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Lessons From the Master
 Del
Brown is the most successful permit fly-rodder in
history, having 354 permit to his credit, three of which
are world records: a 9-3/4-pounder on 2-pound tippet, a
24-pounder on four, and the bruiser, a 41-pounder on
eight. Indeed, Del knows what he is doing; and what he
knows is what this article is all about.
I've
known Del Brown for more than 25 years and have
tremendous respect and admiration for his fly fishing
knowledge and skill. He is a commensurate fly angler in
all venues. An innovator with few peers, he has developed
many useful things with regard to tackle, equipment and
technique, including several productive saltwater flies.
If Del Brown is the Top Gun in permit circles, then his
"Merkin" permit fly holds similar rank when it
comes to productive monikers.
 Del was born in San Francisco in
1918, has been married to his lovely and gracious wife,
Doris, for 54 years, and has lived in Watsonville,
California for the past 52 years, where he has managed
the Martinelli apple cider plant, a family-owned
operation. They have two sons and a daughter, none of
which are serious anglers, thank God, since we don't need
the additional competition.
No
stranger to a fly rod, Del has pursued the sport with a
fervent passion for more than 50 years, 45 of which have
been in saltwater, beginning with San Francisco Bay
stripers in 1950.
Del credits me with getting him
started in big game fly-rodding, which ultimately lead
him to giant jungle tarpon, billfish in Costa Rica and
Panama, bonefish in Belize, permit in Honduras and
finally to the Florida Keys where he has taken all of the
premiere flats species: tarpon, bonefish, mutton snapper,
snook and his beloved permit. How so? Well, I took him
tarpon fishing with me to Costa Rica in 1974, his first
adventure of this sort. From that trip, forth, there has
been no stopping this 78 year old saltwater veteran. He
is now, without question, the consummate traveling
angler, spending an average of 100 days a year fishing
the flats of the Florida Keys; and that doesn't include
time spent elsewhere on this planet's watercourses, seas
and oceans.
While
I haven't yet taken a permit on a fly, I have chucked a
bug or two at them during the course of the last decade.
In fact, the first time a permit rattled my knees and
shattered my nerves, I was sharing the boat with Del
Brown. The fish I cast to was a monster and the best I
could do was get it to "tail up" on the Puff. I
thought my heart was going to stop and it was a grand
high despite the fact the critter wouldn't eat.
Since
that time I've spent a great deal of time talking with
Del Brown about what it takes to take flats permit on a
fly with a better than good degree of consistency. The
following is what I've learned from the vast experience
of the man. And believe me, I grilled Del like a homicide
investigator trying to extract a confession!
Sixty
of the 100 days a year Del spends plying the flats of the
Florida Keys are in pursuit of permit. The rest are for
stalking tarpon, reds, snook or bonefish. He has to his
credit many large bonefish, including one pulling the
scale to 13-3/4 pounds. Big tarpon are no strangers,
either, with a 127-pound world record on 8-pound tippet,
heading his list of flats tarpon credentials. Of those 60
permit days, only about 20 produce ideal conditions. Just
what are those conditions?
Here's
what Del had to offer. First and foremost is water
temperature. The H2o covering the flats needs to be 70
degrees or higher for optimum numbers of permit to be
there, despite the fact that they are more temperature
tolerant than the other flats quarry. A fast moving cold
front rapidly forcing the temperature downward, can
devastate angling opportunities, even if the temperature
remains well within the optimum window. For example, if
the temps were in the 80's and quickly dropped ten
degrees to the 70's, the resulting shock would chase most
sickle-tails off the flat. With permit, you need all the
shots you can get. Opportunity is everything...
Cold
fronts are not all bad, though, if they don't cause
radical water temperature drops. Usually high, bright
skies ride the tails of a front, providing the fly fisher
with optimum visibility, the next single most important
condition those in pursuit of flats permit must have. If
you can't see 'em, you can't cast to 'em. I know of no
one that can boast of taking a permit on a fly by blind
casting to one. So, ideally, you need a bright cloud-free
sky as one of the optimum conditions. Although this is
not to say you can't catch permit when skies are pocked
with the billowy stuff. You'll have to look for other
signs then.
Next
in the order of importance is wind - yes, wind. Can you
imagine a saltwater fly fisher hoping for wind... Well,
when it comes to ideal permit conditions incessant
breezes ranging from 10 to 15 mph is considered perfect.
Actually Del ranks 10 mph as best for him, but I know
others that would opt for 12 to 15.
The
wind is what provides permit a sense of security when
they venture onto a shallow flat to feed. Let's face it -
these critters can be big - garbage can lids with fins.
They have to feel a little conspicuous when they range
onto a shallow flat perhaps less than two feet in depth.
Mild blusters also stir up the bottom a little, kicking
out goodies like shrimp, crabs and myriad other critters
that permit call food.
Next
to wind, tides are an extremely important factor. Del
Likes "Spring" tides best, which result in big
pushes of water. Permit will move on to a flat, working
the down current side of a bank as the tide floods. Often
they'll range up onto a flat that normally wouldn't hold
them during a "Neap" tide. The availability of
enough water, including deep water, such as a nearby
channel is often crucial.
