Angling confidence is the belief that the fish you are casting to is actually going to eat, and it is the single biggest reason some anglers catch permit and others do not. Permit is my favorite fish, and I got lucky starting out in Key West where they are everywhere. In this How 2 Tuesday I explain why permit are not nearly as impossible as people think, and how confidence, more than talent, is what gets a fly or a crab where the fish can see it.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Angling confidence is throwing at a fish believing it is going to eat, rather than just hoping. It changes everything about how you present a fly or bait. When you are sure the fish will eat, you cast more aggressively, you are not afraid of failure, and you put the offering right in the fish's window where it needs to be. When you doubt, you cast timidly, throw too far out to avoid spooking it, and never give the fish a real chance to see what you are offering.
Permit are tough but they are absolutely not impossible, and people have built them up into something they are not. Fly fishing for permit is genuinely difficult, yet you can catch them on live crabs fairly readily once you know what you are doing. The reputation comes partly from how fashionable permit fishing has become. Compared to something like catching a hammerhead shark on a fly, permit are very achievable. The biggest obstacle for most anglers is the belief that it cannot be done.
Because confidence changes your cast in ways that directly produce eats. When you know the fish will eat, you are aggressive, you push the edge of the fish's comfort zone, and you get the fly or crab close enough for the fish to actually see it. When you are sure it will not eat, you throw way out front to avoid spooking the fish, and the offering never enters its window. The confident cast puts the fly where it needs to be, and that is where the bites happen.
One great way is to catch one first by an easier method so you know what an eat looks like. For my first permit I insisted it be on fly, and it took over a year because I had never even seen one eat anything. Once I finally watched a permit eat, my confidence jumped. So if you have never caught or even seen one out of the water, consider catching one on a crab first. Removing those unknowns lets you cast with belief the next time.
Yes, it applies to any fish. The same belief that makes you cast aggressively and accurately at a permit will make you more effective on bonefish, tarpon, and beyond. Confidence comes from doing things right with the right tackle and from experience, so build it however you can: watch videos, read, talk to anglers and guides who have caught plenty, and practice until you can drop a fly in a teacup from seventy feet. When you believe it can happen, you catch a lot more of every species.
I was fortunate to start guiding in Key West, the epicenter of permit fishing in the country, with no preconceived notions about how hard they were supposed to be. I actually found permit easier to locate than tarpon or bonefish there, so I fished for them constantly, gained respect for them, and started catching them on bait and then on fly. It was not because I was extra gifted. It was because I was in a place with outstanding permit fishing, and the reps built my confidence over time.
I get a flood of questions about permit, my favorite fish, and almost all of them come down to one thing: people are intimidated. They have decided catching a permit is the hardest thing in fishing, which it simply is not. That mindset is the real reason so many anglers struggle, and it is fixable. I want to take the fear out of it and show that confidence, not some rare gift, is what fills the boat. I dig into all of it in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Here are the steps I walk through in this How 2 Tuesday. I cover the details and stories behind each one in the episode.
I unpack each of these in the episode. Press play in the player above.
I decided my first permit had to come on fly, and I went out making casts with zero confidence because I had never seen one eat anything or even leave the water. It took over a year. The day I finally watched a permit eat, everything changed. I tell that whole story in the episode, so press play in the player above.
When you are sure a fish will not eat, you throw way out in front to avoid spooking it, and the fly or crab never gets where the fish can see it. The confident angler pushes closer, into the window, which is exactly where the eat happens. I explain how to make that aggressive, accurate cast in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Permit fishing is absolutely not impossible. It takes the right tackle, doing things correctly, and above all the confidence that this can happen. Gain that confidence however you can, and the catching follows.
Watch it happen, read about it, talk to people who have caught plenty, and practice until your cast is dialed. When you throw at a fish believing it will eat, you will catch a lot more, permit or anything else. Press play in the player above.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
permit · Key West · tarpon · bonefish · fly fishing · live crabs · hammerhead shark · angling confidence · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
Subscribe to get the latest episodes, show notes, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.