Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: therise on December 03, 2012, 08:07:46 PM
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I am heading out on a family vacation to Cayo Santa Maria in Cuba at an all inclusive resort. I have purcahsed a cheap, fairly heavy telescopic rod and reel with 20lb braid(which I plan to leave down there with a fellow less fortunate fisherman). I was hoping to do a few small outings down the beach, casting from shore. Has anyone had any experience? I am not looking to catch any tropies, basically the equivalent of fishing for sea perch and sole?
Lures? Baits? Let me know.
Thanks
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i've done some fishing off the shores of mazatlan and places like puerto rico...4 inch grubs with 1/4 oz lead heads and buzz bombs work well off the rocks and allow you to cast out into the deeper shelf where juvenile groupers and snappers feed...for bait the locals use small chad like fish and squid.
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Get up early-before sunrise-and hit the beach because once people start going in the water it's all over.
Depending on the place fishing @ night where the lights of the hotel shine on the water can be good-but it may be against the law to be on the beach @ night-seen that in a few places.
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I purcahed a few rapalas and "poppers". I will also see if I can grab a few raw shrimp from the chef before they hit the buffet line. I will let you know how I make out.
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some the species you will find there are bonefish, cowfish, snook, baby tarpon, mangrove snapper & cuda...... small jigs/grubs will take bones, snapper.... 1/4oz hammered nickel spoons (crocs) should work for the other species. also try f13 original floating rapalas. dunisky ( mybonefish@gmail.com ) is an excellent guide for that area, his rates are very reasonable.
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I will be in Cuba in exactly one week. But nowhere near Varadero.
I will be in Havana and then in Playa Larga/Zapata National Park. I'll let you figure out where the bones are from that. 8)
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I spent a few years of my life living in Cuba in my childhood and went back many times.
Assuming a change to more moderate form of socialism where foreigners are allowed to own property, Cuba would be the one country I would give living up in Canada up for - unless we could somehow annex Cuba. ;D
Anyway...to your question:
Make friends with the cook in the resort. On the first day, give him a 5 CUC tip with clear instructions what it is for, and he will secure some prawns and raw squid for you every day. It will also get you some extra goodies that may not be on the menu. ;)
Tell him you need "carnada para pescar" (car'nadda 'pahra pes'cah). He will also point you to the right place to go. Cubans are very passionate about their fishing and love to share with tourists, especially knowing that being friendly will probably put some extra cash and goodies in their pockets. Just be discreet, as their Tourist Police is always watching them - they are not supposed to pester tourists for money or gifts. The visitors have to take a discreet initiative.
Before you leave, I suggest you go to A&N or WallyMart and get a couple of cheap spooled spinning reels and/or telescopic rods to take with you to use and leave as gifts. If not, just buy a few 300-1000 yard spools of monofilament. Nothing fancy - the cheap Korean or Chinese stuff is just fine, but go big - 10 or 12 pound test - even 15 is the ticket. Cubans rarely fish for fun - if they catch a fish, they want to yank it out of the water, kill it and eat it. If there are locals fishing with you, offer them the fish you catch - don't catch and release unless they don't want the fish or is an inedible species. (basic rule: the more colourful the fish - the less edible it is). You would also do them a great favour if you take a few bags of decent fishing hooks. I suggest you get the regular barbed chrome colour ones - size 1 and 2 are good. (Eagle Claw or DNE are just fine). Forget rapalas and other trolling tackle - Cubans are still not allowed to own private pleasure crafts. Only licensed fishermen can own boats under strict control and they already have their own gear.
Fish from shore where the locals do - you don't need to fish from the resort beach. There are plenty of better places, such as rocky points separating sandy beaches. Explore.
All that said, Santa Maria is heaven for tarpon (locally known as sabalo) and permit and a bunch of other species. Although December is not the best time of the year to fish for tarpon and permit, it can still be quite good if the weather cooperates. My advice to you is to take a couple hundred extra dollars with you and book yourself a guided tarpon and permit fishing tour. If you need a name or two of local guides who will certainly get you into some quality fishing, let me know.
A bonus not-fishing related tip: DO NOT buy cigars from your friendly local resort staff whose "cousin works in the factory". It is a LIE. The security in cigar factories is tantamount to that in the diamond mines in South Africa. They CANNOT take export grade hand rolled cigars home. All they can get is discarded seconds or even worse, leftover tobacco swept from the floor. It is crap - you are better off buying Swisher sweets than black market Cuban cigars. Buy only in the government store: Casa del Habano. Everything else is junk, garbage, waste of money.
