Words are taken from our 2025 Guide to Cuba
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Is fly fishing for Permit a rewarding experience or akin to beating one’s head against the bow of a skiff? Everyone has heard one of two Permit fly fishing stories. The first story comes from an angler who’s never Permit fished in their life.  On their first morning chasing Permit, probably on their first cast, they hook and land a Permit.  They will ask why anglers endlessly complain that Permit are so difficult to catch.  The second story comes from an angler who has spent days upon days, weeks upon weeks, years upon years, trying to land their first Permit.  They wonder what curse they have upon them to have never achieved their goal of landing one of those elusive creatures.

This is not a “How to” or “Best ways” to catch a Permit on a  fly article.  That’s an article to read after the question to this article has been answered.  Right now, let’s tackle the question of whether it makes sense to go fly fishing for Permit or not.  The obvious answer to that question will boil down to one’s expectations and whether those expectations can be managed correctly.

Let’s explore what expectations an angler can manage:

• The Preperation
• The Nerves
• The Demands
• The Challenge 

The Preparation

A great quote to be memorized: “It ALL STARTS with a Great Cast.”

Bill Belichick, former coach for the New England Patriots, used to preach to his team, “We can’t Win until we stop Losing.”

When anglers pursue Permit, they should know they are accepting a great challenge.  While one can get lucky, a fly angler usually creates their luck through proper preparation.  This is a sport that requires quick and precise delivery of the fly, quickly, with a consistent accurate double haul.  To excel on the flats, anglers need to spend time working on their casting and improving their double haul.  Be working on this BEFORE the trip.  Find a good casting instructor and put in the work to improve your skill as a caster.  A flats angler that can slow down, and consistently deliver an accurate cast at 40-60 feet WILL CREATE their luck.  Make this a goal.

The Nerves

It’s imperative to stay calm and collected in flats fishing, which is not as easy for newer flats anglers.  Just like in any sport, what is done in practice needs to be duplicated in the real game: shoot the free throw the same way, swing the racquet the same way, and hit the golf ball the same way.

Being able to calm the “Buck Fever” in this arena when the Permit is spotted and deliver the fly appropriately will almost always be the difference between the chance for success or failure.  Being able to cast the same way no matter what the circumstances is crucial in the Flats fly fishing game.  Once the Permit is spotted, NEVER take your eyes off it.  Pretend it’s just a jack, a Bonefish, or, heck, even a rainbow trout. Do whatever is necessary to slow your breathing and allow one to make a consistent accurate cast. 

The Demands

Permit fishing is truly hunting the flats.  The flats can be very expansive.  Permit prefer to be in certain areas of the flats where they feed, but they can also be found anywhere as they patrol the shallow water.  Hunting them requires lots and lots and lots of patience.  An angler might get lucky and run into Permit rather quickly.  Typically, the hunt includes hours and hours of poling the flats in the skiff, searching intently for any signs of Permit.  It is demanding for many anglers to keep their focus during these long hunting periods.   About the time the angler loses their focus, the guide utters the words “Permit coming, 11’oclock, 80 feet.”

Now the angler almost instantly has to deliver a fly quickly, accurately, and, typically, with a bit longer cast than their normal cast, to a selective intelligent feeder moving erratically on the flat. 

The Challenge

There is absolutely no doubt that Permit fishing can be one of the most challenging, as well as satisfying, experiences any angler can pursue.  On average, Permit are notoriously finicky and wary, which makes them difficult to fool with a fly. As they reside in deeper water off the reef, they have a heightened nervousness about them when they enter the shallows of the flats to feed.  They have extremely large eyes so they can see virtually everything, including the angler casting in the boat, nearly all the time.  Longer, quicker casts are often required to avoid being spotted by these wily critters.  

In summary, fly fishing for Permit is not for everyone. It is one of the most exciting and challenging experiences on the flats. While being extremely demanding, Permit fishing is also incredibly rewarding, with shots of adrenaline that are unmatched.  It combines technical skill, mental challenge, natural beauty, and pure excitement, making it a truly rewarding experience for anglers accepting the challenge.  The only question left to answer:  Are you up for the challenge? Coaching you through all of this and setting you up for success is our focus, so let’s go fishing!