Christiaan Pretorius: Chasing the holy grail

In the world of saltwater fly fishing, few pursuits are as challenging—or as deeply rewarding—as targeting permit. Often hailed as the “Holy Grail” of fly fishing, permit are notoriously difficult to catch, requiring patience, precision, and a healthy dose of grit. For seasoned guide and exploratory fly fisherman Christiaan Pretorius, the quest for permit has been a transformative journey, pushing his skills and knowledge to new heights. Born and raised in South Africa, Christiaan’s early years of fishing in local streams set him on a path to a global career, guiding in some of the world’s most breathtaking saltwater flats in the Indian Ocean, The Far East and beyond.

By THE EDITORIAL STAFF

Christiaan’s approach to permit fishing is more than a technical discipline; it’s a way of life. With his passion for chasing permit across the globe, he has gained a wealth of experience and insight that’s both humbling and inspiring. In this interview, he shares his memories, hard-won lessons, and the evolution of his craft, offering a glimpse into what it takes to pursue one of fly fishing’s most elusive and captivating species.

From his first encounter with a permit on the remote flats of Mauritius to his tips for beginners aiming to up their permit game, Christiaan’s story is filled with unforgettable moments, reflections on technique, and the sense of adventure that only comes from a life spent on the water.

How did you get into permit?

Growing up in South Africa we are limited as far as our options to fly fish. I spent most of my time fishing some streams for trout, yellowfish and whatever else had gills. If I wasn’t physically fishing, I would spend my time paging through the fly fishing magazines my dad had collected over the years. This is what really sparked my interest as far as what is available across borders.

Permit for me at start was just another fish, a fish that looked kind of cool with its big eyes and steely flanks, and people always wore big smiles posing with them. Fast forward a couple of years and I got my first job as rookie guide working for Fly Castaway. The first destination I would see: St Brandons atoll, Mauritius.

What kind of memories do you have from your first ever permit?

The visuals of what went down that day is as fresh as the coffee I am sipping on now. It was literally my first week ever saltwater flats fishing. Fishing is a relative term; I was actually shadow guiding the maestro, Tim Babich. This basically involves anchoring the boat, carrying coolers, rigging, dragging the boat and whatever creative ideas Tim could come up with to keep me busy. It’s part of the game. You must start from the bottom and work your way up.

Well, I guess that moment came a little sooner than expected. I think it was day three on St Brandons when myself and Tim actually had the film crew from Yellow Dog with us while busy filming “Waypoints”.

We proceeded to hit a couple of spots while Tim caught some great fish in front of the camera. This was such a cool day to see someone that is so dialed at the game, which is saltwater fly fishing.

We finally reached high tide, Tim handed me a 9wt and said he thinks it’s the best idea if we split up and walk separate ways around an Island called Ill Paul Island. It would take too long for him to do it by himself.

I walked around the Northern edge of the island when I saw three fish moving down the edge towards me. To my surprise they ended up being permit. I have only maybe seen 4-5 other permit earlier in the week, and these fish had no meaning to me. I basically stood right there, took my little fleeing crab off the rod, stripped off some line and made a cast about 2ft in front of the leading fish.

I waited until I felt the fish was close and made on long slow draw. It was remarkable, this fish actually balanced on his head with its tail clear out of the water. I tried to move the fly again only to realize that my fly was in fact inside the permit’s mouth.

I was in absolute shock. Did I actually just hook this mythical fish that everyone keeps talking about? I jumped on the radio, told Tim I am hooked up on a permit. He laughed and said “Good one”, “Haha”. Anyway, they came over and we managed to get everything on film, what a special moment, my first permit, all on film too. And not yet knowing how much this fish will mean to me in the years to come.

What’s next in permit fishing for you?

I have caught three species of permit, but have yet to catch the “Africanus”. I still must go spend some more time in Oman to tick that final box. I have been to Oman twice now but never really focused on the Africanus. It was out of season and fishing for other species was just a more appealing option for me.

I really do love fishing to permit while wading flats, or islands etc. It’s just not the same from a boat, but in many cases fishing on foot is just not possible for Africanus. Oman is one of those places where you will mainly have to fish to Africanus from a boat. I think this is probably the most “unique” way of fishing for permit. Indo Pacific, T.Anak and Atlantic permit are all mostly caught on flats - the traditional way using classic but refined methods. All in all, they are very similar in behavior, with some slight differences in appearance. I enjoy fishing to all of them.

What’s your favourite permit species to target and why?

My favorite permit is the next one I will be casting at. No jokes aside, it’s nearly impossible to choose one species over the next. They are all damn special and unique in their own way.

I do think that I have favoured destinations as far as permit fishing goes.

It’s hard to beat the stunningly beautiful and remote flats of the Seychelles. It’s just the most pristine place to cast a fly at them but then again, catching an Atlantic permit in Mexico using floating crabs, man, that is as good as it gets. Then you go to Australia and fish for them in river mouths, where most fish you will see is bigger than 12lbs. Every destination brings another reason to love that specific fish.

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned along the way, when it comes to permit?

Permit gets put on a pedestal. They have been called the “Holy Grail” of fly fishing. Why? Permit is also just a fish on the move looking for food; same as bonefish, same as most other fish so why do we make such a big fuss?

I think the simple answer is that your encounters might be few and far in between and you expect to catch every fish you see every time you put a fly in front of them.

They are just way more sensitive to other fish species that frequent the same water. These fish demand a bit more respect in the form of perfect presentation, longer than normal casts, perfect fly for the situation, perfect movement of the fly for the situation.

If I had to try narrow it down to one specific thing, I have learnt to make the first shot count. There is no time for practice casts when it comes to permit. You should have practiced before you attempt catching one. You should have confidence that you made the perfect cast, you should have confidence in the fly that you tied. Then you hook one, you should have the confidence in your gear; smooth drag, leader setup, quality of the hook. You just must be dialed on so many levels to consistently catch these spectacular fish. Basically, permit just forces you to be better, on all levels.

Any other important tips for honing your permit skills?

I think permit just demand a bit more finesse in most cases.

Making that first cast count is incredibly important, and not only for permit but for other species too. These are things that specifically targeting permit has taught me over the years.

I have spent hours and hours tying leaders to find the right formulas for turning over long leaders with crab flies. I always like to fish the longest possible leader for most cases. Then also trying to perfect the flies that I tie, different sink rates, different sizes, different hooks, different material. As you can tell, it becomes an absolute mental game with these fish. I choose it to be that way because I have spent the time on the water to back my capabilities, gear, guides etc. Finally, it becomes a matter of feeding the fish. They are on the flats for the specific reason and that is to eat.

What’s your favourite kit for permit?

First thing I look at when planning a permit trip is what size fish I will be fishing for and the terrain we will mainly fish. Will it be sandy flats, turtle grass flats with reef edges, reefs?

For instance, if I will be fishing a place like St Brandons where the average fish is maybe slightly smaller and most of the flats you will fish is pretty flat bottom sand or turtle grass, then I would actually go down to a 7wt rod. The reason being the diameter of the line will also in most cases allow me more shots at fish before they feel the pressure. Also, I like pretty small #4 and #6 Alphlexo Crabs that are very easy to cast so a delicate presentation is great.

In the Bahamas, Caribbean, I will mainly use a 10wt. Those permit are giant, and often you also cast bigger crabs at them. In Puerto Rico, we were fishing on the reef where you really needed a 9 or 10wt rod to just give that fish maximum pressure before he takes you to the reef. So, to answer the question in short, there is not one specific setup.