I always laugh when people tell me about the super hot deal they got on their Montecristos or Cohibas. There is no such thing as a good deal. A 25-box of Montecristo n.2 will cost you at least 200 dollars in Cuba, which is still a bargain compared to 550-600$ - the price the real thing commands in Canada.
Oh, one more thing: if you happen to have an old cellphone or two sitting in your drawers that still have some decent life left in them - take them with you and give them to some person who has provided you with outstanding service (or whom you simply liked a lot). Cubans crave that stuff (it is too pricey for most of them to afford it). They can unlock any cell you give them.
Oh, I envy you so much. I wish I could take a Cuban vacation again this year, but it won't happen for some time. I was last there in March and had a blast driving around the island with my wife. Cuba - best place on earth for fishing, music and cigars! BON VOYAGE.
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Geez Milo with this internet hot spotting, those beaches will be packed ;D
Great post with what I'm sure will be lots of helpful advice. Sure made me want to explore Cuba too.
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cuba should hire you Milo!! No travel agent can compare to your genuine sales pitch! ;D
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i am going their in april for a friends wedding. not sure where i am staying (wife booked it all) but would love to do some fishing their. thanks for the info.
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Outstanding E-mail Milo....I will pack up a few of these items to give the locals next time I go.Thanks for the tips!!
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Milo, have you ever spent time down in Zapata, Playa Larga, Playa Giron, Bay of Pigs area?
I'm there next week. I hear it is....rustic. And that the fishing isn't as serviced like up north in Cayo etc.
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Milo, have you ever spent time down in Zapata, Playa Larga, Playa Giron, Bay of Pigs area?
I'm there next week. I hear it is....rustic. And that the fishing isn't as serviced like up north in Cayo etc.
Milo, have you ever spent time down in Zapata, Playa Larga, Playa Giron, Bay of Pigs area?
I'm there next week. I hear it is....rustic. And that the fishing isn't as serviced like up north in Cayo etc.
Yes, yes I have. How would I miss such paradise? :)
The way I usually visit Cuba is I get an 8-day all-inclusive package for Varadero or some other all inclusive resort area. This way, for only 800 bucks or so, I get a return plane ticket to Cuba and a fairly posh base with unlimited food and booze.
Once there, I just rent a car and go wherever the roads take me. Car rental is more expensive than what we are used to, but it is very well worth it. When I tire out of being on the road after a couple of days, I come back to my resort and rest for a day or so.
Incidentally, last time I was in Cuba I took my wife to the south - the very area you speak of - National Park Motemar, Playa Giron and Playa Larga. It is a fabulous place for eco-tourism, a quiet family vacation. scuba diving and fishing. While I have never stayed in any of the tourist accommodations in the area for more than a night, I can tell you that it is indeed very rustic and a far cry from the all-inclusive charm of the much more poshier Varadero, Cayo and Holguin areas - or even Manzanillo or Santiago. But it has its charm and it's well worth the trip. It is the real Caribbean, after all. I find it much more appealing than the more developed and resort-oriented Atlantic Ocean coast of Cuba.
In Playa Giron, make sure you visit the Museum of the Revolution - locals are very proud of it and you get a really good idea of the guts it took to bring down the corrupted Batista regime. In the local eatery on the road out of Playa Giron, make sure to order crocodile meat prepared the local way. Very yummy and tastes better than chicken. ;)
Another place of interest is Cueva de los Peces (Cave of the fish) - a 200+ feet deep sinkhole connected to the sea by means of subterranean tunnels. Fresh and sea water mix in it and create a unique eco-system. You are allowed to swim and scuba dive in it with the fish and it is quite the experience. There is a nice restaurant there, too, where you can also try a variety of local delicacies including croquetas, congri, ajiaco and the already mentioned crocodile meat. It is a marshy area, and crocodile farms abound. The drive from Playa Giron to Playa Larga is probably my favourite stretch of road in the whole island. (watch the road though - lots of potholes). There are many spots to fish from shore, you wouldn't believe it.
You do, however, need to understand that the whole area is a National Park or at the edge of the park, so there is no nightlife of any kind around. For that, you have to drive to at least Cienfuegos. (well worth it, too, as it is a beautiful colonial city and one of my very favourite places.
