Cayo Largo, Cuba
Fabulous saltwater fishing combined with a first class live aboard cruise experience.
Cayo Largo is located around the ‘Zapata’ peninsula, on the southern coast of Cuba. The area, surrounded by white sandy beaches, this is a superlative place for fishermen to enjoy some of the best saltwater fishing in Cuba and possibly the Caribbean. Cayo Largo is an outstanding locations for producing Grand Slams and Super Slams, in large part because the permit fishing is consistently so good. Each of these fisheries regularly produce 25 pound plus permit for our anglers and we don‘t know of too many other places that boast the number of weekly Slams as Cayo Largo does.
A National Park offering 27,000 square kilometres of fishable water with an average temperature of 26°C, Cayo Largo is the ideal environment for fly-fishing for bonefish, tarpon, permit, snook and reef species. The south side of Cayo Largo is protected by a coral barrier reef and with its white sand beaches and majority of firm bottomed sand flats, it is perfect for wading. Lots of skill and patience is required when permit fishing but a fair number of Grand Slams have been achieved in Cayo Largo so it is definitely worth spending a day or two having a shot at these pernickety fish.
As well as the wonderful array of flats that one can either wade or pole, depending on preference, there is a vastly productive reef where a range of species can be targeted and caught; grouper, bonito, barracuda, jacks and snapper are common and all will often come easily to a well presented fly. Trolling can also provide some extraordinary fishing with yellowfin tuna, kingfish, wahoo and shark being just some of the fish that will test your tackle to its limit.
To get the most out of Cayo Largo we always advise taking a team and reserving a vessel privately. With all the extras the live a board offers, from diving to waterskiing and of course the fishing in often uncharted waters, a private charter with air-conditioned rooms offers that little bit more when it comes to the world of saltwater fly fishing in Cuba.
Accommodation
Starting in the 2020 season, we will be utilizing a 10 room mother boat, the new Jardines Avalon I, to accommodate our anglers for this amazing program. Spending a week aboard a mothership yacht will create a luxurious and exclusive experience with the highest quality of food, lodging, and service. With a maximum of 6 skiffs booked in the entire area for the week, this will also prove to be Cuba’s most exclusive and innovative fishing destination.
Even better, we are going to be able to offer this program as a Saturday to Saturday week. Clients will board the yacht in the Zapesca area 3 hours south of Havana on Saturday and navigate to Cayo Largo and fish full days Sunday through Friday. On the following Saturday the mother boat will return to Zapesca where clients will disembark to make an afternoon flight out from the Havana airport. This program will require no additional nights in Havana and remove the early morning air transfers that have been characteristic of the Cayo Largo program in the past.
Life on the live aboard is relaxed and completely customizable. You can fish much longer hours on the skiff every day if you wish. Whenever you’re finished and ready to unwind, the yacht will be a close run away so you may enjoy all the aspects of our luxury service. You’ll be greeted by a welcoming crew, a cold mojito, and then a lobster dinner. With Cayo Largo being our top destination for Grand Slams, this will allow clients more hours on the water chasing the fish of their dreams.