With
the mention of food, one might assume the next most
important requirement would be the fly that represents
permit fodder. Not according to Del. Next on the list is
a good guide.
I
would have to agree with Del that once provided the
optimum environmental conditions, the next most important
need is a top-notch guide that knows where to find this
black-finned phantom of the flats. A good guide is worth
every dime he or she earns. Skill and experience is
everything: Knowledge of productive flats, optimum tidal
phases, where they will be on a tidal stage, which way
they'll be coming, what to look for - the list goes on.
You can't skimp on a good guide. Get the best one you
can, one with a good reputation.
He
goes on to say: "Most flats guides, whether or not
they specialize in fly-rodding, include permit fishing in
their flats repertoire. They may pursue them with live
crabs instead of Merkins, but they know where the
critters forage and can put you on a spot where
opportunity will come a knocking."
Okay,
you've got great conditions and a highly ranked guide.
What comes next? You - and your abilities, my prospective
flats permit angler, are what comes next...
Many,
out of jealousy, envy or whatever, come off with
something like, "If I spent that much time fishing
for permit, I'd rack up a hefty score, too." Well,
in my mindset, these bozos are off the wall. Indeed,
opportunity is tantamount to success, but if you can't
capitalize when it presents itself, you might as well be
in the parking lot.
In
this vein, your casting ability is the number one
consideration. You must be able to cast with accuracy to
targets anywhere on the clock, regardless of wind
direction or velocity. "Seeing" is important,
too, although your guide can help you out. "Never
say you can see the fish if you can't", says Del.
"Point your rod out over the water, and the guide
will direct you to point left or right, up or down, until
you are sighted-in with the rod's tip". "Never
cast if you can't see the fish, unless the guide tells
you to; and when he says "drop it!", don't make
another false cast - drop it - like NOW!
One
of Del's tricks out of a bag of many, is to "water
haul", laying the line on the water on the
fore-cast, several times before the permit closes to a
point where he must make the presentation toss.
"Water hauling", he explains, "allows me
to judge the effects of the wind, letting me line up my
cast." "Of course, you don't want to do this if
the fish is within spooking range; and you absolutely
can't "rip" the line off the water."
"You can't wuss it either, though."
One
of the biggest casting mistakes anyone makes when fly
fishing the flats, particularly when the wind in up, is
to be tentative with a cast. Like Del says... "Don't
wuss it!" You have got to move the rod tip with
authority, punch the line into the wind or across it
(whatever) on your backcast, coming forward with the same
assertiveness. Trying to finesse your cast like on a
trout stream will only result in disaster. Believe me,
this goes for any flats fishing!
Now comes the fly.
Alright!
You've got all the casting skills nailed, plus everything
else, except knowing which fly is best. There are two
things that have really turned around flats permit
fly-rodding from chancy at best, to predictably good. The
first of those two are improved fly patterns. Flies that
act like the food permit love to eat best - a small,
juicy blue crab. Note: I said ACT like -
not necessarily "look like" a crab.
There
are some flies that look as though they could crawl
across the bottom on their own power, catch their own
food, and dig burrows. Problem is, however, they don't
drop right. That's it! When crabs are swimming along and
all of a sudden come face-to-face with a critter with
jaws agape, intending it eat it, they don't try to
outswim the predator, they instead drop instantly to the
bottom, claws up in a defensive posture, and remain
almost motionless. Other crustaceans scatter like
shrapnel from an exploding grenade, but drop to the
bottom to hide in sand, marl or grass. Sure, looks help
but it's the slanting crash dive that makes the fly work.
Del Brown's Merkin does this better than any other permit
fly being used today - and, it is really a breeze to tie.
There are other good bugs being used, flies created by
some of the best. They don't hold up against the Merkin,
Though. Like I said, the numbers say it all...
Next comes presentation.
There
are several different shots that you may have at permit:
There's the head-on target, the toss to broadside
cruisers, The favorite, a cast to a tailing fish, and the
desperation reach to going-away fish.
Del
likes tailers best, although he's taken fish from every
situation. He also likes casting to just a few fish (a
pod), or singles best. "When casting to a school of
permit", he says, "your chances of spooking an
unseen fish are far greater than when casting to a small
pod, or singles."
With
head-on permit, Del likes to try to "bean"
them, as it's said. Put it right in line a foot or two
from their nose. And, here comes the second most
important thing besides the fly - the retrieve. Strip the
fly until the fish sees it and then drop it straight to
the bottom and don't move it unless the fish starts to
turn away. It is the "NO"
retrieve that works the best, just like the real thing. I
can't over emphasize this. Imperiled crabs don't try to
outswim permit!
If
the permit rushes over and tails on the fly, wait a
second (I know it's hard) and then make a slow steady
pull with your stripping hand. If you feel any weight or
resistance, set the hook with a stiff pull of the line
hand along with a hard, low, side sweep of the rod.
When
Del took his 41-pounder, he dropped his Merkin so close
(he almost did bean it) that he was afraid to move the
fly. The fish was tailed-up and Del knew he had to do
something. He made the slow strip, felt the weight, set
the hook and both he and Steve Huff knew they had the
right fish on... About an hour later Del had the new
world record on 8-pound.