In a word, it's the real rural Cuba you are out to see. Go with no expectations, and you will come back with the best memories ever.
If you tell me more specifically in which town/hotel you are staying, I may be able to point you in the right direction fishing-wise. There are a couple of guiding outfits out of Las Salinas and Rio Hatiguanico with whom you can chase tarpon, bonefish, permit and snook. It is the tail end of the season, but it would be worth it. Let me know.
Cheers,
Milo
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Milo, thanks for the interesting posts. If you have any photos, I would certainly be interested in seeing them. Thanks.
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Hey Milo, great stuff. Thanks for taking the time to write all that. It was very informative.
We are staying in Havana for the week (at the Melia Habana in Miramar) as our jump off. We will be down in the south for two days, one night. It is our first trip to Cuba, but we have been to the Caribean a few times and are prepared for rustic. We have been to the DR a few times, and the BVI.
We have not booked our room, nor our transportation to Playa Larga. We are meeting our guide at 8am next Wednesday at the Playa Larga hotel right on the edge of the National park. He is a specialized guide to bring us on a bird watching tour.
Most importantly, on the Tuesday that we get down there, I want to be able to wet a line and do some snorkelling. I don't think we will have much time to really explore the Pay of Pigs and go anywhere east towards Playa Giron etc. Which is unfortunate. But that can be for another trip. Your idea of using a cheap all in package from Varadero as a jump off point is brilliant.
So, back to that. I will be in Playa Larga on Tuesday around noonish, depending on how long our 'chaufeur' takes to get us there. Most likely leave Havana at 8am-ish after breakfast. That leaves will leave me 4-5 (?) hours of light to make an attempt at hooking a bone and/or snorkel around close to the hotel.
The next morning is our trip into the park with our birding guide (should I bring my rod?) where the primary goal is bird watching with the Mrs. But if there is a tranquil lagoon with some baby tarpon or bones swimming around, damn right im gonna toss a few casts at them.
Thanks again for all your info!
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Milo, thanks for the interesting posts. If you have any photos, I would certainly be interested in seeing them. Thanks.
See below. ;)
So, back to that. I will be in Playa Larga on Tuesday around noonish, depending on how long our 'chaufeur' takes to get us there. Most likely leave Havana at 8am-ish after breakfast. That leaves will leave me 4-5 (?) hours of light to make an attempt at hooking a bone and/or snorkel around close to the hotel.
In that case, ask your chauffeur to take you on the seaside road towards Playa Giron and show you a good spot where you can fish from shore. If he pleads ignorance, just pick a nice rocky spot and give 'er. There so many to choose from on that stretch of road. Here's one good spot:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/milivoj/Miscellaneous/IMG_0100.jpg)
Another:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/milivoj/Miscellaneous/IMG_0113.jpg)
Another:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/milivoj/Miscellaneous/IMG_0237.jpg)
Playa Giron:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/milivoj/Miscellaneous/P1000188.jpg)
This picture was taken from the car - it is exactly where you should be exporing - half way between Playa Larga and Playa Giron. Great area for both fishing AND snorkeling. The cave of the fishes is nearby, too.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/milivoj/Miscellaneous/P1000184.jpg)
Of course, since my wife is an Ausie, I had to take her to Australia (in Cuba!) :D (you got to keep the girl happy to get some guilt-free fishing time when vacationing together).
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/milivoj/Miscellaneous/P1000141.jpg)
She was in heaven on the old plantation:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/milivoj/Miscellaneous/IMG_0088.jpg)
Of course, I have a ton of other pics and even videos, but uploading and posting them is quite time consuming and I am running out of time, so I hope the above will suffice to give you an idea of the area.
Enjoy your trip.
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Very cool milo
Now I want to go...
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Great stuff Milo. I will hit that area for sure. And of course, the cueva de pesces. I mean if we are going to be snorkelling there anyways, I may as well bring along my three piece pack rod. How could the wifey say no? ;D
Back to the cell phone thing. What do you think a couple Blackberry Bolds in decent shape would be worth in terms of barter fodder down there? Would a blackberry be worth a car ride down to Playa Larga from Havana? More/Less?
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Great stuff Milo. I will hit that area for sure. And of course, the cueva de pesces. I mean if we are going to be snorkelling there anyways, I may as well bring along my three piece pack rod. How could the wifey say no? ;D
Back to the cell phone thing. What do you think a couple Blackberry Bolds in decent shape would be worth in terms of barter fodder down there? Would a blackberry be worth a car ride down to Playa Larga from Havana? More/Less?
