When planning any saltwater trip, I always dive into research well over a year in advance. I consider everything—from target species and seasons to the style and level of accommodations, guides, tides, moon phase, and logistics. While strategic planning can help manage many of these factors, availability at popular saltwater destinations often becomes restricted during peak seasons. In the late spring and summer, when the weather is typically settled and tarpon are migrating through the Cuban barrier islands and reef availability has been a challenge. Over two years ago, Yellow Dog's Cuba Program Director, Kristen Tripp, and I started planning a recent hosted trip to Cayo Largo. Here's my report.
This would be my tenth hosted trip to Cuba and my fourth to Cayo Largo—but the first time fishing the area from a mothership yacht. Previously, the destination was land-based at an aging, all-inclusive resort, offering plenty of people-watching, sparse all-you-can-eat buffets, and cheesy but entertaining nightly shows. I was excited to be on a mothership, reducing time spent running in the skiffs and allowing us to target more of the outer flats further from the island. April is a transitional month in Cuba, shifting from cold fronts to the calm, hot summer days—ideal for bonefish and permit, but just on the cusp of peak tarpon migration.
Preparing for Cuba
The preparation for a Cuban fishing trip takes more attention than most saltwater adventures. There are no tackle shops, and the guides only have limited terminal tackle and only a handful of new flies. Plus, if you break a rod or shred a fly line, there are no backups. It’s crucial to come well-equipped for any Cuban fishing excursion. The Cuban visa and customs documents are fairly straightforward but ever-changing, so having Kristen and the Yellow Dog team to assist with questions is invaluable. Patience is essential when navigating Cuban websites and infrastructure.
+ View the Cuba Equipment List
Travel to Cuba has improved drastically since my first trips over a decade ago. Direct flights from the USA now make it easy to fly directly into Havana or Camagüey from places like Miami and Dallas. Most guests chose to overnight in Miami before our Havana flights, though some opted for a same day direct connection. Incidentally, Zapata, Isla de la Juventud, and Cayo Largo all use Havana as the arrival airport, while other destinations like Cayo Paredón, Cayo Romano, and Jardines de la Reina fly in and out of Camagüey, which is closer to their respective marinas or land-based accommodations.
A Bird’s Eye View of Havana
I highly recommend booking a window seat when flying between Cuba and the USA. It’s the finest way to fully appreciate the sheer size of the island—Cuba is the largest in the Caribbean—and its diverse landscapes. From rolling forested hills and red clay foothills to expansive farmland terraces meeting beautiful coastlines and beaches, Cuba’s geological diversity is unknown to most tourists.
After disembarking our Delta flight, Cuban customs and immigration were a breeze. The welcoming officials quickly scanned our documents’ QR codes and did a passport check. A bit of patience was required when waiting for our luggage (about 45 minutes), but our local tour guide was already waiting to whisk us away to our hotel. Kristen and her contracted Havana tour company did an excellent job coordinating airport transfers for all 12 group members. That’s a huge comfort when traveling to destinations like Cuba.
Havana Add-On Package
Our group opted for a Havana add-on package, which included two nights at the Park Central Hotel in the heart of the historic downtown, airport transfers, dinner reservations, and a four-hour city tour. As the group trickled in from various flights and got settled into our rooms, we all met up at the rooftop pool to take in a bird’s-eye view of the city while enjoying a few cold drinks and cigars.
For dinner, we walked to Paladar Los Mercaderes, a local Cuban restaurant that Kristen had booked months in advance. The cuisine was fresh and vibrant, with seafood, meats, and vegetables paired perfectly with rum and wine. The bill was surprisingly reasonable for such an excellent meal. The staff was energetic and overly appreciative of our American business.
Classic Taxis & Cuban Cigar Tour
The following day, our English-speaking tour guide met us in the hotel lobby and arranged for four classic American convertible taxis to take us around Havana. The drivers clearly took pride in their colorful, picture-worthy cars.
Our first stop was the Montecristo Cigar Factory, where we received a private tour. A knowledgeable guide explained the entire process of making Cuban cigars, from farm to box. Walking through the factory, we saw the various stages of rolling, along with the strict inspection process to ensure only the highest quality cigars make it to market. Our tour ended in the gift shop, where we stocked up on cigars of all Cuban brands for our fishing week.
