This flat’s fishing 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.
What’s more is we have two accommodation options. First, there is fishing out of Gerona, where anglers 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. Second anglers lucky enough to be fishing aboard our French luxury yacht, the Perola, will be treated to fishing the remote flats in the chain of keys that run from the Isle of Youth seventy-five miles east to the end Key called Cayo Largo. We'll start out in Gerona where you will board the skiffs early in the morning and head East, fishing your way to one of the prime anchorages we'll utilize with the Perola during the fishing week. With only six anglers aboard and three skiffs, we are free to travel about the island system, fishing flats that rarely are fished by anyone.
Whichever option you choose 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.
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.
Making Isle of Youth one of the top saltwater fly fishing destinations.
FISHING METHODS
Saltwater Fly Fishing.
SPECIES TO CATCH
Bonefish
Season: March to July - Oct to April
Peak: April to May
Weight: 1lb to 10lb
Average Weight: 5lb |
Permit
Season: March to July - Oct to April
Peak: April to May
Weight: 1lb to 30lb
Average Weight: 10lb |
Tarpon
Season: March to July - Oct to April
Peak: April to May
Weight: 20lb to 130lb
Average Weight: 60lb |
|
Note: these figures are complied with catch reports over 5 years, however they can be affected by adverse weather.
TOUR INCLUDES
Flights (E), accommodation, guided fishing, packed lunch whilst fishing and fishing licenses.
WHAT’S EXCLUDED
Holiday insurance, laundry, personal items, tourist card (£25 must be purchased before travelling) and local tips.
OPTIONS
Seat upgrades available with all airlines.
VISA
A machine-readable passport with at least 6 months before expiry. Tourist visa card required before departure.
MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS
No vaccinations currently required
PLEASE NOTE
All details of visa and medical requirements are correct at time of press. However, please check these requirements for changes.
DEPARTURE TAX
There is a $25 CU departure tax payable upon leaving Cuba.
FLIGHT ROUTE AND FLIGHT TIME
UK - Havana (approx 9.5 hrs)
Havana - Isle of Youth (approx 25 mins)
BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE
International Flight
(E) 1 checked in item 23 kg (B/F) 2 checked in items 23 kg. Please contact either Iberian or Air France airways for weight limits & additional costs for checking in additional fishing equipment.
Internal Flight
Cubana Airlines - Tropical Class: 30kg, Tourist Class: 20kg.
TRANSFER TIME
Havana airport - Parque Central Hotel (approx 30 mins)
Isle of Youth airport - Rancho Hotel (approx 20 mins).
PARTAGAS CIGAR FACTORY
This specialist cigar tour will follow the logical path of the tobacco, from seed to the top Havana Cigar Factory benches explaining the very labour intensive processes that lead to producing the best cigars in the world. We will also give you plenty of spare time during the trip to explore the cigar shops of Havana and smoke wonderful cigars.
WALKING / SIGHT SEEING
A great opportunity to view the beautiful landscape as well as a great opportunity for stunning photography.
DIVING
Explore the beautiful underwater scenery including a vast range of tropical and reef fish in crystal clear waters.
RUM MUSEUM
This is a remarkable tour of the Havana Club Foundation's installations, which recreate a traditional rum distillery. The journey begins where barrels are made, then on to the presses, the sugar depot, the fermentation and filtration stages, the ageing process and finally blending and bottling.
