The ABC’s of Fly Fishing for Permit in Belize Part 7 Belizean Permit Guides and How to help Yourself

In San Pedro, for example, there are plenty of guides in the village. Most of them, however, are not permit guides. If you want to fish for permit out of San Pedro, you have to be careful. A lot of the guides don’t really like to specifically target permit even though they’ll tell you “sure, no problem, mon” before you get in the boat. The best permit locations are a bit of a run and with the price of fuel in Belize being what it is, many of the guides would rather just take you bonefishing, as the bonefish flats are closer to the village. Permit fishing is also a lot harder than bonefishing and it’s not uncommon to come back from a day on the water with no fish. Some of the guides worry that this will affect their tips.

The best permit guides in the country are found in the south, where many of the top guides will focus exclusively for permit about 150 days a year.
If you haven’t already fished with the guide or booked him through a reliable outfitter, you are rolling the dice with your trip. I say this because I’ve met plenty of guys who get their hands on a boat and suddenly, they’re permit guides. Yesterday they were running a snorkel trip and tomorrow they might be helping with a tour to the ruins? Hardly the guy you want to entrust your trip to! Above all else, once you have a good guide, listen to him! This may seem obvious but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen clients who get out on the flats who don’t want to listen to what the guide is telling them. When he says “set the hook”, don’t argue! Set the hook! And just because it worked in Florida does not mean that it will work in Belize. If you come with an open mind and ready to learn, there is no better source of information about permit fishing than a good Belizean permit guide. If you ask questions and listen to what these gentlemen have to say, you will get so much more out of the experience.

How to Help Yourself

Even though catching a permit on the fly in skinny water is a difficult undertaking, there are some things that you can do that will help increase the odds of catching one.

1) Make sure that you have a sufficient number of flies tied with different weights. Some of your flies should also be non-weighted for calm, shallow water. A delicate presentation could be the difference between a bad day and a great day. This goes for color too. Have flies in a variety of shades! Olive, green, and brown, are the optimal colors for crab patterns in Belize.

2) Bring smaller flies than you think you’ll need. Many fly shops will sell you what they have rather than what you need. Remember this when buying flies! Smaller crab flies (size 4-8) will get far better results in Belize than those tied on 1’s and 2’s.

3) Check your leader frequently for nicks and abrasions. Remember, these flats are comprised largely of coral, which can chew up even the best of materials.

4) Work with your guide. I know that I’ve already discussed this earlier, but it just can’t be overstated! Your permit guide is your partner in this pursuit, and if you embrace this concept, you’re setting yourself up for a higher level of success.