The most prized flats fish in Biscayne Bay
Permit are widely considered the ultimate flats challenge, and Biscayne Bay offers world-class shots at them. After finishing their spawn on deep ocean wrecks, permit infiltrate the shallow flats of the bay, providing incredible sight fishing on light tackle. We find most of these fish on calm days along the west side of the bay.
Hooking a permit off a rock wall or a shallow flat and turning it before it heads back to structure is one of the most demanding fights in inshore fishing. Ever pull a 30 pound permit off a rock wall that wants nothing more than to return to that rock wall? That is fishing at its finest.
Permit are extremely wary and have incredible eyesight, which makes fooling one a true accomplishment. We look for fish tailing on the flats, crabbing along the edges and finning near structure. A crab is the classic offering, whether live or a well-tied crab fly, and presentation is everything.
Calm, sunny days give us the best window to spot and stalk permit. A quiet drift with the electric trolling motor, a careful cast ahead of a feeding fish, and a natural drop of the crab can be all it takes to draw the eat.
Once hooked, a permit uses its broad, powerful body to make blistering runs and stubborn, dogged fights near the bottom. Keeping steady pressure and clearing the fish from any nearby structure is the difference between a landed permit and a heartbreak story.
Summer months from June through September are prime, though permit are caught around the bay throughout the year near structure and on the deeper edges. If a permit is on your bucket list, this is one of the best fisheries in the world to check it off.
Contact Captain Tom to plan your Miami permit fishing charter. Stalk the flats of Biscayne Bay for the ultimate light tackle challenge.