Next, we visited the main Government square where Castro gave several speeches, followed by a stroll through an artist community full of mosaics and open studios. Lunch was served at a rooftop restaurant with live music, before we wrapped up the day at Ernest Hemingway’s favorite bar, Floridita, for a few rounds of amazing daiquiris.
The group carried the vibe to another rooftop bar and restaurant, coincidentally, where our dinner reservation was made by Yellow Dog. We were greeted like old friends by the staff, and to keep the party going, we asked them to pick our appetizers and main dishes. They didn’t disappoint—our meal was as amazing as the wine, which was followed by more cigars and rum.
Exploring Havana's Back Streets
The next morning, some of the group set out for a walk through Havana’s back streets, where we visited a local market and explored non-touristy neighborhoods. It was a refreshing change of pace, and we felt safe while enjoying the impromptu jams played by local musicians in the streets. However, it was also eye-opening to witness the poverty—the long bread lines and empty stores were stark reminders of the challenges Cubans face. It’s essential to bring plenty of small US bills for tipping; the Cuban people really appreciate it.
Our Home for the Week of Fishing
It was time to head to Cayo Largo. We loaded into a charter bus for a three-hour drive to the Bay of Pigs, with a quick restroom stop for authentic Cubano sandwiches along the way. The mothership was waiting for us at the marina. The yacht was a four-level beauty, complete with single bedrooms on the lower deck, a spacious living room and double bedrooms on the main deck, an aft fishing staging deck, an a/c dining room on the upper deck, and an open-air top deck with lounge chairs. Plenty of space for our group of 12. Darling, the ship's hostess, and Yosvanni, the fishing host, gave us an orientation for the week. After a quick lunch, we readied our tackle and napped during the four-hour run to the outer island of Cayo Largo.
The meals aboard the ship exceeded our expectations. Breakfast consisted of fresh fruits, pastries and cooked-to-order eggs. Anglers packed their lunches from a buffet of bread, tuna or chicken salad, deli meats, hard boiled eggs and fruit. Each night’s dinner spread was a hearty spread of a tasty soups, fresh fish or lobster, a nightly meat, rice, potatoes, a salad, beans and dessert. As with any foreign destination, we always suggest bringing some snacks like beef jerky and protein bars. Needless to say, we had lots of leftover snacks to leave with the crew!
The Week of Fishing
Most of the Cuban fisheries are broken down into seven separate fishing zones. Each day six are fished and one is rested. While each zone can fish differently from day to day, some zones focus on specific species, so it is beneficial for each guest to try and fish each zone over the week. This can be a challenge with a group of buddies that want to fish with different partners each day, but with a spreadsheet and assistance from AI, a fishing schedule was produced. Most of the guides were highly experienced and they were all fun to fish with over the course of the trip. As with any fly fishing destination, there is a guide turnover that introduces a less-experienced younger guide for a few of our days. Wade fishing for bones was an excellent option with the rookie guide, who spoke English well.
It is always a testament to any saltwater destination when anglers return to the same fishery multiple times. Being my fourth time to Cayo Largo, I was super excited to reconnect with the guides and experience one of my favorite flats systems in the world. I have experienced more grand and super slams at Cayo Largo with my guests than anywhere else in the world. It is not uncommon to see all four species on a single flats system, so it is vital to have rods pre-rigged for each species. If a rod is stuffed in a rod holder and a permit pops up on a bonefish flat, there is typically not enough time to pull it out and make a proper presentation. While it wasn’t officially tarpon season, we still saw some migratory fish moving through shallow waters adjacent to the permit flats, so being ready was key.
The strongest value in a Cuba saltwater trip is the fact that each of the destinations is a protected national park. Each fishery is fly fishing only, catch and release, highly regulated against commercial fishing, and no other fishing boats are permitted. The unique feeling of pulling up on a flat or into a lagoon, knowing that no one else has fished this area today or in multiple days, is exciting.
The Conditions
I was a bit worried about our tides and moon faze this week, as we didn’t get to hand-pick them based on limited availability and the groups’ busy schedules. Our tides were the exact opposite to what I prefer for permit. Additionally, we had a full moon at the beginning of our week, which many think is not as good since the fish can feed at night and the king tides flood the backcountry. I kept my thoughts to myself and hoped for the best. After all, professional guides can get it done no matter the tide or moon????
