Episode 204: Townsville Permit Fishing With Peter Agapiou

Peter’s Tips For Permit On Lures

• Permit and golden Trevally live in similar but not quite the same places but are often encountered in the same session. Goldens like clean water of 2-5ft depth around the Townsville area, with sea grass patches being a definite bonus. they’ll come into estuaries and are always round places where there are known tabby banks. Permit prefer clean sand and are a little harder to pinpoint to a particular structure. they enter estuaries in the Townsville area but don’t go far in, staying close to the mouth.
• Patience, stealth and observation are the keys to success. Move slowly and quietly, use your electric motor or a pole to get into position and stay there. if you’re concerned about running aground then you’re probably fishing the right water!
• Cast at any sign of anything. “Nervous water”, shadows, glints, bait movement, any sign of anything could signal a golden or permit is nearby.
• These species are often found associated with turtles, stingrays and shovelnose sharks, so if you see those animals you’re in the right area and they’re worth putting casts near. GT’s , salmon and other Trevally May also turn up on the flats with larger animals or fish.
• Flat’s fishing is all about visibility. Clear water, clear skies and still conditions provide the best opportunity to see into the water. The window of opportunity is usually between 10m and 2pm when the sun is higher in the sky.
• Golden Trevally are often seen tailing, but not always, so don’t assume that because you can’t see tailing fish that there is nothing there. Permit rarely tail.
• Clear water helps, but in the case of golden trevally it’s sometimes still possible to see them in slightly discoloured water if they happen to be tailing.

Peter’s Permit Fishing Spin Gear

• A fast actioned 6’8” to 7‘ spin rod in the 6-10lb line class with a 3000 size reel, 4-6lb braid and 5 feet of 20lb fluorocarbon leader is all that’s required. Peter Uses St Croix Avid Series and Legend Tournament rods, which are perfectly designed for flats fishing.

Peter’s Permit Lure Selection

• Peter’s #1 lure choice is a buck tail jig in the 1/4 to 1/2oz size range in either white or chartreuse colour. If golden trevally are “mudding” (head down, tail up gulping large amounts of sand to find yabbies and other food items) the lures are best cast close to their heads and simply twitched around – they’ll usually get snapped up quickly. For permit or goldens on the move the lures need to be cast well in front of them and worked a little more briskly, allowing them to come into contact with the bottom occasionally to puff up sand.
• The Cranka Crab is a great lure for permit, although goldens will often take them too. All sizes of Cranka crab will work. Cast these lures ahead of fish and then work them as slowly as possible along the bottom. Peter suggests putting the rod tip in the water and slowly dragging the lure along, then winding the line up to avoid slack and repeating the process.
• Z-Man 3” Paddle Tail Minnows on 1/4oz jig heads are a great option that golden trevally will often take even when they reject a crab imitation. Don’t bother throwing these lures at permit, it’s a waste of time. Peter usually casts the paddle tails in front of moving fish and burns them fairly quickly across the face of the fish. GT’s and other Trevally, as well as blue salmon are often caught using this technique also.