Isle of Youth

This is flat's fishing that is beyond your wildest dreams!  

The Isle of Youth (Isla de la Juventud) lays 100km off the coast of mainland Cuba, nearly straight south of Havana. It is a large island, 2200 sq. km, about fifty miles across, and somewhat round in shape. Today it is home to 75,000 Cubans, mostly located in the only major city, Nueva Gerona, at the northern end of the island. Once a haven for pirates such as Francis Drake and Henry Morgan, it was then called Parrot Island and became the basis for Robert Lewis Stevenson's "Treasure Island".  Later it became known as the Isle of Pines and you'll still see lots of pine trees as you drive across this beautiful island.
 
Famous American angling author Joe Brooks spent many a day fishing the flats of the Isle of Pines for tarpon, bonefish and permit back in the 1950's, and wrote about his exploits in the American magazine, Outdoor Life. Back then the fishing was unbelievable.   Then came the Cuban revolution in 1959 and all sport fishing ceased for the next fifty years! Commercial fishermen netted a variety of fish and shrimp here, but now most of the pristine flats have been turned into a Cuban National Marine Park, where no commercial fishing is allowed other than for lobster. Interestingly, on these same flats that Joe Brooks wrote about fifty years ago, the fishing is still unbelievable and should now remain so with the protection as a Marine Park.
 
In 1978 Cuba re-named the Isle of Pines Isla de la Juventud, the Isle of Youth for the many children that were coming to the island from around the world to advance their education.

The area we fish is gigantic,  seventy-five miles of flats from the Northern side of the Isle of Youth down the East side and then back out to the East in a chain of islands, the Cannarreos Archipelago, that runs all the way to Cayo Largo on the eastern end.  This is an area of flats and small uninhabited mangrove islands larger than much of the Florida Keys, from Marathon to Key West! With our Cuban partners Angling Direct Holidays has an exclusive on this new area. You are fishing an area that had not been sport fished for over fifty years until we opened our operation in 2006. Even now the flats receive so little fishing pressure that the fish are incredibly easy to catch.

In the Isle of Youth we utilize Dolphin Super Skiffs, made in the USA, some of the finest flats skiffs ever designed. The larger 18 foot  Super Skiffs we use in Gerona with Yamaha 90 HP motors are perfect for covering a lot of territory and have enough fuel capacity to run over 100 miles in a day.  

Anglers fishing out of Gerona board the skiffs at our private dock on the Jucaro river, and a short ten minute run across a shallow bay puts you into the island system where it is easy to run and fish on the lee side of the islands to combat the wind. The island system to the North has many larger channels where there is a resident population of good sized Tarpon, with many fish in the 50-80 pound class.   Later in the spring and summer Tarpon up to 150 lb have been caught.  Snook and Bonefish are found in substantial numbers in these same waters. Although the snook are more elusive, our guides have found many good spots to fish along the mangrove lined shorelines, often over white sand bottom.  The average snook are in the 18-25 inch range, but many fish in the 30-40 inch class have been taken by fly fishing.  Bonefish are plentiful everywhere it seems, especially in the many shallow lagoons throughout the islands. 

 The Oceanside flats to the south offer wonderful wade fishing opportunities on hard sand bottom.  The bonefish seem to average 3-5 pounds but occasionally larger fish are seen and taken, right up to 10 pounds. Permit are also found on selected flats both on the "inside" and on the "outside" flats, most fish are in the 15-25 lb class. Mutton Snapper and Cubera Snapper are very common in all of the larger channels that run through the island system.   Many Mutton snapper over ten pounds get caught on fly, right up to 15 pounds –world record size!    Nearly everyone catches a big Mutton or two when fishing for Tarpon in the channels. Jack Crevalle is also common, both in the channels and out on the flats.

What our customers have to say: "We had a great time and you where spot on with the Bonefish, it was just amazing." Dr T Smith "The fishing and area was just so unspoilt, I know its a trek each morning but everyday was worth it ten times over, we will be back soon. " Darren Hope. "Got my first Bonefish over 10lb, something I will never forget and ever thank you enough for. "Pat & Julie Roy. "Thank you to all the guides for taking good care of us all, I got a Tarpon to stick and stay on in the end. I think i was driving the guides mad but they never showed it. Great fun see you next time." Richard Foster "Caught my first Tarpon on the fly, not massive but a 20lb it was a great way to start, another great memory with you guy's thanks again. " Paul Hatchet. "I just never want to stop, watching Tarpon busting and rolling just under my flies, has to be the best way of fishing in the world, top trip. "Gary Blaine .

