It was a good feeling to dig through my closet in search of quick drying shorts and flip flops. Winter came late to the Northeast but it came in hard. I was in desperate need of sunshine and a shot of adrenaline. When I stepped out on the tarmac in Ft. Meyers I clinched up instinctually, to shield my body from the wind. It took a second for me to realize that the breeze blowing had no Arctic air mass behind it.Dave (headrush) picked me up and after driving south a short distance we were on the bow casting to snook under the lights. The next day found us south bound once again, making the push to Marathon Key. We really had no particular scheudule or game plan in place, all I knew was that it was 90 degrees, early March and I was surrounded by emerald green water. I had a phone number in my wallet; a guide out of Key West, the owner of the local fly shop back in Syracuse had given to me. We put the call through and he was booked but said he could refer me to his friend. Now anyone that has fished a guide in the keys knows that this is the red flag to abort mission. For those of you that haven’t, let’s just say some of them are a little burnt out and just punching the clock. To my surprise and great delight we ended up with an absolute work horse that was as tuned into the scene as a person could be. After blowing 20 casts at several giant Permit I finally fed one of them! I wasn’t tight for long but I was tight none the less. Dave had several shots as well and we were really stoked to see so many tailing Permit on crystal clear flats in 3 feet of water. I will never forget those fish, I’ll be back to settle the score. We were amped up and planned on going out the following morning but a cold front was pushing through and the wind kicked up so we bagged it. The next morning after breakfast Dave was sifting through some business cards, I knew he was up to no good. He pulled out a ratty card, I could just make out the image of a peacock bass on it. “Dude I know this guy out in Miami who targets Peacock Bass with the fly rod”. Dave put the call in and told the guide we could be their by noon, game on. It was a very cool experience. We were in the canal system so it was a lot of roll casting and tight quarter stuff. All sight fishing and that is what really gets me going. I would highly recommend this fishery to anyone who was going to be in the Miami area. It’s a great way to build your ego back up after getting schooled on the flats, and the fish are strong and extremely aggressive.Many miles of road and water were covered in a short period of time. Dave thanks for the hospitality, looking forward to doing it again, very soon. Keep me posted when the dinosaurs start showing up in heavy numbers. I want to try and finish what I started last year. Marshall, thanks for showing me the trail. I had a lot of fun. Next time I see you will probably be in New England.
nice work whip … i got a small chance to see how tricky those permit could be .. boz and i were on a flat and a permit had his face in the dirt and tail in the air .. it “seemed” like a no brainer .. however, one cast and the permit just vanished! .. no splash .. no nothing .. just gone .. so, congrats on hooking one … also .. those peacocks are gorgeous fish .. amazing how well they have adapted in florida and it certainly offers the traveling fly fisherman on the way to or back from the keys … beautiful fish ..
hey great stuff. Glad you had a good time. Welcome back to the North Pole!
Great story Whippa, nice job with the tricky permit. More luck next time 😉
Enjoyed the read and photos. Those Peacocks look amazing! They must tug pretty good I’d bet. That’s killer you got tons of shots at tailing Permit, and a hookup too. You must have been amped up. Like jeremy said I had a shot at one and completely blew it, I cast right and short of where he was rooting around and he never showed again. Guess that’s the game, and one we’ll both play again no doubt. Thanks for sharing bro…
Whippa. I learned, as im sure you have that the” i’ve got a friend who can take you out” line means find someone else. I was in the keys in january and we went out with a “friend” and although he was nice he was not what I was expecting….lesson learned….
Well anyway nice story and great trip.
Mike
nice story and trip. beats the hell out of whats going on here.
dave — killer video .. cool to see some different type stuff … those fish are so cool looking …. are you sure the guide isn’t your brother 🙂 .. you guys look identical .. at one point i thought you were him .. too funny … great vid … peacocks are definately on my life wish list .. will certainly give them a shot next time i am in miami area …
Great going, Whip. That was me on the bow a year ago…dave’s the man when you need a fish fix in the winter. And, his vid of you catching those p-Bass is spiritual….just the way I remember my time with Capt. Mark Hall…definately the “Canal Man”.
I sure hope we get to fish together this season sometime and if I have a window this fall, I’d like to visit. Good meeting you.
marsh
thanks alexis…do you have Permit on your flats over there?
Yep Whippa, average size is 10 lbs I got some spot where more than 20 luck to cast on them is not rare. Also seen some monster (around 30 to 40 lbs) that a 9 weight cannot handle you want at least a 10 weight with 250 yards of backing. For those one as I go there for bones too with a 9 weight I just look at them and focus on bones and 10 lbs permit. Fortunately the number gives great luck to get them feed the flie. Small crab pattern are effective.
Nice fish whip…I almost didn’t recognize you with all that hair. :)….maybe that’s what spooked the permit….hahaha. Glad you got a chance to thaw out for a few days. The winter sure can drive a man crazy. Nothing like casting like over crystal blue water to ease the cabin fever.
j-
Not being someone who sets out to catch Bass I have overlooked this type of Bass and feel that this is something I must try. Great video and the story has given me another species to chase.
Great job man! Peacock bass seem like an awesome fish!!