Each day, when the tides were up, we had substantial wind and then around low tide the winds faded due to less atmospheric pressure or friction. This forced us to constantly be adjusting our leader length. Having a stout, shorter leader around 7 to 9 feet in windy conditions will allow you to roll the line and fly over. The fish are less spooky in the wavy chop, so having the fly line closer to the fly is not a problem. Conversely, in calm conditions one should lengthen the leader by adding some butt section and/or a longer section of 16 pound tippet, resulting in a total leader length of 10 to 12 feet. This will hide your fly line from an approaching fish in the shallows and drop the fly with a more subtle presentation. Having a loaded multiple-tippet spool holder on the exterior of your boat bag or pack makes leader adjustments easier. Here is the conundrum of wind for fly anglers - “I cannot accurately deliver the fly in the wind” to “Man, the fish are so spooky when it is dead calm. When my fly hits the water, all the fish spooked”. The answer: Practice your casting before a trip in all conditions.
Fish Species and Tactics
On our first morning and flat, Greg laid out a beautiful cast on a small pancake flat and connected with a seven-pound bone. Game on! The bonefish were not picky about specific fly patterns. It was all about a subtle presentation, having the proper weight for the flat and generally matching the color of the bottom. Standard nine-foot, 16-pound leaders were the ticket. The bonefish population is healthy and abundant at Cayo Largo, with the average fish between three and five pounds. Numerous bones over two feet were caught and safely released.
Although we didn’t see many of the large schools of permit that Cayo Largo is known for, we did have plenty of shots at singles and small groups of fish. The most productive scenarios were when the permit were tailing on high ridge flats between deeper basins. This allowed the guests to have more time to organize their thoughts and relax. Our top permit flies were Strong Arm Crabs, EP Spawning Shrimp (translucent and coyote), Rags Head Crabs, and Doug McKnight’s Danger Muffin with standard 9 to 11 foot leaders down to 16 pound tippet. Again, the weight and matching the proper color to the flat was the general strategy when choosing a permit fly. Most anglers used a nine weight when the wind was down, stepped it up to a ten weight when the wind was blowing with all weight forward floating lines. The new Thomas and Thomas Exocett SS preformed well for the permit, due to its quick line loading and shooting capabilities.
Landing a permit at Cayo Largo puts you in strong contention for a slam, thanks to the abundance of juvenile tarpon in the lagoons and creeks. For those who want to focus on tarpon, oceanfront creeks and flats also hold larger tarpon. Especially, during the migratory season from Mid-April through July. These big tarpon can often be fished over bright white sand, which is visually stimulating as the fish rushes and engulfs the fly in the shallows! Floating lines and lightly colored, unweighted tarpon flies proved to be the most consistent, but having an intermediate line and a good selection of heavier baitfish style flies has value. During challenging weather when visibility is tough or during low light conditions, blind casting and dredging the larger channels and the reef can produce exciting tarpon opportunities. The two-handed strip is useful in these situations, since an unseen bite can come at any time. Anglers armed themselves with either ten-weight rods for the smaller tarpon or 11/ 12 weights for the migratory fish or when blind casting sinking lines.
Final Night and Closing Thoughts
Our final night fiesta was back at the mainland port. The night began with a top deck party as our last Cuban sunset faded. Dinner was a delightful spread of beef tenderloin, lobster, fish ceviche, and salads. The chef even presented JC with a huge bacon birthday cake made from scratch.
As always with any of Yellow Dog's Cuba hosted trips, the group imported gifts for the guides and staff, which we disbursed with the staff and guide gratuities. Items such as over-the-counter medications, rechargeable battery banks, USB rechargeable fans, clothing, sunglasses, jerky, and pretty much anything else is as valuable to the Cubans as their cash tips.
At the end of the week, despite the exact opposite tides I prefer and the supposedly dreaded full moon, the guides crushed it to produce five Grand Slams and one Super Slam! It did not hurt that the group of hardcore anglers were highly experienced and mostly all veteran salty sticks! Additionally, had only about six minutes of cloud cover all week, so it was one of the finest visibility weeks I can remember.
As a host, it is always super rewarding when the week’s fishing statistics exceed expectations, but this group had as much fun during the post-fishing libations on the back deck then when bending their rods. With tunes blaring, far from the real world, on a floating fishing lodge surrounded by pristine flats, there were repeated comments, “It does not get much better than this”. Everyone departed the trip as satisfied anglers, but more importantly, made new fishing buddies.
For more information on next’s year’s Cayo Largo hosted trip, please email ian@yellowdogflyfishing.com
