North 40 Hosted Trip: Holy Grail Permit - Belize - Day 1
Day One: Permit Fishing in Belize
The anticipation was palpable as the sun crested the horizon on our first day in Belize. The guides were set to meet us on the dock at 7:00 a.m. It was only 6:00 and everyone was jittery with excitement, making last minute fly changes and hoping the guides would be early. The light wind off the ocean helped calm us down as we waited on the dock sipping the last of our morning coffee.
At 7:00 a.m. three boats pulled up, everyone jumped up, and we were ready to go. We divided into teams of two people. Two groups would pursue bonefish on their first day to hone their casting and presentation. My father and I decided to strictly chase permit, the “Holy Grail” of the flats, according to our guide Darrel.
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We motored for well over an hour to a remote sand/mud flat where Darrel had been seeing large schools of larger permit, ranging in the 10 to 20-pound class. We searched for well over an hour before we saw our first school of fish. I was blown away at their size. Each of these fish was well into the 20-pound class, there were eight or nine of them feeding happily moving further up the mud flat. Darrel then explained to me what we were going to do, how we were going to approach them, and when to cast. We stepped out of the boat, to keep from spooking them. As we stepped closer, his voice began trembling with adrenaline. He said, “Okay, the first thing we are going to do is to remain calm…” I laughed and said, “…Sounds like you’re the one that needs to calm down…” He was genuinely more amped than I was. This was my first shot, in my life, at permit, and I definitely did not have the respect for these fish than a person who has chased them their entire lives.
The fish were “happy” and feeding in our direction. We jogged through knee-deep mud that made the water about waist deep. By the time I saw the fish within casting distance, I was out of breath and my adrenaline was pumping. I told myself to just to keep breathing. As the fish came into casting range, Darrel said, “Stop” “… cast.” I laid a cast out five feet in front of the lead fish. The fly sank as the fish moved into a few feet. I bumped the fly slowly then began slow long strips. One fish broke, followed, and was within inches of the fly, when another fish rushed in and spooked that fish off of my fly -moments before I was, maybe, going to get an eat. As the fish spooked off, I finally had a chance to catch my breath, slow my pulse, and tell Darrel, “That is freaking insane!” He laughed and said, “Now you see why I don’t guide for bonefish.”
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Permit Probably have PHDs...
Moving onto the next flat we immediately saw two schools of permit about 20-30 fish strong. All of these fish were big too. They were 10 to 15 pounds with several over the 15-pound mark. These fish were cruising and feeding over sand flats and rock. Between my father and I, we probably had 30 legit shots where we had the fly positioned in front of these fish. At first, they would cruise, then daisy chain, switch directions, then tail, then cruise. It was really neat to watch how they acted and to get that many shots at the group. I could tell that the guides were not as excited, meaning these fish were probably PHDs in the fly fishing world. Still, it was great being able to calmly take shot after shot at these fish. I think it will really help with active feeders tomorrow.
The rest of the group fished for bonefish and landed dozens each. We have some first-time saltwater anglers here, and to have them actively hook and catch fish on their first-day saltwater fishing, is amazing!
Stay tuned for Day Two... Taylor is out today chasing permit and hopefully, we will get a hookup!
Interested in North 40 Hosted Trips? We just came back from Lake Picachos, Mexico.