jimmy Johnson’s Celebrity Pro-Am Championship, Dates Wednesday, March 8 and Thursday, March 9

A chance for Jimmy Johnson’s celebrity friends to fish with pro anglers for a fun day of competition. Rings will be awarded to the top celebrity anglers and top boat as they fish for billfish and other species. The Pro Am takes place on Thursday, March 9 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Results will be scored via a point system based on the number of fish caught (whether released or boated).

Jimmy Johnson’s National Billfish Championship: March 8 to March 11

The National Billfish Championship is 2-day billfish tournament that features some of the top anglers in the country. Fishing teams compete for a guaranteed purse of $1 million. Registered anglers receive one point for their boat for each eligible billfish release in the tournament. All team and individual prize categories are awarded based on the individual or team’s overall point standings. Throughout its short 5-year history, this tournament has awarded almost $2 million in prize money and 5 championship rings. General boat entry starts at $2,500 and $5,000.

Schedule:

Wednesday, March 8: 4-6PM registration and captain’s meeting

Friday, March 10: 7:30AM-4PM lines in and out

Saturday, March 11: 7:30AM-2PM lines in and out

Jimmy Johnson’s National Sportfish Championship: March 11

The Sportfish Championship takes place Saturday, March 11 in Key Largo during the Jimmy Johnson Fishing Week. Anglers compete for dolphin, wahoo, tuna, cobia and kingfish. This one-day, fun-fish competition awards a purse and coveted rings to winners. Boat entry starts at $375.

Schedule:

Friday, March 10: 4-6PM registration and captain’s meeting

Saturday, March 11: 7:30-2PM lines in and out, followed by weigh-in at Jimmy Johnson’s Big Chill Contender Barge

The post Florida Keys Fishing Trip Planner: March appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

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The post The Traveling Angler appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

bones

Sport Fishing contributor Marc Montocchio has, over recent years, impressed and surprised me with his ambitious and innovative still photography and video of fishes, fishing, boats and boating and now, the marine environment as well.

I just got an early look at a trailer that Montocchio has put together for a full-length film he’s making, called Origin of the Sky, a documentary about the Sian Ka’an Biosphere on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

The trailer offers a look at the making of Montocchio’s film; it’s interesting and compelling visually — particularly when he gets to schooling bonefish. Enjoy!

See more of Montocchio’s phenomenal underwater images of sharks and other game fish.

See more of Montocchio’s underwater photos of billfish and other game fish.

See more on Montocchio’s mind-blowing new video technique.

The post The Making of Origin of the Sky appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.