To catch permit on spinning tackle, I use a seven- or eight-foot medium to medium-heavy rod, a 3000 to 4000 size reel loaded with braid, a fluorocarbon leader, a 4/0 circle hook, and a healthy live blue crab, then cast long, surf the crab to an intercept point, and let the fish discover it. In this How 2 Tuesday, part two of my three-part permit series, I break down the exact gear and presentation that take spinning-tackle permit fishing from a long shot to a real game. Press play above and follow along.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
There is no argument that spinning gear is far more effective than fly for catching permit. You can cast much farther, and you can throw a live bait, a crab or shrimp, that permit eat all the time, landing it three or four times farther than a fly. That opens up a lot more shots. It is still no layup, nothing about permit is a layup, but the combination of distance and live bait gives you more and better opportunities than fly fishing does.
My battle-axe is a seven-foot medium or medium-heavy saltwater rod, and I bump up to an eight-foot rod when I need maximum casting distance on calm days. I love Saint Croix rods, the Mojo as an entry-level option, the Avid, and the premium Legend Extreme. For reels I want a quality 3000 to 4000 size spinning reel with 200 to 350 yards of capacity because permit run fast on light gear. I like Daiwa reels, the BG and Ballistic on a budget or the Saltiga and Certate as premium, for how they handle salt corrosion.
I fish braid one hundred percent of the time because distance is paramount and braid casts much farther than mono, I can throw twenty-pound braid farther than eight-pound mono. My battle-axe carries about twenty-pound braid, and summer reels get eight, ten, or fifteen pound for maximum distance. For the leader I use fluorocarbon, fifteen to thirty pound, for its abrasion resistance, because it sinks to get the crab down, and because less light refraction means more bites. I connect braid to fluoro with a J-knot or double uni, then tie the hook on with a clinch knot.
Switching to circle hooks was one of the biggest game-changers in my fishing. With J-hooks my hookup rate was around forty percent, and I often came back with just the crab shell. With circle hooks it went to almost one hundred percent. I will not throw a J-hook at a permit anymore. I like a 4/0, occasionally 5/0, slightly offset, short-shank circle hook, and I tie it on with a clinch knot rather than a loop knot so the leader stays tight to the hook and it finds the corner of the mouth.
By far the number one bait is a live blue crab, one to two inches across the carapace and very healthy. Below that, in order, are live shrimp, a bare jig, and last, artificial crab imitations that look great but act like a dead crab. Keeping crabs healthy matters: use a live well with a bubbler rather than a strong current, feed them, and keep them separate from shrimp, which put off a toxin. And do not practice-cast a good crab five times, you just give it five concussions.
Casting distance is the number one technique and accuracy is number two. The most effective presentation is to cast well beyond and ahead of the fish, then surf the crab across the surface to an intercept point and let it drop, so the permit feels like it discovered the crab. The fish shoots to the bottom and pulverizes it. With no-stretch braid and a sensitive rod you feel one big thump as it picks up and moves off. Keep the rod tip high and slowly reel, letting the circle hook pull to the corner of the mouth.
Part one with Nick Labadie covered seasons, tides, guides, and boats. Fly fishing is popular because permit are so difficult on fly, but there is no argument that spinning tackle is more effective. You cast farther, you throw a bait they eat all the time, and you get a lot more shots. It is still no layup, but it changes the math. I explain why presentation matters so much in the episode, so press play in the player above.
From the rod length I pick based on how far I need to cast, to braid for distance, to a fluorocarbon leader that sinks and disappears, every choice serves one goal, getting a healthy crab in front of a fish that wants a live offering. I get into the specific Saint Croix and Daiwa setups I trust in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Going from J-hooks to circle hooks took my permit hookup rate from about forty percent to nearly one hundred. It is one of the biggest changes I have ever made in my fishing, and I will not throw a J-hook at a permit again. The way you fish it, rod tip high, slowly reeling, letting it pull to the corner, is everything. I walk through the feel of the eat in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Here is my spinning-tackle permit system from rod to retrieve. I cover each piece in the audio.
I walk through each of these in the episode. Press play in the player above and follow along.
If you take one thing from this episode, make it the circle hook and the discovery-style presentation. Those two changes will do more for your permit success than any rod upgrade.
Next week is part three, fly fishing for permit, and it rounds out the series. Get the spinning game dialed first and you will appreciate just how hard the fly game really is. Press play in the player above.
permit · Florida Keys · blue crab · circle hook · Saint Croix · Daiwa · J-Braid · fluorocarbon · Frabill · live shrimp · spinning tackle · Captain Nick Labadie · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
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.
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.
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