For both your first and last night you will be staying in Havana. Note if you wish to extend your tour you can have additional days in Havana to see more of this beautiful country.

Hotel Parque Central Havana Cuba

B/B

As a sign of modernity and distinction raises the Hotel Parque Central in the middle of heart of the legendary and historical center of the city of the Havana, leaving to the light some vestiges of other times, transformed into arcades that didn't want to give to the unshakable step of the time. The Hotel Parque Central occupies the whole block of the street Neptune between the interceptions of Padro and Zulueta, in front of the Parque Central, thanks to its excellent location, the main tourist attractions of the old Havana are very close to this hotel.

Hotel Parque Central Rooms, with fabulous views of Old Havana are very comfortable and roomy with a soft one carpeted, comfortable upholstered seats, double glasses that provide an escape to the high levels of noise, wooden furniture of classic style and a well designed illumination characterize to the rooms of the Hotel Parque Central, almost all have a fabulous view to the Parque Central, the famous Walk of the Grassland and to the buildings with Baroque style and Rococo that surround it.

The Hotel Parque Central has 277 rooms divided in Standard 234 Double Rooms, 13 Superior Rooms, 11 Junior Suite, 12 Suites, 6 Master Suite and 1 Presidential Suite.

The Junior Suites in the Hotel Parque Central follows the same stylistic lines that the rooms standard and the superior rooms, but they have an area of being quite big and two French windows with excellent views of the Walk of the Grassland or of the Parque Central. The area of the bedroom has little privacy regarding the area of being for what these rooms are not ideal for meetings of business. The bathrooms are big with double lavamanos in a marble support.

The Suites Master in the Parque Central is those that can be used for parties, meetings, etc. without the companies or the partners feel that you have invited them to your bedroom. The Suites consist on three separate rooms. An attractive living room very near the door with their bathroom for companies. Then it is the room to have dinner or meetings that it includes a desk in the furniture to take place. To the great bedroom one enters through a separate door and you is luxuriously equipped with a floral green carpet, furniture of classic style and the covered window by curtains. The bathrooms are tiled blank, beige and dark red marble, with the area of the bathroom and of the toilet separated from the double lavamanos and the shower.

The Presidential room in the Parque Central is magnificent. With their privileged position above the park has a wonderful view of the noble facades of the surroundings, the exquisite brass goddesses that crown the towers of the Great Theater of Havana and the imposing vault of the Capitol. The vast drawing of the room opens up with a series of French windows on its own balcony that opens up toward the right of the center of the building. The library and the office/meeting place have some well equipped booksellers and the room finds out it equips with old furniture and silk curtains and elegant brocades. He/she also has an area to use as wardrobe and a room of enormous bathroom with a Jacuzzi

Hotel Rancho.

F/B

The Hotel Rancho El Tesoro is located on the outskirts of Gerona, the Isle of Youth's largest city of 75,000 people. "Hotel Rancho" offers comfortable accommodations for our anglers with large single rooms for each angler.  Each room has excellent beds, good AC, lots of storage space and good showers. Your maids will clean your room each day and will also do laundry for you if you like. (Please leave a suitable tip for these extra services)  Security at the hotel is excellent and the front desk is open on a 24 hour basis. Telephone service is available to anywhere in the world as well as internet capability for hotel guests.

Meals are superb, a combination of classic Cuban dishes like smoked pork, chicken, black bean soup, rice and beans but also fresh fish like mutton snapper and grouper. The French fries are out of this world.   Salads with fresh tomatoes and other vegetables are served with olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar dressing.   Our chef is happy to prepare sashimi from freshly caught fish of the day.   Evening meals feature several different entrees, and our chef has often been accused of preparing enough food for twice the number of people we'll have at the table. We can promise you that no one will go hungry on this trip!  Anglers staying at Hotel Rancho have their own private dining room, as well as their own private chef and wait staff.  The dining room is air-conditioned and used not only for meals but also as a place to relax before dinner with a perfect Mojito and perhaps a classic Cuban Cigar.

This is a suggest itinerary which can be changed if you so wished to suit your requirements personally.

