Fishing For Permit in Key West

Like the tarpon and the bonefish, the Permit is a true sport fish. They're never killed, you just catch them, admire them and kiss 'em goodbye...stunningly beautiful fish !

The Permit is another of our all-time favorite fish. They are a truly beautiful fish with amazing reserves of strength, a worthy adversary for any angler. Permit are around Key West for most of the year but the best times to be sure of catching one are spring and fall. 

Permit are one of the favorite quarry of the flats fishermen. Fly fishing for permit from a flats boat is a tremendous buzz, and that's not our style of fishing we're happy to point you to some of our colleagues who are simply the best flats boat skippers in Key West. Just fill in the enquiry form and we'll hook you up.

The light tackle angler has every chance of hooking a permit in the harbor, especially during the summer months, you'll often find one or two in amongst the feeding tarpon. However, the best light tackle permit fishing is to be found at the famous "Western Permit Patch", an area of rocks a few miles North West of Key West. Here the water is a beautiful crystal blue and you chug quietly around until you see a shoal of permit. They are here in huge numbers throughout the Spring, presumably spawning or waiting to spawn in that area. A shoal of permit out there is a sight to behold, the yellow patch on the flank of each of the permit turns the patch of water green. Just look for the green water and toss a crab into the middle of the school. You're almost guaranteed a bite and then it's a case of holding on for dear life. These fish all have diplomas in cutting the anglers line by running against the sharp edges of the coral and rocks. You'll swear that you've hooked the daddy of all permit and then when you get it to the boat it's "just another twenty pounder".

This Hammerhead Shark has just taken a 20 lb Permit off the hook in one gulp. He is one of a number of Hammerheads that hang around the "Permit Patch" when the fish are there prior to spawning. The sharks have discovered that it's much easier to seize a Permit that is hooked on an anglers line rather than chase the ones that can get away. He is a HUGE shark !!

Incidentally, for the last couple of years a number of huge hammerhead shark have taken up residence on the Permit Patch. They've obviously realized that a 20 lb permit is a tasty morsel when it's not looking because it's busy trying to escape from an anglers line. These shark seem to fear nobody, they'll come right up to the boat and swallow a whole permit just a few seconds before the skipper is about to reach down and lift the permit from the water. Keep your camera ready and your hands clear of the water !.