# Keys Permit!



## Bonecracker (Mar 29, 2007)

Ever spent a whole week trying to catch one fish? Well that's what happened last week in the Keys. My plan was to try and help the wife catch her first permit along with a couple of days of me chasing bones and permit alone on fly. Well as y'all know Hurricane Matthew was down south brewing up a head of steam which did cause some windy days, but overall the weather was nice around the lower Keys. After three solid days of poling her around all over the Keys from Marathon to Cudjoe we had nothing to show for our efforts but a sunburn and some empty beer bottles. Well all the stars lined up on Wednesday around Sawyer Key and we finally had a permit actually eat a live crab!! The fish fought hard for 15-20min and finally it turned over on it side near the boat and finally gave up. Check that off the bucket list honey!! I spent half a windy day on Thursday afternoon and all day on Friday chasing permit by myself running the trolling motor on it's lowest setting. Needless to say the permit did not react to the TM very well and I only had 4 really good shots. Of course permit being permit, I only had one fish even look at my fly before heading to Cuba! Such is fly fishing!!


----------



## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Bonecracker said:


> Ever spent a whole week trying to catch one fish?


yep,...more than once,....hint: bring a few shrimp to break up and chum a hole anywhere on the edge of the Gulf or Atlantic during an outgoing tide. Its amazing the number of species you will see

TM is non bueno...you have to post up on a good spot and wait when you're permit fishing solo.


----------



## jboriol (Jan 2, 2010)

You'll forget all the poling around, but never the prize. Cool pics


----------



## Bonecracker (Mar 29, 2007)

MM I tried both. I have a few good stake up spots and spent 50% of my time there. That's funny you talk shrimp as twice we had permit actually blow-up and push her crab out of the water but not eat for some reason. I went back the next day with some big fresh live shrimp and they would not touch it for some reason, but that's when the big one ate her crab and it was the smallest we had in the live well! Permit are crazy fish!!! I think the trick was we changed from BudLite to Corona Lite!


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Bonecracker said:


> Well all the stars lined up on Wednesday around Sawyer Key


I take it you read my reply to your PM (or maybe not), tho I didn't get a reply back. (take a look at it again. 

I had those flies (crab flies) waiting for ya to swing by the house and pick em up on yer way down. Nevertheless, the hardest part is getting in front of them no matter what you throw at em!

Now I know yer crazier than me! Ha! I wouldn't have never thought you'd go down there with that hurricane in the horizon! I thought for sure that thing would plow right into Florida and even the Keys.

No matter what, that fish is a moogan and what dreams are made of! You two will be talking about it for the rest of your life! Great job and if nothing else, made that trip and the risks you took all worth it. I'm sure momma is happy! 

Dang, I coulda sold you a permit mount I just recently let go (more like giving it away) for $60 (down sizing too my stuff I have). It was about that size. 



Oh well....

Anyways, I'll throw those flies in the mail for you!

Ted


----------



## jddurango (Jul 7, 2015)

Congrats! Beautiful fish.


----------



## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Definitely done it more than once. I've been fortunate enough to get my first permit 7 years ago on my 3rd day. The next few came along good as well - second and third days of trips, then first days of a few trips. My brother on the other hand, he just got his first after 7 years of watching me. But finally, he slayed that demon.


----------



## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Bonecracker said:


> MM I tried both. I have a few good stake up spots and spent 50% of my time there. That's funny you talk shrimp as twice we had permit actually blow-up and push her crab out of the water but not eat for some reason. I went back the next day with some big fresh live shrimp and they would not touch it for some reason, but that's when the big one ate her crab and it was the smallest we had in the live well! Permit are crazy fish!!! I think the trick was we changed from BudLite to Corona Lite!


