How to Catch Permit – A Quick Guide. Permit are one of the most popular fish amongst anglers in South Florida and are popular areas as far north as Tampa Bay. These fish are fast, strong and can get quite large (over 50lbs).
About Permit
Permit are long lived fish that can live around 20-30 years. They primarily reside in the warmer waters of South Florida but there are reports of them being caught in all costal counties in Florida.
During the warmer months, Permit will head offshore for breeding, but it is thought that in the Florida Keys they will breed year-round.
Young Permit are often confused with Pompano as they have VERY similar appearance, however pompano do not reach near the size of an adult Permit.
Where to find Permit
Permit can be found in just about every type of habitat. They are found both offshore and inshore. They are frequently caught offshore around structure, but the most popular place to find them in on inshore flats.
Here is where they can be found:
- Inshore Grass Flats
- Inshore Sand Flats
- Deep Channels
- Deep Inshore Holes
- Offshore Reefs
- Offshore Wrecks
Gear for Catching Permit
The size and strength of permit require gear that is capable of bringing them in. While some angler prefer the challenge of fighting permit with light gear, that is suggested only for highly experienced Permit anglers.
Rods
A medium action rod with a minimum of 7’ length is recommended. In many cases longer is better to allow for long distance casts to get close to a permit that is off in the distance.
Reels
3500-5000 sized spinning reels are the most popular. These reels allow for long casts and still have the power and drag abilities to fight a larger fish,
Line
20-30lb braid is recommended with a 20lb fluorocarbon leader that is at least 4’ long, preferably longer. Because of the crystal-clear water permit are frequently found in, fluorocarbon is HIGHLY recommended because it is the most difficult to see in the water.
Bait for Permit
While permit can be caught on lures and flies, they are most often caught using live bait. They primary forage on invertebrates so the most popular baits are:
- Small Blue Crab
- Pass Crabs
- Live Shrimp
- Clams
Catching Permit
Inshore Permit are most often caught by sight casting them. They can be found in schools or swimming solo on the flats. Permit can also be caught by blind casting to areas that they frequent in passes and flats.
Here are a few tips:
- Use crabs that are around a quarter to a half dollar in size. Permit do not have very large mouths, so do not expect them to eat a fully grown blue crab.
- Make sure to always cast ahead of the fish (far enough ahead to not scare them).
- When using shrimp, cast ahead of them and skip the bait across the top of the water to simulate a shrimp fleeing. When close to the Permit, allow it to sink to the bottom.
- Permit have a great sense of smell, so make sure to keep your hands free of all chemicals and other things that could add a bad scent to a bait.
- When blind casting for permit, place your bait in an area likely to be frequented by permit. Study the area and watch for areas that crabs and shrimp gather, this will also be where permit cruise looking for food.