11 - Days / 6 - Days Guided Fishing

Day 1 (Friday)	Flights are available from Virgin, Iberia and Air France Arrive HAVANA (HAV) PM On Arrival you will walk through the terminal building where outside our representive's will be waiting, holding up your name. They will then transfer you to the Parque Central Hotel in Havana. (Note: The transfer is not included and payable locally) Rest of the evening is yours to either relax or explore Havana's many clubs and bars. Overnight: Accommodation Parque Central Hotel in Havana B/B
Day 2 (Saturday)	Early wake up and meet in the hotel reception where you will be transferred for your domestic flight to the lsle of Youth (25 min flight) On arrival transfer from the airport to the Hotel Rancho. Overnight: Accommodation Hotel Rancho F/B
Day 3 to 8 (Sunday to Friday)	7.00 am Wake-Up call and breakfast 7.30 Transfer to the fishing dock (15 Min Ride) 8.00 Depart with guides for your full days fishing with packed lunch. Note: Schedule can be changed according to your preferences and your guides suggestions. Overnight: Accommodation Hotel Rancho F/B
Day 9 (Saturday)	Lunchtime transfer back to domestic airport for your return flight back to Havana. On arrival you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight: Accommodation Parque Central Hotel in Havana B/B
Day 10 (Sunday)	Subject to your flight time arrange a airport transfer with the hotel reception back to Havana airport. Depart HAVANA (HAV)
Day 11 (Monday)	Arrive London AM

Departure Dates & Prices

Dates	11 days / 6 days fishing
Low season (All year accept the below dates)	From £2,460 pp
High Season March 1st - 6th June	From £3,199 pp
Peak Season 4th April - May 30th	From £3,399 pp

Additional Pricing Info:

Note: The above prices are per person and are based on two people sharing accommodation, transfers and fishing. These prices are for guide purposes only. Prices will increase or decrease dependant on number of people sharing accommodation or the fishing.

Whats Included & Excluded

Options Business Class Flight Upgrades.

What's Included International return flights Transfers to / from domestic airport, transfers from international airport. 2 night's accommodation on B/B basis Hotel Parque Central 7 night’s accommodation Hotel Rancho F/B 6 Full day/s fishing as indicated on itinerary. Fishing License’s Packed lunch while fishing Marine Park License.

What's Excluded Holiday insurance Personal items Local Tips Local Departure Tax

Enquiries & Bookings

Once you have an idea of what destinations and duration of the holiday you would like, contact one of our consultants on 01603 407596 who will be pleased to assist you with any questions and additional literature you may require to help you finalise your holidays itinerary, availability and prices.

When you are ready to book your holiday, our consultants will take down all particulars and take a deposit payment, please make sure that before making any booking that you have read our terms and conditions. At the time of the booking we will ask you to correctly spell the first and last name of each traveling member, as some flights will need to be ticketed at the time of booking and due to airline regulations no name changes can be made, once a ticket has been issued. On receipt of the deposit we will send the lead booker a “Booking Form” and a deposit receipt invoice which becomes the legal contract between Angling Direct Holidays and your party.

Tackle Required
Want to talk to our Hardy travel consultant

One Bonefish rod, a 9-foot rod for #7, 8 or 9 weight line.  An 8-weight rod is perfect as many of the bones are in the 3-6 lb. class and there is a lot of wind to contend with.   On this rod you will want a good bonefish reel with enough capacity for the line and 200 yards of 20 lb backing.   You need only a floating line.  Be sure to bring a back up floating line for bonefish.  There is some coral on the Ocean side flats, and many flats have small mangrove roots and shoots that the bonefish run through and around and this can shred a fly line.
 
Bring one back up rod for bonefish in case of breakage.

Two -  9’ #10 Rods – since there are so many species of fish in the IDY, it helps to bring two 10 weight rods.  Then you can set one up specifically for permit, and have another set up for baby tarpon or Barracuda.    Have individual reels for both these rods.   You will want WF-10-F lines for both rods, but it is a good idea to bring one slow sinking line also.   Attach your lines to backing with loop-to-loop connections making it easy to change lines out on the flats.  Your 10 weight reels should have capacity for the line plus 150-200 yd. of 30 lb. backing. 

One -  9 foot #11 or 12 line rod for big tarpon, especially in the months of May through July when larger tarpon are present. 

For reels, pick a good tarpon reel with enough capacity for a 12 line and 150-200 yards of 30 lb. backing.   A strong, smooth drag is necessary.

For tarpon lines on your 11/12 line rod, you will want both a floating line and an intermediate or slow sink.  All should have loop-to-loop connections to your backing.    Less experienced casters will often do better with a floating line.  There are only a few deeper channels where the slow sink line will work better.  

