Kayak Permit 3/8/11

Spencer, Chris, and I made the long trek down to the Keys on March 7-8th in search of the elusive permit from the kayaks. This was the perfect opportunity to test out my new Hobie Pro Angler kayak and push pole from Carbon Marine. The first morning we saw some bonefish cruising the shorelines but the high tide and wind made it tough to get a decent shot at one. Chris had one eat late in the morning but missed the hookset. We packed up and relaunched further down the Keys on the oceanside flats in the afternoon. We split up to cover more water and between the three of us, saw a few of each species. All of us had a couple of good shots but the fish didn't seem interested. The second day we drove even further down and made a long 1.5 hour run at sunrise to the flat. Around 10am I ventured to a bright, sandy/rocky bottom flat and immediately saw a big permit tailing in 8". For the next 30 minutes I saw a dozen more riding the incoming tide across the sand..they would tail for a few seconds then race up the flat and tail again. The second fish I hooked was tailing in a group of four, lined up single file. The first two fish in the school ignored the crab but the third fish tailed on it and crushed it. Unbelievable sight to see in clear water on white bottom. The wind picked up after that and the tide got too high for the permit to be comfortable on the flats so we headed back. When we were a mile from the launch, Spencer spotted a tailing permit. A barracuda cut his line earlier so he didn't have a hook tied on. He pointed the fish out to Chris and after a couple of casts, got him to eat! The fish went 28lbs, Chris' largest to date..and a great way to close out the trip.