Permit
Trachinotus falcatus · Carangidae
Also known as: Great pompano
The hardest of the flats species to fool and the one with the most complicated rulebook. In the Special Permit Zone, which includes all of the Florida Keys, harvest is closed 1 April to 31 July to protect spawning aggregations.
- Typical size
- Flats fish are commonly 5-20 lb
- Max size
- Large reef and wreck fish run considerably heavier.
- Water
- Saltwater
- Best season
- FWC puts the most productive months at March through June, peaking in April — which falls inside the Special Permit Zone closure, so in the Keys the best of it is catch and release by law.
Identification
A deep, flat-sided silver fish with a high forehead and a deeply forked tail — a jack rather than a pompano relative in behaviour, though the two are easily confused. Larger fish carry an orange-yellow patch on the belly ahead of the anal fin.
Habitat & Range
Shallow flats and channel edges, and — for larger fish — reefs and wrecks, where FWC notes they form large schools that gather for days at a time.
South Florida, the Keys and Biscayne Bay, and warm Atlantic water generally.
Diet & Feeding
Crabs above all, plus shrimp and other crustaceans taken off the bottom.
Spawning & Reproduction
FWC reports the most productive months for recreational permit fishing are March through June with a peak in April, which coincides with the start of the spawning season, and a secondary peak from November through January when permit aggregate at warm-water areas such as power plants. The Special Permit Zone closure (1 April to 31 July) exists to protect adult spawning aggregations. No agency spawning temperature was found, so none is published.
How to Catch
Know which side of the line you are on. INSIDE the Special Permit Zone — all state and federal waters south of Cape Florida on the Atlantic and south of Cape Sable on the Gulf, including the whole of the Florida Keys and Biscayne Bay south of the Rickenbacker Causeway — the minimum is 22 inches fork length, the bag is 1 per harvester with no more than 2 per vessel, and harvest is CLOSED 1 April to 31 July. Outside the zone it is a 11-22 inch slot with 2 per harvester, one of which may be over 22 inches, open year-round. Checked with FWC on 5 September 2026; confirm before you fish.
Best techniques
- Sight-casting on the flats
- Fly fishing with crab patterns
- Live-baiting on wrecks
Lures & baits
- Live crabs
- Crab flies
- Live shrimp
Best season: FWC puts the most productive months at March through June, peaking in April — which falls inside the Special Permit Zone closure, so in the Keys the best of it is catch and release by law.