Johnno Get’s His Permit!

3 hook-ups; 1st landed!

The learning is over,

 let the adventure begin!

I feel like this letter/blog is 10 years in the making.  That is how long we have been coming to Willie Creek, chasing the allusive Permit, aka Snub Nosed Dart.

Thanks to GoPro, Johnno was able to record his first Permit!

Day trips from Derby, two and a half hour drive each way, and often not even seeing a single Permit.

Different flies tied, and technique’s tried.  Note here, for the none fishing readers: Saltwater ‘flies’ are not flies, they are made to resemble small bait fish, or for Permit, crabs or shrimps.

When leaving for our new life as beach bums, the only plan we had was to stay at Willie Creek until John caught a Permit.  We knew once we had been here long enough we would learn the tides, there location, and feeding habits.  

We arrived on Neap tides just over two weeks ago, we seen Permit, but they were not interested in what Johnno had to offer, they didn’t even seem to be feeding.  Then the big tide’s came and no Permit were seen for over a week.  First lesson learnt, Permit like the neap tides!  So excitement built in our camp as the tides dropped.  Flies (crabs and shrimps) were sorted, fly lines cleaned, tide times double checked.

Yesterday, the first of the smaller tides, we saw Permit!  But again they didn’t seem to be hanging around long enough to even cast at.  At least we know they were back with the neap tides, and where to start looking for them.  The weather has started changing over the last couple of weeks, we were wondering if the season change might stop the Permit from returning.  Not so.

Today was the smallest of the neap tide‘s, so we had plenty of time to fish.  A plan had been formed last night, with help of wonderful on-line friends that we haven’t even meet, who says fly fisherman are all snobs?  Mid day low, neap, slight wind, incoming water over the small sand flat, will see schools of Permit hanging around.  Ok, this will be the day!!  

We were too excited, straight after a very small breakfast we were off down the beach.  Johnno spotted Permit as soon as we got to the water!  He was off and running, chasing them while his line was tangling around his feet…he hadn’t brought his stripping basket!! (Note for none fishers: Stripping basket is to hold the fly line for easy casting because it, the fishing line, doesn’t go back onto the fly reel until a fish is hooked…if line is not in basket of some sorts, it is around your feet, in the waves, caught on belts, you get the picture).  My second cast I lost my lure to a Trevalley right at my feet. (I haven’t regained enough patients to start fly fishing again yet!).  I hadn’t bothered to bring my back pack with extra tackel, so off we both walked back to camp.  Johnno grabbed his stripping basket and was down the beach again before I had tied my first knot!

This time I took my back pack, with water, more lures, knife and camera’s, so we could spend plenty of time hunting Permit!  We did spent plenty of time hunting.  Hours!  Without seeing any more Permit.  Then due to our early start and small breakfast we started getting hungry.  Disheartened we walked back to camp for some lunch.

Talk of what could have happened, where were the Permit, lead to me turning on my phone to check the time.  It was only just mid day, the tide would only be turning, we had come home when John should be starting to look for Permit.  He grabbed his fly rod, stripping basket, back pack and GoPro.  Off down the beach he went for the third time today, ’this is why we are here’ shouted over his shoulder as he run over the sand dune.  I sat with the very tired dogs and down loaded the footage of my wonderful fun morning fishing, but that is another Blog, and another YouTube clip.  Speaking of YouTube clips: here is Johnno catching his first Permit on fly!!
Johnno Get's His Permit!

Snapshot taken from Johnno's GoPro footage!

On returning to the beach he was surprised at the amount of people who had turned up.  Not fly fisherman, but kids and dogs and bait fisherman, where John had planned to fish!  Turned out fishing along the beach, not out on the sand flat, was a good move.  There they were, the schools of Permit we have heard about, but rarely seen!  John got 3 hook up’s, with the 3rd staying connected.  He played it for almost 4 minutes, back and forth, in and out, until finally he was able to grab his line and get the fish close enough for some GoPro footage.  Thankful Johnno thought to take the camera off his head and get himself holding the fish, so I was able to get snapshots off the footage.  With a wonderful ending John holds the camera in the water as the Permit swims off to continue on it’s way.

Johnno, landed and recorded his first Permit!

You might think we are moving on now, since our plan had been to stay here until John caught a Permit. Nope not yet.  Tomorrow we are going into town to refill with water.  We should be back at camp, and down on the beach, just as the tide turns, started flowing over the sand flats and the schools of Permit start feeding.  

Safely released to fight another day.