Now that sounds like some excellent planning.
As to the BB Bolds, depending on the model and condition, you could get quite a bit of service for them. Both BBs as a package will sure get you to P.Larga and back to Havana (it's an almost 400 km trip). Only one - not so sure. I suggest you negotiate. You won't offend anyone if you offer one BB and 50 CUCs.
Cheers,
Milo
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I guess if he is paid right, he would just overnight down there and drive us back in the morning.
Good stuff. We have a drawer full of two to three year old Blackberries.
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I guess if he is paid right, he would just overnight down there and drive us back in the morning.
Good stuff. We have a drawer full of two to three year old Blackberries.
Hide them well in your luggage - lock the suitcase before departing Canada.
And yes, I am sure the driver will have no problem staying overnight to accommodate you. Especially if you offer him a few extra pesos to pay for his room (which he will gladly take from you and probably sleep in his car anyway! :D )
Cubans are great people. If you luck out and your driver can speak some decent English, you will be in for an awesome experience. Keep an open mind and a humble attitude and you will be handsomely rewarded with genuine warm hospitality - the kind that builds lasting friendships.
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Terrific. Looking forward to it. Thanks again for the tips.
We leave in 24 hours, can't wait. And better news, a couple that we met in Panama a couple years ago from Medicine Hat are jumping on last minute to join us.
The four of us are going to have a blast.
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There is a large market near the bay in downtown Havana that is very interesting.
Got some fantastic artwork there a couple of years ago.
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Great info Milo!
Is fishing license required to fish in Cuba?
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Great info Milo!
Is fishing license required to fish in Cuba?
Not for foreign tourists, as long as it is practiced in the non-restricted areas for recreational purposes only.
Cuban citizens, OTOH, are much more limited as to their fishing choices.
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Thanks Easywater. Pretty sure most of my friends and family are getting Cuban pieces for Christmas this year.
Looks like I have convinced the better half to stay two days down in Playa Largo/Giron. SWEET!
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After 8 days in paradise, I have returned. We stayed in Cayo Santa Maria, which I would highly reccomend for a family/fishing vacation. I went fishing almost every day first thing in the morning when the family was sleeping. I tried 2 different approaches.
I attemped to book a fishing charter for a half or full day. They offer 2 different styles. Deep Sea and Specialized ( which is fishing the flats). Neither were available for ANY of the days I was staying which was a huge disappointment, but I vowed not to let it get me down.
1. I rented a moped from the resort for 10 pesos and visited a variety of bridges that linked Cayo Santa Maria to the main island of Cuba. I was using rapalas, poppers (Yo-zuri in the white/red combo was deadly for barracuda), and shrimp as bait. Casting from shore and the bridges works well, and I managed to catch several small colorful fish in the 3-5 lb class as well as numerous small barracuda. I stopped at one bridge and began casting. A construction crew working on the bridge saw me fishing, immediately stopped work, and began to fish beside me with hand line spools, they only went back to work when I told them I had to leave, 3 hours later.
2. The best bang for your buck is right on the resort. Guided trips on the Hobie Cat sail boats were available for tourists to rent for 20 pesos for 4 hours. I asked them if they ever had fished from the boats. Of course, as Milo said earlier, it seems all cubans love to fish and the guides were very excited to do something more exciting than take out intoxicated tourists.
After inspecting my rod and my gear, he ran into the hut where they store there personal belongings, coming out with some of the biggest wooden rapalas I have ever seen. The color combo of red/white (bloody nose) was very predominant. We were off. Almost immediately we were into several smaller barracuda 5-7lb range. We caught them going all speeds from very fast (much faster than I have ever trolled for salmon) to dead slow with the rapala just floating on the surface.
The next day I came back with raw Mahi-Mahi fillets from the chef, as directed by the guide. The guide also brought another fishing rod, and fished as well. We cut it into strips of about 3 inches long, and placed it on the trailing treble hook of the rapala. If the fishing was good yesterday, it was on fire today. We caught several much larger 15-20 lb barracuda, a 15 lb red snapper, and the icing on the cake, a very large Dorado which was lost at the edge of the boat as the guide made his third attempt to pull it into the boat. After shaking the hook, he didn't say a word for an hour. This is not because we missed a photo op, but because he estimated it to be around 40-50 lbs, which is a feast of a high quality eating fish.
