First Permit on fly rod

[Tuna Tyme]

Well its only March and I reached on of my goals for the year. I got my first Permit on a fly rod!!!!!!!!!!!! I just spent 20 days in Southern Belize in a town called Punta Gorda. I fished four days and went 2 for 8 on permit and 0 for 2 on bones. I was AMAZED at the fish I casted to, the biggest school was over 30 fish in a foot of water. The biggest fish I saw was a 30 lber but we spooked him and i didnt get a cast at him. We had rain, clouds, wind, sun with no wind making it hard to get close to them before they made for deeper water.

The ocean flats were all turtle grass with very few sand spots to see them in so it made for tough fishing. It was great to see endless stretches of grass flats with NO prop cutting in them and not one jet sky, in a matter of fact I only saw 2 other boats that were fishing the flats in the 4 days.

I got one fish to the boat, one more to the leader, broke off 2 in the coral, 2 broke off from wind knots in the leader, and 2 that hook pulled out while fighting them. I lost the bones in the Mangrove trees. The best spot we fished was a HUGE back country flat in a lagoon, it was lined with Mangrove trees and had tailing Permit all over it eating small crabs.

I talked with a group who went snorkling at the reef 35 miles out and he said they had to move because a school of HUNDREDS of Bonefish moved onto the flats and made the water so cloudy they couldnt see anything. But it blow 20 knots from the NE for the last two days and I was not doing that ride in a head sea. In November im going back try for a slam and to get a shoot at the 30lb snook that eat at the fresh water river inlets. If you want some good fishing I would say try Southern Belize it is away from the crowds and it is off the hook.

Dave

[brad regan 01]

awesome job

[Dave Sikorski]

Congrats on the Permit and what sounds like a great trip.

Casting in the wind there can be challenging for sure.

What flies were you throwing at the permit?

-D

[rarhomes]

Nice report and congrats on the permit. Flats permit are hard to come by. I have thown at quite a few on the flats and NO TAKERS.

Capt Rick

[OneMoreCast]

Amazing how hard they pull.
Sounds like you had the shots and made the most out of them. Getting a permit to eat a fly on the flats is tough stuff. WTG man... there aren't a ton of people who have done it.

[CapeMayRay]

Nice Report and great pictures. Looks like you had a great vacation. Pictures make you feel like you want be there fishing.