Swoffa - Saltwater Flyfishing Australia saltwater fly fishing australia
Australia's best flyfishing
Permit trachinotus blochii
aka: Australian Permit, Snub Nosed Dart, Oyster Cracker, Snub-nosed Pompano

 

Aussie version of one of the most sought-after and elusive saltwater fly fishing targets on the planet.

The top half of Australia is well populated with these fish and like their Pacific counterparts, they are one of the most difficult fly targets to catch. A lot of skill, patience and dedication is needed when targetting these fish.

They are a tropical species found from Exmouth in the North West all the way across the Top End, into far North Queensland around Cape York and as far South as Hervey Bay.

 

They inhabit open surf beaches, headlands, sheltered offshore reefs, ocean reefs, coral cays, estuaries, lagoons and estuarine river mouths.

They prefer areas adjacent to rocky areas and around coral and sandy bottoms and can congregate in large schools to feed, sometimes 'daisy chaining' where they swim in a circular formation in schools of between 5 to 50 fish.

 

There are two different sub-species of Australian permit, Trachinotus Blochii and Trachinotus Anak.


 
Tackle and methods for Permit

What tackle to use
8 - 10wt outfit, 12-15lb fluorocarbon leaders of at least 9 feet, reels with super smooth drag systems

What flies to use
Crab fly or Del's Merkin; Clousers; Floating crab; Prawn imitations; Gotchas; Crazy Charlies

Fishing strategy
Crustacean imitations, sinking, suspending and floating - depending on conditions and the fish's feeding pattern. Estuary mouths are prime territory in far North Queensland, but they also like open surf beaches, headlands, sheltered offshore reefs, ocean reefs, coral cays, and lagoons like in Exmouth in the West. They feeds on molluscs, crabs and other hard-shelled invertebrates - they love crabs!

A successful technique is to present the fly to fish feeding visibly on food items being flushed out at estuary mouths. They also feed actively in working surf and surf gutters or holes off beaches. Large solitary individuals often feed around the rubble zones of reefs. Crabs and prawns are not generally items that flee at high speed - so presentation needs to be careful and the methods of retreive range from a stationary fly, slow or small strips and long pauses. These fish are difficult to find, difficult to see and difficult to coax with the fly.


 
Target Permit in the following locations:

Target Permit with the following guides:


Australian Flyfishing Outfitters

Carpentaria Seafaris

Exmouth Fly Fishing

Fish Philliskirk

One Tree Beach

Wilderness Island
Links to more information

http://fishbase.fishinfo.cn/summary/speciessummary.php?id=1963
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