Isle of Youth (Cuba) Fly Fishing Vacation
Opened to anglers in 2006, this second Avalon's operation in Cuba is outstanding. The area is huge, more or less like Jardines de la Reina with white sandy beaches, mixed coral and deep turtle grass. You are inside a marine park, and nearly all the Cayos offer good fishing. Similar to the Jardines, there are lots of protected areas and anglers can fish successfully even during inclement weather. The guides are long term residents of the island with extensive fishing experience. The guides have been trained by long time Jardines guides, Coki and Pedrito. We were amazed at how advanced these guides were in their first season as professional guides.
Isle of Youth Fishing
The bone fishing is some of the best we have ever seen. The fish are huge, averaging over 5 pounds with double digit fish seen every day. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for bonefish lovers; the last place in the world where you can experience this kind of "never seen a fisherman" bonefish population. Wading, poling, tailing fish; you have it all. The trophy size fish and the different types of fishing will make this interesting fishing even to the most experienced fishermen.
The tarpon fishing in this area has proven to be much better than expected. Several dozen fish over 100 pounds were jumped during the 2006 season. There is some very interesting fishing available in the creeks, with 20-60 pound tarpon “parked” along the mangroves. As you move with the tide through these creeks you are called upon to make accurate casts to these fish. A properly presented fly will normally result in a heart stopping grab. You will also find tarpon cruising on shallow, white sand flats.
There are dozens of stunning permit flats in these keys. During our first visit we found permit on every flat that we looked for them. These fish are more varied in size than the Jardines permit. You will see more permit in the 10 – 20 pound class and in larger groups which often means more aggressive fish. For those that want to catch a big permit there are lots of fish between 20 and 30 pounds in the area.
The big surprise has been what a wonderful snook fishery this is. We have found good numbers of snook in several places up to about 20 pounds. This is some of the best snook fishing we have seen with crystal clear water and often white sand bottom.
Isle of Youth Fishing Packages and Details
Package includes
- All transfers inside Cuba as per program above
- 1 night in dbl room (Havana), breakfast included
- 7 nights in sgl room, full board
- 6 full days fishing, sharing a skiff
not included
- Natural park license ($100 to be paid in advance)
- Bar tab and guide/staff gratuities
- Airport tax ($25 to be paid at the airport before leaving)
* For package pricing fill out the form to the right or contact Country Pleasures at (403)271-1016 or email us.
Accomodations
Hotel Rancho el Tesoro
Hotel Rancho el Tesoro is a comfortable 3 star hotel with single rooms, hot water, A/C, televisions and very friendly staff. The hotel is located within minute from Nuevo Gerona, a small city that offers shopping, sightseeing, and night life. There is a separate section of the hotel reserved solely for Avalon's clients. This part of the hotel has been renovated and is exceptional. Meals at the hotel are on par with the Jardines vessels, which are fabulous. Anglers are transported from the hotel in the morning to the dock area where they board the skiffs and head out fishing.
La Perola
The Perola will be added to Isle of Youth fishery for the 2007 season. This beautiful motor yacht will allow clients stay in the cayos, with almost no travel time to and from fishing. The captain of this vessel, Manuel, is very proud of his ship and it shows. Everything on the Perola is first class. Meals are prepared by your chef and are as delicious as we find on the Jardines vessels. The plan for the Perola is to station it in a position between Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth) and Cayo Largo. The fishing area for Perola guests will be in areas not accessed by the hotel guests.
Upcoming Trips
-- Hotel Rancho el Tesoro --
To be announced... |
-- La Perola --
To be announced... |
* If you are interested in going to the Jardines at times other than the above listed weeks, let us know and we can put together a package for you.
Itinerary
The week includes six full days of fishing, starting Sunday. Flight from Havana is twenty five minutes, and transfer from the airport to the hotel is only ten minutes.
Day 1 (Friday):
- - Arrive at Havana Int. Airport;
- - Transfer to Hotel
Day 2 (Saturday):
- - Early wake-up and transfer to Airport for the domestic flight to Island of the Youth (25 min. flight).
- - Transfer from Airport to the Hotel;
- - Free day.
Day 3 – Day 8 (Sunday till Friday):
- - 7.00am wake-up call, breakfast and at 7.30am, transfer to the fishing dock (15 min ride)
- - Fishing full day with packed lunch; return in afternoon at time depending on tide and fishing
Normal return time is around 6:30 PM.
- - Transfer to Hotel, dinner.
Day 9 (Saturday):
Deposits
A non-refundable deposit of $1500 USD is required to confirm a reservation.
Full payment is due 60 days prior to arrival.
Special Notes
For package pricing fill out the form to the right or contact Country Pleasures at (403)271-1016 or email us.
