Roatan's wily permit might surprise you

Permit are often viewed as a measuring stick among fly fishers. These wiley flats fish have confounded anglers of all stripes for generations. Catching one is cause for celebration. Catching several permit — particularly in one trip to the flats — is a notable feat. 

Enter Paul Jones, a lifelong angler and guide whose sole mission on his July 2024 trip to Ocean Breeze Villa was to connect with permit. The Villa, situated on the east of the island of Roatan about 30 miles off the coast of Honduras, is one of our newest destinations, and it’s also one of our most dependable permit destinations. 

Roatan has been known as a diving destination for decades — its reefs and wrecks are legendary. But, in recent years, fly fishers are figuring out what divers have always known: Roatan is fishy. 

And Paul, after reading about our trip to the Villa to chase permit, bonefish and tarpon, took a chance and became our first official guest at the Villa. He wasn’t disappointed. 

“It was a great trip,” Paul said. “I wanted to catch permit, and I wasn’t disappointed.”

How many permit? Over the course of six days on the water, Paul landed six permit. He also  caught tarpon and bonefish, but the permit — the reason he came to Roatan — put a smile on his face. 

We’re not into disclaimers here at Hatch Adventure Travel. We believe in the destinations we offer to our clients. That said, it’s important to note that a trip to the Villa is unlike any other trip we offer. It’s an authentic Caribbean experience on an island that’s endured the influence of European colonialism for more than 500 years — Columbus “discovered” the Bay Islands of Honduras in 1501.

This isn’t the wild west of flats fishing. Rather, it’s a unique destination where, even when chasing permit or tarpon, you’re likely to be among the community of Roatan. Sure, there are far-flung flats in the middle of nowhere, but there are also flats where you’ll be stalking bonefish while uniformed school children are motoring down the boat channel on their way to class. 

When you visit the Villa, you dispatch with the idea of glitzy resorts. There are no wristbands or sneeze guards here. At the Villa, meals are carefully crafted by local cooks using local ingredients — and you’ll enjoy each meal with a view of the sea with bottomless Salva Vida beer or an endless tumbler of good, rich Caribbean rum. Each morning, you’ll meet your guide and off you’ll go to find fish. Sometimes you’ll find fish on a small flat across the island’s natural gas depot, and sometimes you’ll find fish on a distant flat far from everything. 

The East End of Roatan doesn’t hide anything. You see it all, from clapboard houses and big, smiling faces to hole-in-the-wall bars accessible only by boat and wonderful oceanside houses that stand sentry over a stunning stretch of beach. Each night at the Reef House bar, you’ll likely meet an ex-pat American or Canadian who might say, “I saw you fishing across from Jerlene’s. How’d you do?”

That’s real. That’s authentic. And, if you ask Paul Jones … that’s where the permit are.  

Drop us a line if visiting Roatan is in the cards for you. We guarantee you won’t experience anything else like it, and if your mind is open and your double-haul is appropriately dialed in, you might be able to match Paul’s feat of six permit.