Permit the Best way to CatchPermit – The Best Way to Catch Them

Permit, known as Trachinotus falcatus, is a game fish of the western Atlantic Ocean. It is also known by the name round pompano or great pompano. Pound for pound, the Permit is one of the strongest fish in the world. It uses its large, wide body in the heat of battle and uses its head to keep underwater.

Description

Permit are grayish, dark or iridescent blue on top, and have silvery sides. In dark waters, the fish shows golden tints around their breasts. They possess teeth on their tongues, no scutes, and have a dorsal fin insertion directly above that of their anal fin. The common size of this species is 25 pounds. They are seen in schools of 10 to 20 fish but can occur in larger numbers. Their diet consists mainly of crab but they eat shrimp, clams and sometimes small fish as well.

Distribution and Location

Permit are often found offshore in wrecks and debris or inshore in grass flats, sand flats and channels. They are most abundant in south Florida but small specimens can be found in every coastal county.

Fishing Tips

It is important to know the Permit before attempting to catch it. This species have large eyes and can see extremely well above and under the surface of the water. When approaching this beautiful species, caution is always observed.

  1. It is best to fish for Permit on calm, clear days near the full and new moon. During these days, Permit can be found “floating” near the surface.
  2. Use 9 to 10 weight fly outfits using floating and clear floating line when fishing in the Florida Keys.
  3. Leaders use range from 9 to 12 feet tapered to 12 to 16 pound test fluorocarbon.
  4. Crab patterns and its variety is the normal arsenal when Permit fishing.
  5. For spin fishing, it is best to use seven-foot plus medium action spinning rod outfits. It is also essential to use quality spinning reels with superior drag.
  6. When spin fishing, rigging 10 to 12 lb test mono line is the standard usually observed. Along with this is the use of a 16 pound test flouro leader and 2/0 or 3/0 hooks with live crabs or shrimps.