It wasn’t terribly long ago that catching a permit on fly on the flats was considered a Herculean feat. Fast forward only slightly in time to the Del Brown Permit Fly Tournament. This year, averaging two permit a day over the 3 day event would just be good enough for second place! A combination of stealthier boats, better angling and a more intimate understanding of permit from the poling tower has added up to far more success of actually catching this previously misunderstood, now tournament-targeted fish.
Del Brown himself, a legend with over 500 permit on fly to his credit (taken mostly with Capt. Steve Huff and also with Steve’s son Dustin and Capt. Dale Perez) was elated when tournament founder and director Charlotte Ambrogio first presented the idea of a permit flyfishing competition to him. He even voiced that it was totally overdue. When news of the tournament’s name was revealed to him, he was totally humbled and deeply honored and reflected that while speaking at the inaugural event.
The Del Brown Tournament was originally fished in March. After several untimely cold snaps throttled down catches, including a severe one in ‘05 that Andy Mill and Dustin Huff won by squeaking out two fish on the final day, Mill fortuitously spearheaded the drive to move the event to a more angling-productive, meteorologically friendly season. July received the nearly unanimous vote and this year’s Ninth Annual Del carded an all-time tournament record of 27 permit!
Day One was a 4 fish explosion out of the gate for angler Mike Allen and Capt. Will Benson aboard Benson’s 17′ Mirage. They took a commanding, seemingly unsurpassable lead. But, on Day Two, Greg Vincent and Capt. Justin Rea, teaming up for just one fish on Day One, turned all heads with a dazzling 5 fish performance. This rare, well-timed permit quintuple was taken from five different flats. Some divine intervention (or good clean livin’) steered fish number three of the day into the net. A 12 pounder pinned down one of Justin’s home-tied rubber-legged merkins, and zipped off in classic ‘mit fashion. The fish bee-lined for a dozing nurse shark, smashed into it with full force, woke up the brown lethargic log and then tucked itself directly underneath the cartilaginous obstacle! This stressful scene went on for nearly a full minute, to the point where Vincent could feel the chafing of the leader against that sand papery exterior. Finally, in a seldom witnessed display of speed, the irritated nurse “sprinted” away into a channel.
Benson had taken a gamble on Day Two and tried to cement the win with a whopper and win the Largest Fish award. They found the right school in the right spot, getting the bite to land their biggest, a 17 pounder that unfortunately was not long enough in this tournament of inches.
On Day Three before 9:30 a.m., Allen fired one of Will’s custom-tied refined merkins on the plate, had a great eat and tucked away 150 pointer to take a 50 point lead. With all of the ad nauseam discussions and controversy about pattern selection, color and size, it is precisely here that Benson disagrees with the masses about permit. He firmly believes in placement and stripping in a manner that is convincing enough to induce commitment. Other top producing guides and anglers also agree that, if you’re expecting to catch more permit with an invisible line, at a secret spot, or with a magic fly, it’s simply not going to happen.
Allen did have 3 other fish come unbuttoned over the course of three days. One was a 12 pounder that crushed the fly and rejoined 40 other fish and then mysteriously broke 12 pound leader. Two others managed somehow to eject the fly after happily inhaling, evaporating line off the deck and even coming tight on the reel. This bad luck is found only in tournaments, for sure.
Del Brown '09 Grand Champion Greg Vincent
But luck of another kind once again blessed Greg Vincent and Justin Rea. On the final day, Vincent stuck a standard issue 12 pounder that ran in routine fashion for the safety of a deeper channel. The team cranked up the big motor to follow. What happened next was anything but routine. A big loggerhead surfaced and the hooked fish desperately tucked underneath the turtle for two miserable minutes, at one point wrapping the leader around a rear flipper. Vincent somehow managed to get untangled but the permit stubbornly remained in the shadow of its host. Unsure of the damage the barnacle encrusted shell might have done to the 15 pound fluorocarbon tippet, Rea suggested backing off to half drag and babying the fish to the boat. Frustrated, Rea slapped his pushpole on the surface, the noise split up the unlikely pair, and he netted the winning fish.
Benson and Allen took Second with an impressive 6 fish. Angler Scott Crippen and Capt. Geoff Quatraro from Fort Pierce, grabbed Third with 4 fish. Crippen and Quatraro also won Best New Angler and Best New Guide Awards.
In addition to winning Grand Champion Honors with seven permit, Vincent and Rea also claimed Largest Fish with a 30 inch to the fork white lipped silvery disc. Originally from the U.K., Vincent owns and operates H2O Bonefishing, a flyfishing outfitter located on Grand Bahama Island. A mini fleet of 6 Mavericks will flyfish for species ranging from bonefish to yellowfin tuna, and everything in between. He is reachable, along with partner Jason Franklin, at 954-364-7590.
For info on the 2010 Del Brown, contact Charlotte Ambrogio at 305-942-0428.