6 – Bonefish leaders -12 foot 1X or 14 lb.   
2 - Spools of bonefish tippet, 1X and 01X Fluorocarbon. Most of the time the bonefish are not at all leader shy so it is an advantage to use heavier tippet.  Also, in the IDY it is always possible to see and hook really big bones in the 9-12 lb. class.  The heavier tippets will allow you to land many more fish and handle them more easily when releasing them.
6– Permit Leaders 9-12 foot, 16-20 lb. fluorocarbon tippets.
1 - Spool 02X  (20 lb.) Fluorocarbon tippet for permit
4-6 - Quick Change Tarpon leaders.   These should be tied with 20 lb. shock tippet and 60-70 lb. Fluorocarbon shock tippet.   Use 3 feet of shock tippet so that you can use each leader for several fish or re-tie on several different flies.  Note:  later in the spring and summer when tarpon over 50 lb. are present, 80 lb. Fluorocarbon shock tippet should be used to avoid losing fish to leader abrasion. 1 – 200 yd spool of extra 20 lb. fly line backing
1 – 200 yd. spool of extra 30 lb. fly line backing
1 – tarpon fly stretcher or Zip lock bags for your tarpon flies on
leaders

FLIES:

Bonefish Flies

Bring two to three dozen bonefish flies in various patterns for a week of fishing.   You need a mix of very light flies and medium weight flies (with bead chain eyes) to fish in water depths from six inches to two feet.  You’ll also need at least a half dozen flies with heavy lead eyes for fishing bones in muds where the water can be 3-4 feet deep. Some of the best patterns are the Tan and Pearl  Squimp, Borski Bonefish Slider, the Kwans, and of course the Crazy Charlie style flies. Pearl Gotcha patterns are also very good.    Sizes should be mostly #6’s with a few #4’s and a few smaller #8’s. The bonefish can be selective, so be sure to experiment with various patterns.  Most flies should be darker patterns – tan and brown but you also need some very light or white patterns for white sand flats. 

Permit flies

Bring 6-12 flies for permit; mostly crab patterns in sizes 1/0 down to #4.   The smaller permit crabs are also ideal for big bonefish.    Some of the most effective crab patterns here are the Enrico Puglisi Palometa crabs in Tan and Beige (1/0 and 2) and the Anderson McCrab in size 2.  There are many good crab patterns though, so bring several patterns.   Mantis Shrimp patterns are also quite good, especially when you encounter schools of “floaters”.  These should be tied in size 2-4, and light colors mostly white, light tan and olive.  

Tarpon flies

Keys style patterns in size 2/0 are very good on the flats for tarpon in the 15-50 lb. class. The best patterns are the Orange/Yellow/Grizzly, Brown Cockroach, Black Death and a White/Grizzly Cockroach Deceiver.   Some of the new Enrico Puglisi patterns have proven to be deadly too, especially the Black and Purple “Peanut butter” in both 2/0 and 3/0.   Other good Enrico patterns are his White/Yellow, and the Backcountry brown as well as the brown and orange.   If you are tying your own, tie all these tarpon flies on the Gamakatsu SC-15 hooks, in either 2/0 or 3/0.  

Flies for Other Species

In the IDY there is terrific fishing for a variety of other flats fish like Mutton Snappers, Jack Crevalle, Barracuda and sharks.  Here are the flies you’ll need.    Muttons –tarpon flies and snook flies in size 2/0 and will work best.  Best colors seem to be Brown/Orange, Mullet (green/black gray back and white underside) and the Yellow/Orange/Grizzly tarpon fly. Jack Crevalle – larger tarpon flies are best, but any big crab pattern will work great too.   You often are fishing for other fish and don’t have time to switch, but if you can put on a brown or black/purple Enrico in 3/0.   Also, any popper will murder big Jacks.   The key is to cast close to these fast moving fish and strip the fly as fast as you can.   Cudas – the best patterns are tied with mylar flashabou tubing, with a green thread head to look like a needlefish.  These should be 2/0 and tied 8 inches long with a stinger hook.  Sharks – There are lots of sharks, and some very big ones on the flats in the IDY.  The best flies are poppers like the new Enrico Puglisi Flex Popper in 2/0 or 3/0.  The chartreuse is the best color but red/white is good too.   You’ll need to have these rigged to 40 lb. single strand wire or one of the new multi strand wire braided leaders.   These Silky and Caribbean reef sharks are lots of fun and can run right up to 100 lb.   The take is incredible.

Go on book and enjoy that angling adventure of a lifetime

Watch a preview of the full DVD
Contact us and order your FREE full length DVD today.