The Shuwaymiah Permit - a must for any top water angler!

[Ed Nicholas]

So many people have been asking me (and my clients) about the success we have had with catching permit on top-water lures that I thought it would be a good idea to post the story here.  This seems to be a unique (or almost so) experience and it is one which GT anglers visiting  us really should not miss out on.  It seems that the species of permit we are catching is african permit (trachinotus africanusTackle used

[Jon Li]

Exceptional catches , not often one can get permit using lures as this specie is a bottom feeder , congratz !

Jon .

[Aaron Concord]

I am with Jo Li on this one.
Exceptional captures.
As an avid fly-fisher, I have NEVER heard of permit slamming stickbaits or poppers off the top.
They will rise to a floating crab when the crabs themselves are floating in weed lines, though I have never heard of them predating upon baitfish or baitfish imitations!

I'd like to know if anyone else has come across this quirk in any other well established permit fishery?

Just another reason to go to Oman, eh?

Aaron.

[Mark Harris]

I too believe this is very exceptional.

I have asked around all the avid fly fishos I know and they are pretty stunned.   I was wondering if the African species which this seems to be (trachinotus africanus), might have slightly different habits (??) but I can't find anyone to agree with that explanation!  Fishbase lists the food items of this species as molluscs and crabs.

Having witnessed this first hand, I can say that the permit seem to be feeding upon a truly VAST sardine ball, hanging low along with diamond trevally and golden trevally, while queenfish, bonito, barracuda etc patrol the top of the ball. Sub-surface stickbaits matching the size of the sardines seemed to be most effective (as they were with the trevally species), but as one of Ed's pictures shows, one even came up and took a popper.

I can also say that it is a most strange fish to catch!  The strike feels like you have a hit a snag - absolutely rock solid - and just when you think the fight is over and the fish is coming to the net, be prepared to for a lot more action to erupt.  They really do not like coming up to the surface.  Superb value.

[Andrew Smith]

Truly exceptional fishing there Ed!

Thank you for sharing this extraordinary fishing and as Aaron mentioned, another reason to go to Southern Oman! See you in 2014!

[Vincenzo Caccico]

Congrats Ed this is a fish i never caught!

Best regards VIncenzo

[Brandon Khoo]

There's a permit at the Atlanta aquarium that is the size of a pretty decent GT!!
I never realised they grew so big

[Mark Harris]

I never realised that either Brandon until doing some checking.

I would imagine the one in the Atlanta aquarium is the western Atlantic species which does seem to grow well above 20 kg.

The IGFA all tackle world record for this Indian Ocean species (trachinotus africanus) though is apparently only 6 kgs.  That could have been broken many times by fish caught at Shuwaymiah recently!

[Brandon Khoo]

It looks way over 20kg!!

[Gary Prerost]

My experience guiding along the western side of cape york was that the permit were happy taking lures .Pat Levy caught a large indo pacific permit on a stump jumper.I also witnessed and photographed large schools of permit feeding on jelly prawns on the surface on a number of occasions.I have hooked many permit while they have been feeding on prawns throwing all caution to the wind.Easy to approach and cast to
For the most part schools were spotted feeding at a distance circling over mollusc beds with the occasional fish entering the vortex they created and tail slapping the seafloor.The discoloured water could be spotted from a long way of and by concentrating on the spot the inevetible flash from the side of the fish could be spotted.I also know Brett Wolf and his partner in exmouth are catching two distinctly different permit the indo pacific and a fish that looks very similar to this.
A great fish anywhere some seem easily caught while others are very difficult to capture

[Mark Harris]

Gary, great to hear form someone who has experienced Permit taking lures before and the circumstances that seemed to encourage that!

[Mark Harris]

A new edition from April.  The biggest yet for sure!