The Thrill of the Hunt

The Thrill of The Hunt:

Most fly fisherman that have been in the sport a bit have been told of the cycle an angler goes through in their angling life. In so many words, that cycle is (1) you want to catch a fish (2) you want to catch a lot of fish (3) you want to catch a big fish (4) you want to catch a lot of big fish (5) you don’t give a shit anymore you just like being out there. Despite being a cliché, I think most anglers will admit that this so called cycle is fairly accurate, and furthermore recognize where they fit within that cycle. When it comes to this cycle, I don’t think any angler ever thinks they will get to stage 5. Instead, most fisherman think they will stop at stage 4, where they want to catch a lot of big fish for all eternity. This is the case until one day they are standing waist deep in some water somewhere, and realize almost by accident, that stage 5 is upon them.

For me, 2017 was that year. I never got to the point that I didn’t really want to catch the fish I was after, but I did get to the point that I was willing to forego success in exchange for the thrill and chance that I could catch the fish I wanted to catch, the way I wanted to catch it. While I’m not going to glorify some bullshit story about how catching less fish leads to enlightenment, I will say that one benefit of stage 5 is the willingness to pursue hard to capture species, and if you are lucky enough, the opportunity to hold such a fish and capture that moment you never forget. There are some fish that each fish you catch stands out in your mind, because you don’t catch many of them and the circumstances surrounding each catch are unique, making each fish unforgettable.

The permit epitomizes all of the above. They are spooky, tough to get to eat even when the fly is presented properly, often only allow for one cast before the opportunity is lost, and often are found in places where wind, and other elements require you to fish under conditions that are outside your comfort zone. While catching the fish itself is a royal pain in the ass, the hunt in pursuit of permit is perhaps the most enjoyable type of fishing I’ve ever done. For the past 4 years, I’ve fished in Belize pursuing these fish and in approximately 40 days on the water have landed only 9 permit. For anyone counting that is less than 1 fish every 4 days. Why keep trying then? First, the hunt is intense and engaging.I think the average sportsman can see the appeal and joy that comes from the highly focused pursuit, as you cover beautiful flats and visually scan for the target you hope to cast to. Secondly, in the case of Belize you get a ton of shots- you just blow a lot of them. The permit has an uncanny way of making even the most seasoned angler go to hell in the most critical moments. The cast you have made 100 out of a 100 times becomes a 20% shot and even on that cast you laid in there, its fair to say you blacked out and just got lucky. To my point about stage 5 however, what other fish can you say scares the shit out of you every single time you see them, even when you have seen them hundreds if not thousands of times before? Merely spotting a permit is a hell of a drug, let alone hooking one.

Beyond the fish itself, the adventure of pursuing permit in Central America is authentic and the feeling that you are experiencing the real deal is exhilarating. In pursuing this fish the last 4 years, I have slept in hammocks on un-named islands where there were no residents, thrown at and caught tarpon from those same islands at night as we enjoyed rum and brownie edibles, and have traded a half bottle of rum for 2 clawless lobsters to a random man in a canoe in the middle of the ocean so as to understand the true meaning of a barter system.

My most recent trip over this past Thanksgiving, I fished 4 days. Disclaimer- no permit were landed. We landed a good amount of bonefish and a tarpon- but when you are permit fishing catching anything else feels wrong- and the guilt of settling for another, easier to capture species is real. When I left Belize this Monday however, I did not have the regret that would be expected when you come to a place to capture a fish and don’t actually catch it. Part of the thrill of the hunt is the willingness to keep hunting and the desire to come back.