DIOS MIO-ESA ES UNA GRAN PALOMETA!
OK.....every once in a while hard work should be rewarded. Although I am not sure where the hard work was? But anyway, have to tell the story of this Permit. Several days in to our recent trip to Cayo Cruz, I was in a skiff with Jaco, a cool Canadian by way of South Africa. Jaco had been up on the bow for a few hours in the morning, and wanted to sit for a bit. Not a problem Jaco.....I am glad to be on the bow!
Only a few minutes later, I saw this Permit from nearly 100 yards. It was over white sand, and visible as could be. Once we got close, I put the fly in front of him.....in fact I figure I put it in front of him 20 or 30 times! And in between, we changed flies 3 or 4 times, and had a line tangle cluster (thanks for the help Jaco), and all the while this Permit just hung out. Talk about a happy fish.
And guess what....he finally ate the fly. It was a solid 40 minutes before our guide was able to tail the fish, and all during the fight I was sure we were going to lose it. He fought like a bruiser buck steelhead......no crazy burning runs, but no give at all. Yonghar, our guide, said it was the second biggest Permit he had seen landed in 18 years of guiding in Cuba. He thought the fish weighed somewhere between 30-35 pounds.
I think, without a doubt, that is the fish of my lifetime. I think back to all the fish I have caught, and a few really stick out. I once hooked 2 steelhead over 20 pounds in back to back days fishing the Stillaguamish. And I will always remember the 11 pound Brown I caught in a lake in Argentina. But I am not sure I am going to top this fish.