All in all, it was an excellent experience. For me the idea setup would be
- Heavy telescopic rod ( Mako has a great one at Canadian tire for 20 bucks)
- Large heavy duty spinning reel with a large line capacity ( the baits are trolled WAY back behind the boats, and the Dorado and larger barracuda took me to very close to my lines end several times
- 40 lb braided line
- large diving rapalas
- yo-zuri poppers
- steel leaders
- large treble (3/0) hooks and sliding weights
* the other thing I would bring is a small gaff. The guide told me that many tourists have injured themselves on the teeth of barracuda. As well, if we had the gaff on board, I am sure we would not have lost our Dorado. Sailing a small boat, and pulling a huge fish up at the same time is a difficult task as I have learned, so make it easier. Any fish you catch WILL be consumed by the guide and their families. Although I am sure they would let a fish go upon request, I would reccomend offering them to the guide first.
One last word of advice. Fishing gear and tackle is very hard to come by down there, and even when available, would be considered a luxury. I left everything fishing related I had down there ( rod, reel, lures, ect). When I gave my rod and reel to the guide as a tip, he almost fainted, and found me the next day to give me several Cohiba cigars as a thank you. If I ever get the opportunity to go back again, I will be visiting garage sales, and asking friends for old rods and reels to give away. Canadian tire sells Red Wolf brand fishing line spools for 3-4 bucks. Buy several of those as well. Fishing line is especially hard to come by.
If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them
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Sounds like a fantastic trip...this has been a great thread actually. Not sure if I'll ever make it to Cuba but I bet the advise from this thread could be used for many similar locations.
BN
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I am glad you had such a great time. :)
It seems you hit the jackpot with the sail boat and its passionate skipper. Good for you, for trolling is not something your average Cuban citizen can do because they are virtually banned from owning private boats.
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Milo, great photos! Thanks.
Therise, you enthused me with your post and I had to go to tripadvisor.com to look at some of the 300 photos they have under Cayo Santa Maria. It is beautiful there.
While I have heard of Cuba as a sunny destination, I had not consider visiting but that has changed thanks to the two of you. Thanks.
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Well, I only got a chance to wet a line for about 45 minutes which was unsuccessful. Our trip was all too whirlwind.
Cuba certainly is interesting.
The south is RUSTIC. lol
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The south is RUSTIC. lol
You were warned.
Hopefully, you got to appreciate the beauty of the land and the wholesomeness of the people.
Did you get to snorkel in the Cueva de los Peces?
What was the fate of the Blackberries?
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I knew it was rustic. We stayed at the Playa Larga hotel for one night. It was fun hanging with locals in the bar there watching Cuban baseball. You think Canadians are passionate about hockey, they are about 15 games into an 87 game season and they are bouncing off the walls, yelling, screaming debating and hanging on every pitch, it is nuts.
We did get to appreciate the beauty of the land. We rented our our car and made the VERY interesting journey from Havana to Playa Large and further to Giron. The 'potholes' on the Autopista look like exploded land mines. But our car survied, a white Geely Emgrand was our ride. It didn't have a straight panel on it, despite having only 27,000 kms on the odo, lol. The think looked like it spent 20 years navigating parking lots at Metrotown.
The wholesomeness of the people, I can appreciate that. They are great. At the same time, at 50% of our interactions, we were scammed, or a scam was attempted on us. We are friendly, happy go lucky travellers. The people were warm in return, but with a clear alterior motive. Take a couple dollars off of the "Yumas". It was very frustrating, and extremely tiresome.
We did hit the Cueva de lost Peces. Too bad it smelled like sewage. We still went in. Didn't matter, because when we showered later at the Playa Larga hotel, the water smelled the same there. Lol.
The Blackberries, well, we forgot to the bring them. Only one made it into our luggage and our Havana guide on the first day essentially begged us for it.
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BUMP!!! Heading back go Cuba in March.
I will be staying in Cayo Santa Maria this time. Going to be packing some gear to use and some to give away. Hoping to go on a 'specialized' trip for Tarpon and/or Permit.
And will try trolling off a hobie cat and/or kayak. Life is a bit different since the last time I went, 5 year old and 1 year old in tow. So escaping for fishing time will be tough, but looking forward to wetting a line when I can!