The Prescription for What Ails Me

by Capt. John Sahagian 1 Comment

I often pick my fall activities through a process of elimination.  The previous months have seen the dolphin run, the snapper spawn, the deep wrecks and tarpon fishing all being active and frankly, I am ready for a change of pace.

The shallow flats are still going strong and with the passing of the lobster mobster peak assault, the back country is a great place to get away from it all.

Time for a little bit of finesse.  The pursuit of bonefish and permit are the prescription for what ails me. Fortunately there has been a recovery in the bone fish population from over the last few years.

While no one is quite sure why the bonefish numbers were down, it is speculated that the cold snap that we experienced a few years ago had much to do with the drop in numbers.   While the population has not fully recovered, it appears that we are well on the way to a full recovery.  Fortunately for the backcountry fishing, over the last few years the permit population saw no such drop in numbers.

The calm sunny days of fall allow for some great visibility.  Sight casting is easier  when there is no wind to fight.  The only drawback is that while it is easier for you to see the fish it is also easier for them to see you.  Fish that spend time in shallow shark infested waters are some of the most wary animals to be found.  A short lapse in attention can be a fatal error that turns them into a tasty treat.   While you are not the threat that a shark is, a bonefish will not want to stick around to find out what that big shadow is moving into their space.  Suffice it to say, stealth is key to approaching a bonefish or permit close enough to present a bait.

On an outgoing tide, the washes between shallow flats will be the only water deep enough to hold fish.  While low tide is great for concentrating fish it is also a danger for you to get stranded in a wash as the tide continues out. Waiting 4 to 6 hours to be re-floated after getting trapped is not fun.

By slowly moving through the washes you will be able to see schools of bones and often small permit traveling through or just feeding their way through.  Casting a live shrimp will get a response as long as you do not present your bait so close as to spook the fish.  Here live shrimp are just fine for both the bonefish and the smaller permit.  Learn to cast your bait softly.  A side arm cast that travels horizontally will land more softly than a lobbed high pitch that plops down with a huge splash.  The use of a small split shot or light jig head will help with distance in casting.  I also like to make my shrimp weed-less by removing the tail fins, then inserting the hook in the end of the shrimp body, then doubling the hook back into the body to form a kind of Texas worm rig within the shrimp.  Make sure that you slide the split shot right to the shrimp so as to present only one not two splashes.

For the larger permit you will need to present a small live blue crab to get these fish interested.  The larger permit will also be found in slightly deeper water and will have left the flats to congregate on the Gulf side of the flats until the tide gets deep enough to return.

For the purists who prefer to use fly or artificial bait you simply need to exchange the shrimp or crab with an artificial version and then have the patience to suffer through many refusals between each successful hookup.

The best part of all is when I return from a flats trip. There are no coolers of fish waiting to be cleaned.  That is what I call civilized fishing.

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