Summer Permit Fishing

For a long time now, I've wanted to get away and do some summer (July or August) Permit fishing. Until this year it just never came together given that it's our busiest season in the shop and it's pretty tough to get away.


This year, an old friend asked if I would join him for a week he had booked from August 27 to September 5 at The Palometa Club and I couldn't help myself. This wasn't an option until 2015, when Dick and Kaye Cameron, owners of the Palometa Club, opened their first ever short summer season. The first year was very well received and the many stories told by guides of massive schools of Permit on the flats during the summer proved to be true. The success of this first season led to what I'm sure will be a permanent mid-July to end of August summer season at P.C.

In the past, we have never done any shop trips to the Caribbean region for a few reasons: As we live in an area where we only get about 100 days of reasonably nice weather to trout fish most of us want to take advantage of it, a lot of people are a little (or a lot) hesitant about the heat during July and August, and weather can certainly affect you. Should an organized storm like a tropical depression or hurricane occur just before or during your trip it can make for pretty tough fishing. 

Anyways, for those who are somewhat afflicted with Permititus, the summer offers the possibility of Permit Shangri La so off we headed this past August. Our arrival presented just what was expected, high 30 Celsius temperatures without the ever present trade winds of the fall and winter months. In fact, for the first four days, it was so calm you could not tell where the water ended and the horizon began.

The stories turned out to be true. Our first four days offered up an incredible number of shots. With the mirror calm conditions it made for pretty high test fishing to very spooky fish. I saw fish that were led by about 10 feet slowly swim toward the fly and then, when they reached the tiny rings caused by the fly landing, left much more quickly than they came.
Even with the tricky conditions, between two of us we landed 13 Permit in our first two days. Pretty amazing Permit fishing!
And what's really cool is that most days we were the only angling boat on the entire bay. We have it all to ourselves, except for a couple lobster fisherman here and there. really cool!

As for the elements, it's kinda hot. If the weather is stable you won't have much wind so you better have really good breathable clothing and you'll drink water like you never thought possible.

Our final four days were a little more challenging. What became Hurricane Hermine traveled out of the Atlantic, making landfall in Florida. Even though it was a long ways away, a low of that magnitude affects the weather for great distances around it. Our weather wasn't that bad, just unstable. Wind speeds went from almost zero to around 12-15 knots (actually perfect for Permit fishing). Unfortunately, the wind direction became highly unstable, switching directions as many as three times a day and there was a lot more cloud (the enemy of any flats angler). This made for some somewhat unhappy Permit. In the span of a day, it went from fish everywhere on the flats to pretty slim pickings.
We still caught fish, but it certainly wasn't the "gong show" of the first four days. When it was all said and done, the pair of us landed 18 Permit. With the usual oopsies and at least one hooked fish cut off on something, it should have been more.

Would I go back during the summer? Hell Yes!, even if you get a couple days of stable weather you're going to see Permit shots like you've never seen before. Ascension Bay is the most prolific Permit fishery I'm aware of year round, but summer is another game entirely. And when you factor in the most dialed in Permit guides I've run across, it's P.A.P. (Permit Affliction Paradise).

Should you try it? If Permit fishing turns your crank you really should do this. The only downside I know of would be for those who can't handle heat. You're going to have to be prepared for about two hours every afternoon where you're going to be a little warm. But it's really not that bad. Plus all of the reason why I would go back in July or August in a second. 

The only thing with this summer program is that it's kind of a limited edition thing. They only run 3 boats a week (instead of the core season 6) and it's very well subscribed (full). If you want in on it I would get it booked sooner rather than later.