Despite a terrible weather forecast last Tuesday I committed to permit fishing this Saturday and Sunday with my guide. Weather was fantastic, but the King Tides had the water higher than usual. Only saw three little perm Saturday that were swimming pretty quick in between individual brief stops to feed. My guide was running out of gas poling into the current and wind while trying to catch up to those little guys, when the closest shot ended up being around 60' at 9 o'clock. I let just a little too much line out on my back cast and pegged myself dead in the back with a lead eyed Merkin. #^*Q#*&)%^*

Then I got an on-the-water lesson on "water hauling" into a Belgian type cast with a duck that would have worked for that situation, and probably caught one of those perm. You just can't practice that on the lawn with a piece of yarn with no wind.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Of course the guide positioning the boat upwind to either side of the fish is ideal, either for a normal cast or a back cast. But you don't always have that luxury.

The Belgain cast is a great method for combatting wind. Tho I really like Bruce personally (and we have been in a casting competition together before), I think he is getting a little carried away in that video. I would slow it down a bit and not reach out as high as he does, otherwise, your gonna have rotor cuff issues later in life. Even with that cast, there are so many variables to change where your line goes, based on the direction of the wind, relative to what directing you are casting to.

Good point tho Mike, it's important to practice casting on windy days, in all directions in it.

Preston Scott (Andros bonefish guide) has developed his own style of the Belgium a.k.a Constant Tension Cast. This style makes it easier to perform with very little effort.






He has a video on the subject which you can purchase, called "Taming the Wind" by Preston Scott.

Young fly angler David Ebank breaks Preston Scott's method down in this video so you can get a closer look at how and why these techniques are being applied.


----------



## Limp Shrimp (Aug 23, 2015)

Congrates on your great catch(a woman that's willing to spend 4 days chasing fish with you), mine is good for a couple hours if nothing is biting.. That's a nice permit also, I haven't managed to catch one yet..


----------



## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Backwater said:


> I think he is getting a little carried away in that video. I would slow it down a bit and not reach out as high as he does, otherwise, your gonna have rotor cuff issues later in life.


I agree he's casting way too fast with that light bonefish fly and could never do that with a heavy lead-eyed permit fly....I also learned I was using a pubic wig for a fly.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

MariettaMike said:


> ..I also learned I was using a pubic wig for a fly.


Public wig.... the fly?


----------



## jonrconner (May 20, 2015)

Backwater,
Look up merkin. ;-)
JC


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Geeze.... No wonder why I don't fish them! lol


----------



## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Backwater said:


> Public wig.... the fly?


I'm confused


----------



## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

permitchaser said:


> I'm confused


Don't say that in Key West.


----------



## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

MariettaMike said:


> Don't say that in Key West.


Let's see a picture


----------



## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

permitchaser said:


> Let's see a picture


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DLzvE02p36w/TouQRW8n1VI/AAAAAAAABn0/oFZeOEQK7Ck/s1600/terrible+wig.jpg


----------



## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

MariettaMike said:


> http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DLzvE02p36w/TouQRW8n1VI/AAAAAAAABn0/oFZeOEQK7Ck/s1600/terrible+wig.jpg


LOL I could use that on my bald head but I'd have to feed it


----------



## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

this one might get a little rusty in the Keys.

https://cdn.instructables.com/FYE/HD6W/I3PROWLO/FYEHD6WI3PROWLO.MEDIUM.jpg


----------



## Bonecracker (Mar 29, 2007)

Y'all are just crazy!!


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Ok guys.... We get it!


----------



## bananabob (Jun 3, 2015)

I just have to wonder where the originator of the merkin fly hung out when he wasn't tying or fishing.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

bananabob said:


> I just have to wonder where the originator of the merkin fly hung out when he wasn't tying or fishing.


That would be Del Brown, the king of permit on fly! 

Here's a little history on him and his Merkin crab pattern. This article is on Dan Blanton's site.

http://www.danblanton.com/permit.html


----------



## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Trust me, if I ever got to name a fly officially (I've named many myself), there would be some alternate meaning that wasn't kid friendly....


----------



## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

I am surprised so many of you didn't know what Merkin meant. lol 

Nice fish!!


----------



## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

paint it black said:


> I am surprised so many of you didn't know what Merkin meant. lol
> 
> Nice fish!!


----------



## bananabob (Jun 3, 2015)

Kitty carpet...that's hilarious. I researched the original merkin (not the fly) a couple years ago myself. Very interesting read.


----------

