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Bob's article in Marlin World Magazine (pages 30-31 - view text below).
Bob's article in the August/September 2007 issue (PDF File)
Bob's article in the June/July 2007 issue (text below)
Bob's February 2008 article in Marlin World Magazine
The Black-Tailed Devil
Whenever someone claims one fish or another is the ultimate game fish, it tends to start a big controversy. I am no exception. Some people think big black marlin have no equal, while others think a trout on a dry fly is it. I am not going to argue that a permit is it. What I will say is that the permit is the ultimate game fish for me.
I started fishing like many of you for blue gill with a Zebco 202. This was the start of a long fishing journey for me that is still evolving. As I got older, my father taught me the fine art of fly casting for trout and large mouth bass. This led to me buying my first boat with lawn cutting money and fishing for stripers on the Chesapeake Bay.
From there I moved to Ocean City, Maryland where I worked as a mate on offshore sport fishing boats for marlin, tuna and shark. Tuna, wahoo, dolphin and shark all got me fired up, but marlin was the real deal for me. When I first started off shore fishing, all I wanted to do was catch bigger and bigger fish. After catching several fish over 500 pounds, I really got into the challenge of bait and switch for marlin. The teamwork needed between the captain, mate and angler for billfish completed my needs for the ultimate challenge.
I was perfectly content being an offshore mate until I discovered flats fishing in the Florida Keys. My first real shot at permit was a very humbling experience for me. My guide pointed out a school of 5-6 fish and told me to cast my small crab three to four feet in front of them. Not problem I thought. I made the cast and landed right in the kitchen. One of the permit spotted the crab and raced over to inspect the offering. The guide told me to get ready. I slowly turned the handle to get some of the slack out of the line in anticipation of the bite. When I turned the handle and the bail clicked over, all the fish took off in different directions. The guide said something I cannot repeat. “What did I do wrong?” I asked the guide. After he calmed down, he explained that you have to manually turn the bail over by hand so the permit do not hear you engage the reel. I was shocked at how good their hearing was. It was love at first sight. I knew this was right up my alley. Hunting for big fish on light tackle on a moveable tree stand.
When I got back to Maryland, flats fishing was all I could think about. This is when I decided to make the switch from offshore to the flats. I started training to be a flats guide 4-5 months out of the year for several years. In order to take that much time off to train, I worked many odd jobs. I ran tug boats on the Potomac River, mated on a commercial conch boat, ran dinner boats and supply ships in the Gulf of Mexico, and even gave tours of Washington, D.C in a World War II 1942 amphibious vehicle called a D.C. Duck. Every time I see the White House on TV, I go into tour mode in my head - White House, 132 rooms, 22 of which are bathrooms…. The White House is the oldest government building in D.C….. George Washington is the only president not to actually live in the White House. You get the idea. I did all these odd jobs just so I could train to be a guide.
Was it worth it? You betcha. I love my job most days provided the weather is good. Mostly I live vicariously through my anglers on the bow of my skiff. Hearing people say, “That was my first permit on fly,” or “That was my biggest one yet,” is what makes me tick. Fishing with some of the best guides in the world on my days off is not too bad either.
Fishing for permit is not for everybody. It is sick and sadistic. Why would you want to stand all day on the bow of a skiff in the hot sun in hopes of getting shots only to get rejected time and time again? Because, when you do catch one it is magical. Group hugs are not uncommon, and I have seen more then one grown man cry. It is that hard at times to catch one. When you do finally catch one, you have just landed the world’s hardest fish to catch in my opinion. I am as proud of a small permit as most of the large gamefish that I’ve caught. It is one of those experiences that stick with you forever.
One permit a day on a fly rod is a great achievement. Two or three in a week with a fly rod is not a bad week. Tossing a live crab in front of one increases your odds, but it is still very challenging. Permit are far from a beginner fish. They are better left for anglers who feel like they have mastered their typical quarry. It’s not about quantity but quality. If you can catch fifty in a lifetime on fly that’s very good.
What makes a permit appealing is unique for each person. Pound for pound, they pull harder and have more endurance then most fish. A permit’s eye sight is off the chart. They can feel the pressure waves coming off the skiff with their lateral lines like no other fish I know of. They tip their black sickle tales up in the air on shallow flats taunting you as they sip crustaceans off the bottom. Every tailing permit I see still makes me weak in the knees. I guess when that no longer happens, I will be ready to stop fishing. I have a great appreciation for hunting for tarpon and bonefish on the flats, but on my days off, I fish for permit. I go to bed thinking about permit, and most mornings I wake up thinking about permit. But I like many other permit junkies, will cast over the back of a tarpon in hopes of catching the black tailed devil.
I know this is a marlin magazine, but many of you go to destinations that also have permit, and I highly recommend you give it a try if you feel like you’re up for the challenge. With the beauty of the flats and the challenge of the fish, I am confident you will enjoy the experience. Who knows, maybe you will catch one on your first cast. Many of you are obsessed with fishing, and I hope by me writing this, it makes you feel like you are not alone. We fisherman, regardless of what we fish for, get to experience so many things a lot of people will never see. I know I will never truly master permit fishing, but it sure is fun trying.
