Update on 4# permit fishing

Recently I’ve gotten (re)involved in another world record attempt, this time the four pound tippet record for permit. We’ve been fishing on four pound on and off for years now, going back to before we ever threw two pound. In fact, we only switched to two pound after catching a fair number on four–a product of some dubious math that told us it would be easier to catch a 10+ pound fish on 2 than a 24+ on 4. I’m still trying to figure out if that was right or not, but I digress.

In the end the two pound fell first, and I was tarpon fishing on six more, and we kind of shelved the four in pursuit of other things. Now that I have some time to commit to permit fishing in the fall, there’s a familiar feeling coming back in to my life that I miss when it’s gone: one of impossibility. I’ve got something to keep focused on, and it’s starting to feel fun again.

John O’Hearn and Zach Stells are my  partners in crime this time. We’ve lost eight fish over the last few months of trying, which is frustrating. As part of an ongoing film project we’ve been a part of, we have also gotten most of this difficulty on film. It feels less thrilling to write it down than it’s been to go through it, and recently it’s started to feel like we don’t know what we’re doing. The weather, the fish, the gear have all been working against us, and we have lost all eight fish to various things not going our way in the small number of chances we’ve been given.

This week things turned around, and we went two for two on four pound tippet. The fights were fast and clean (9 and 11 minutes) and the fish (one 12 and the other 13 pounds) swam off no worse for wear. Neither were big enough to get us where we needed to be, as the current record stands at 24 pounds, but it was a great feeling to know that we were heading in the right direction. Both fish combined weigh more than the current record, and while that means precisely nothing on its face it does have a nice ring to it and certainly gives us some much needed confidence. A 25-pounder is a hard fish to find these days, but that’s ok: if it was easy, it wouldn’t be any fun. Here’s what the two fish looked like:

With the benefit of some good luck on our side I think we are all committed to the plan going forward, and while we will no doubt be interrupted by tarpon season I think it’s safe to say we are in it for the long haul. I’m actually going on a trip to a faraway land in a few days, which I’m excited about, though I will miss the grind of trying to set this record. It will be waiting for me when we get back, which is more than enough to keep me going until then.

More to come,

 

Nathaniel