For
broadside cruisers, singles, pods or a school, drop the
fly just beyond and about five or six feet in front.
Strip once, or until you get a fish's attention, and then
drop the fly. The rest you know.
For
tailing fish, drop the fly as close as you can, without
actually hitting it. Why try to bean it then? Well most
casters can't hit it on purpose but will come close,
which is what you want. You get the picture.
Permit,
singles, pods, or schools that have gotten by you,
requiring a cast to their tails, is obviously not the
optimum opportunity. None-the-less, Del still has taken
many permit by casting to their flanks, even if they are
heading the wrong way. Permit have enormous eyes for
their size for a good reason. It's to see things with
greater efficiency, critters that may be trying to escape
to the rear. Drop the fly a couple of feet to the side of
the fish, pull the bug until you draw a fish toward it,
then drop it.
Of
course knowing how to "read" a permit always
helps when determining when to drop the fly or set the
hook. This takes experience; but then that's why you have
a good guide. NEVER take your eyes off the fish, but
ALWAYS keep an ear toward your guide. Do what your
captain says without hesitation!
What
do you do once the critter inhales your fly and you've
stuck him? Forget about the fish! Clear line - get it on
the reel fast, without tangles and snarls. Once you are
fighting the fish off the reel most of the worries are
over. Permit have a soft but tough mouth, meaning the
hook penetrates easily but unlike with tarpon, the fly
rarely pulls out. They'll make a blistering run, usually
for deep water, that channel or cut they originally
ventured onto the flat from. Once in deep water they're
fighting tact is similar to any large jack - broadside
against the strain of the pull. Keep playing the angles
whenever you can.
What
about seeing permit? If you can't see them, then correct
presentation becomes a moot issue. The highly conditioned
eyes of your guide will be the primary spotter until you
get some experience at what to look for. This should help
though: The angler should not try to look too far ahead.
Scan closer, say out to a couple of hundred feet or less.
Keep you eyes scanning both the surface and the bottom.
The surface at a distance, the bottom in close. Don't fix
your eyes in one spot unless you think you've spotted
something, and then alert your guide. He may be looking
in another direction. Look for black, sickle-like tails
and fins piercing the surface, flagging in the wind; look
for black fins and tails and a big eye without a body, a
ghostly image, caused by silver sides reflecting the
environment around it. Nervous, shimmering or waking
water tells a story, too. Once you learn to recognize a
permit wake, you'll never mistake it for one made by
another critter.
As
it is with most marine fly-fishing, timing IS
everything (luck counts heavily, too). The best months
for permit fishing on the flats, range from late February
until the end of April, with March probably being the
peak. Another reason why I haven't chased permit. May and
June are tarpon months, and while a few permit are
around, most are offshore spawning then. So, plan your
trip accordingly.
When
it comes to tackle, Del prefers a nine-foot, ten-weight
graphite rod, over-loaded with an eleven, weight-forward,
floating line. He likes a standard WF over a Saltwater
Taper, or a Tarpon Taper. The reason for the 11-weight
line instead of a ten, is to load the rod properly for
average casts of 65 feet or less, and to handle the
lead-eyed Merkin.
Favorite
reels include the Able 3N when using tippets testing
under 12 pounds. Anti-reverse jobs like a Billy Pate with
a palming rim are touted, too, as well as the enduring,
Sea Master.
In
addition to the fly line, Del likes to load his reel with
(starting with the back of the fly line, working toward
the arbor) 50 yards of 20-pound, hi-vis mono to reduce
line drag (its slicker), and to provide some shock
absorption when using light tippets. It is also less
abrasive to the fingers when the fight draws close. Next,
in 50 yard increments: white Micron, blue Gudebrod
Dacron, and finally white Micron again. He Joins these
sections together with back-to-back Uni knots, which must
be paraffined to keep from burning the line when the
knots are drawn tight. Why go through all this trouble?
Del feels he is in better control throughout the battle,
by knowing just how much line and backing is out of the
rod tip. He has never gotten into trouble using 20-pound
backing on the flats, feeling you should be fighting the
fish off the fly line, not the backing.
Leaders
for Del are simple affairs. He likes them around ten feet
in length: six feet of 50, two feet of 30, two feet of
20, and at least 24 inches of class tippet. He uses a
Blood knot or a Surgeon's knot to join the sections. When
using tippets of 8-pound or less, he employs a Bimini
leader system, including an abrasion/shock leader. Twelve
and up, he omits the trace. With traces he'll use a Homer
Rhodes loop knot; without, a Uni loop knot. "Do not
use a clinching knot", he says. "It will
inhibit the proper dropping of the fly."
Excuse
me folks, the phone is ringing...
"Hi,
Del. What's up?"
I'm
back. Just got off the phone with Del Brown - speaking of
the Devil. It's March 6th and he is in Marathon. Yeh,
he's been fly fishing for permit again. He just checked
in to give me a report. He does that a lot. He says he's
added a few more fly rod permit to his total - all of
which were taken on the flats. You see, Del doesn't fish
for deep-water permit - ever!
What more can I
say.....
 
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