Bob's April/May 2007 column in Fishing the Florida Keys Magazine
Tarpon leaders made simple
Many new fly anglers would love to catch a tarpon on a fly but are simply too intimidated by the complex knot systems to give it a try. Many anglers and guides follow the I.G.F.A rules when tying these knots. The standard leader requires complicated knots such as the bimini twist, Huffnagle, Albright, slim beauty knots etc. If you are not going for a world record this is simply not needed.
Fly fisherman love to make things more technical then they have to be. I am guilty of this myself. I love learning about the latest and greatest leader systems. This is one of the reasons I love to fly fish. In time you may want to go for a record fish, but in the mean time let’s keep it simple. Let’s make a simple 12 foot leader. Any of the knots I discuss you can find online if your not familiar with them.
Start off by tying a seven foot 50 to 60 pound mono leader butt section to your fly line using a nail knot. Next, join the butt section to your mid-section using a blood knot. Use only two turns in the heavier 50 pound butt section, and five turns in the lighter mid-section. For the mid-section, use 4 foot piece of 20 to 30 pound stiff mono like Mason. This stiff mono will help you turn over your fly during your cast. You can find Mason leader at your local fly shop or online.
Next, tie your mid-section to a four foot section of 50 to 80 pound bite tippet using another blood knot. Most people use fluorocarbon line for the bite tippet since it has a higher abrasion resistance than mono and is near invisible in water which will help you get more bites. Remember to use only two turns in the heavier 50 to 80 pound bite tippet and five turns in the lighter 20 to 30 pound mid section. By the time you tie your knots you should end up with about a 12 foot leader. Now, tie on your favorite tarpon fly using a Snell knot or loop knot and you are ready to go fishing for the silver king.
If you’re not familiar with tarpon flies, ask your local fly shop staff for advice on a good fly. In time you may want to take your tarpon fishing to the next level so you may want to hire a good guide to help show you how to tie the more complex knots and put you in front of some big fish. In the mean time, get out there and enjoy the Florida Keys fishing.
Bob's August/September 2007 Column
Fly Tackle – Mine or Yours?
After a fly fishing customer books a trip with me, I usually get the question “What flies and fly rods should I bring for my trip to the Keys?” I always tell them they are welcome to use my flies and my rods so everything is ready to go when they get here. Early in the morning with the sun rising and tailing fish to be found is no time to be stringing up rods and making leaders. Customers also do not have to lug their equipment through the airport. Many customers insist that they would like to use their own stuff. I get that. After all, they spent a lot of money on their rods and reels, and there is something to be said for catching a trophy fish on a fly that you tied yourself.
This time of year we are primarily targeting baby tarpon, permit, bonefish, barracuda and sharks. For baby tarpon, I like to use an 8 to 10-weight rod. Generally, I use a 10-weight rod for permit when the winds are up to help cast the heavy flies we are throwing. A 10-weight rod helps turn over the longer leaders usually used for permit fishing. In summer the winds are typically calm, and we usually use lighter flies in order to not spook the already spooky permit. The wind speed is the factor in deciding whether to use an 8 or 10-weight rod.
For bonefish, I like a 7 to 9-weight rod. I prefer the heaviest rod you can get away with for bonefish so that you can land the fish quickly. In the summer, we get higher water temperatures. I think it’s too hard on the bonefish to fight them to complete exhaustion. For sharks I like 10 to 12-weight rods. For barracuda I like 8 to 10-weight rods. Eight-weight work for smaller flies, and 10-weight rods help turnover the heavier cuda flies.
Many of the people working at our local fly shops are very knowledgeable and will help point you in the right direction as to what flies to choose. To start off with, I would not go looking for the newest and greatest fly pattern. I believe it was Flip Pallot who said a time proven fly properly presented will fool them most of the time. I agree. I would use a time proven classic. If possible, buy or tie your flies with weed guards. Weed guards often help prevent you from getting snagged on the bottom and are easily cut off with pliers or nail clippers if you feel you do not need them.
In regards to what colors to choose for your flies, it depends on the fish. For sharks, life jacket orange is hard to beat. For tarpon, I like darker flies in darker water and brighter flies in clearer water. When permit and bonefishing, I like to match the color of the bottom I am fishing. More and more I seem to be choosing flies that have dark and light colors so I am covered either way, as the bottom often changes constantly as you pole down a flat.
You can not have too many different weighted flies in one fly pattern. To determine which weight to use on your fly, look at your surroundings on the flat. How windy is it? A heavy fly plopping down next to a bonefish or permit will not be tolerated when the water surface is like glass. A lighter fly would be a better choice. What is the current water flow? If the current is ripping, a lighter fly could quickly drift by a fish without being noticed. With strong current, a heavier fly would most likely be a better choice.
After you tie on a fly, toss it overboard and watch how quickly it sinks and how far it drifts before it hits the bottom. This way you will have a better idea how far to lead a fish when the shot comes. This is just general information to help get you started. Nothing will prepare you better then simply spending time on the water watching your surroundings and observing how the fish react to your offerings. This process is never truly mastered, and that is what makes our sport so fun and challenging. |
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