Top Ten Global Fly-Fishing Spots

Top Ten National Park Lodges Photo Gallery

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Permit arguably represent the Holy Grail of saltwater fly-fishing. Tarpon may be bigger and bonefish may be faster, but permit are far, far harder to catch. And isn't that one of the main reasons people fish with flies instead of live bait? It's harder. Bonefish may be wary, but saucer-shaped permit are positively paranoid. Permit are also larger, stronger, and nearly as fast as the more common bonefish. Just spotting a cruising permit qualifies as an event, but that's easy compared to the next part—interesting him in your fly.

Hooking a permit calls for a flawless cast, presentation, and retrieve. There are no second chances against this hyper-cautious fish. One strike and you're out. So, if you're up for a battle of wits with the finickiest fish in the sea, head for the finest permit fishing grounds on earth—the vast flats of Ascension Bay. And if the permit prove too tough for you, there's always the surrounding Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, a national park crawling with jaguars, pumas, ocelots, tapirs, and monkeys. So don't forget to pack you camera along with your fly rod.