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sefly.com > Fly Tying > Permit Flies |
Fly
Fishing the Southeast |
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There are not many silver bullets in the world of saltwater fly fishing, that one magical
pattern that transforms a fishery. The one big exception to this statement has to be
the Merkin Crab. Prior to Del Brown's introduction of this pattern, fly fishing for
permit was primarily "cast and strip", and a refusal rates as high as 80 % was
generally expected. With the development of the Merkin, it was now within the realm of reasonable possibilities that a skilled caster could regularly expect to take permit on flies. Looking through saltwater pattern books and retail catalogs, one could easily conclude fly tying techniques have left the simple Merkin back in the dark ages. There are indeed a multitude of innovative and very realistic crab patterns available to permit anglers. Which ones should be in your fly box ? Not wishing to prejudice their answers, I asked the guys who are out there day after day, one simple question: " What is your preference in permit fly patterns ? " |
Impression or realism ?
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| "Permit
fly design has come a long way but we are still in its infancy. Anglers have had
success with many varied fly patterns most notably the Merkin. I feel that the
Merkin is extremely effective because it has the relative shape of a crab but more
importantly, when dropping to the bottom it resembles a fleeing crab." " It is difficult to discern what quality about a live crab elicits such a predatory response from a permit. I guide flyfishermen exclusively for permit more than 150 days a year. I have only seen a handful of permit get as excited about our flies as they do a live crab. The key ingredient is missing. I have begun to work on flies that have more motion and have even experimented with sound. If we keep toying around with these flies, someone will come up with a more effective fly than the Merkin, but it hasn't happened yet." "A Merkin needs to be tied properly. Many Merkins that I see are far too round and fluffy. A properly tied Merkin looks like an arrow head and sinks like a lawn dart. We need the fly to get down right now and this is also when the fly looks the most like a real crab. " " I have been toying with many ideas on permit flies. Most turn out to be a complete looser or at least not any better than the Merkin. As anglers and tiers, we need to determine what characteristic about a real crab is so attractive to a permit. If we determine without a doubt that the scent of the live crab is the most influential aspect, then we can probably continue to use a standard Merkin with confidence that we are using the best fly. " "If we determine that motion, overall lifelike appearance, or sound is the most important quality, then the creativity of the fly tier will be rewarded. Because it is against the 'rules' to use scent on our flies, no one admits to experimenting with scent. At the risk of being misunderstood, I will state my opinion on this dilemma. I have determined that for the sake of the evolution of our sport and flies, someone must experiment with scent from a purely scientific perspective. Someone would need a month to use scented flies one day and unscented the next with the weather, angler and guide all constant. If at the end of the month, the scented flies accounted for quadruple the number of fish on the unscented flies, then we would have an answer. If it did not seem to help that much, then we get to the vise and try to create a better fly." Capt. Tom Rowland -
Key West |
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| "Many crab imitations work well. I like Del's Merkin best because of it's versatility. If you vary the weight of the eyes, color and size, it will cover almost all situations. For the Keys, I like tan or light brown color the size of a nickel." Capt. Andy Brackett -
Cudjoe Key (877) 435-2873 Hookum@hookercharters.com |
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