Captain’s Corner: Ed Walker

The Tampa Bay Times

By Ed Walker

April is the month that permit return to Suncoast waters in good numbers. There are a lot more permit here than most folks realize. As a freediver I can tell you for sure that just about every wreck in more than 30 feet of water from Tampa Bay to New Port Richey holds some number of permit in April and May. The big wrecks may have 3 or 4 swimming around or they may have 200.

The tricky part about catching them is finding them when you have the right bait and tackle. More often than not we stumble into a school of big permit when we are looking for kingfish or snapper and we do not have the magic bait- small live crabs.

Wreck permit almost never bite artificial baits, not even the very best crab imitations. I have tried many and never found a good one. Sometimes you can coax a bite or two of you use live shrimp but even then it’s not the best.

In the North Pinellas area it is difficult to dip pass crabs since they do not flow heavily out the passes like they do in Tampa Bay. The best luck I have had catching crabs near Tarpon Springs is to wade the flats at low tide and scoop them up with a net as they scurry out from under your feet.

If you happen to have some live crabs the same day you find the permit, the rest is pretty easy. Using a 25 foot fluorocarbon leader in the 25 to 30 pound class simply cast a crab in the direction of the fish and watch them come running to get it.