Stripping Permit Flies: Branham's Secrets

September 6, 2006 By: Marshall Cutchin

I’m usually reluctant to talk about any guide’s highly developed techniques, especially if the guide isn’t getting full credit for “authorship.” But Sue Cocking’s article about Bob Branham’s M.O.E. fly stripping technique for permit lets the cat out of the bag, appearing this morning in the McClatchy newspapers. “‘Crab flies, you don’t strip because they tend to spin and act un-crablike,” he said. ‘Most people have success throwing the crab fly, letting it settle and waiting for the fish to eat it. But it’s hard to tell when the fish eats it. I like to be proactive; I don’t want to guess. If that happened day after day, I’d be frustrated. No wonder these guides are so ill-tempered.”’
For permit aficionados, this is a must-read piece, since Branham reveals at least half of what he knows about attracting permit to stripped flies and Cocking even describes his favored pattern. And bonefishers should check out Branham’s Razberry fly; I caught a 10-pound fish on it with Branham and MidCurrent reader Chris Miller in June.