Where is the best place to catch permit in the Keys?

The oceanside flats of the Upper Keys and the Islamorada wrecks in spring are among the best in Florida.

Why are permit so hard to catch?

Sharp eyesight, a diet of crabs that do not move much, and a tendency to feed only when conditions suit them. A live crab is the exception to most of that.

Permit fishing in Islamorada: season, spots, bait & rules

Permit fishing in Islamorada

Permit are the hardest of the flats fish: a big, silver, crab-eating jack with eyes like a hawk that will refuse a perfect cast for no reason. Islamorada's oceanside flats and the wrecks offshore hold big permit, and catching one on a fly is a lifetime goal.

Harvest allowedSkill: IntermediateCharter a boatBring your own boatShore, bridge, kayak & wade

Where to find permit

The oceanside flats on the incoming tide, tailing on the edges and in the sand holes; the channels and bridge pilings on a big tide; and the wrecks and the Eagle in spring, where they school in open water above the structure.

Channel Two · Bridges
Channel Five · Bridges
Lignumvitae Key flats · Flats
Upper Matecumbe oceanside flats · Flats
Channel Two fishing bridge · Piers & catwalks
Indian Key Fill shoreline & kayak flats · Shore & parks

When to go

March to June is peak, with fish year-round; harvest is closed for part of the year, so most are released anyway. A rising tide on a sunny day for the flats; a slack tide for the wrecks, when the schools come up to the surface.

Best window on the day: The incoming tide on the oceanside in daylight. Today's window and score are on the conditions page.

March: Peak: fish stage on the wrecks and move onto the flats.
April: Harvest closed until August; catch and release.
May: Peak on the ocean flats.

How to catch them

On the flats, a live crab cast ahead of a tailing fish on medium spinning tackle is the surest method; a crab fly on a 9–10 wt is the harder, prouder one. On the wrecks, free-line a live crab or drift a bucktail jig down-current of the structure when the school shows.

Flats

Bait: Live blue or pass crabs about the size of a silver dollar, hooked through the corner of the shell
Lures: Crab flies in sizes 1–4; small bucktail jigs
Tackle: 7–7.5 ft medium spinning rod, 3000–4000 reel, 15–20 lb braid; or a 9–10 wt fly rod
Rig: Spin: 4 ft of 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 1/0–3/0 circle hook. Fly: 10–12 ft leader to a 16–20 lb tippet

blue crab permit crab fly bucktail jig Tackle setup →

Bridges & wrecks

Bait: Live crabs drifted with the current or under a float
Lures: 1/2–1 oz bucktail and permit jigs bounced near the bottom
Tackle: 7 ft medium-heavy spinning rod, 5000–6000 reel, 30 lb braid
Rig: 4–6 ft of 30–40 lb fluorocarbon; 2/0–4/0 circle hook

blue crab bucktail jig Tackle setup →

Tips for your level

Permit on the flats are a guide's fish; the wrecks in spring are the better bet for a first permit.
A live crab cast a few feet ahead and allowed to sink is the only bait a flats permit eats reliably.
Expect refusals: a permit day with one shot taken is a good day.

Questions anglers ask

Where is the best place to catch permit in the Keys?: The oceanside flats of the Upper Keys and the Islamorada wrecks in spring are among the best in Florida.
Why are permit so hard to catch?: Sharp eyesight, a diet of crabs that do not move much, and a tendency to feed only when conditions suit them. A live crab is the exception to most of that.