Sportfish Feb Winner

Thank you to all for the thumbs up.....  Cuban Permit, caught and released, Cayo Cruz/Romano with Go Fishing Worldwide

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Permit fishing Cayo Cruz/Romano- Cuba

CUBA- Cayo Cruz/Romano 

Having  just returned from the Cuban north shore of Cayo Cruz/Romano.  I can only say you have to see it to believe it…. 

The pristine flats are a wash with the most perfectly clear waters and with a mix of sand and grassy flat that seem endless, there are more square miles of fishing than you could possibly walk in a lifetime.

Our lodge La Casona De Romano, (run by Avalon , ) is a beautiful building,  maintained to a great standard, clean and very comfortable,  it is hosted by an enthusiastic team that are focused on your every need.  All inclusive meant only a small amount of cash was required for a celebratory drink or two, (Havana Club Mojito’s being the perfect compliment).

Days commence following your wake up call and after breakfast it was into the transport for the journey to the boats, which are moored at Cayo Cruz some 50k away. Along the route you capture a real feeling for Cuban life as the early work force make there way to pick up points for their daily troop to work.  After twenty minutes your passage continues through the check point and along the huge causeway that penetrates its way through Cayo Romano to Cayo Cruz. Flanked by water we would often see, Flamingo, Spoon Bill and a myriad  of other features along the route.

On arrival at the dock, you are warrmly greeted by your guides,  who, following a quick chat will have you in your skiff ready and on your way to your fishing zone. ( Zone = colossal flats that only you and he fish for the day).  

Beautiful Permit one of two during the week

The fishing available at Cayo Cruz / Romano covers one of the most extensive areas anywhere in the Caribbean.  The vast number of flats are protected from the north by a string of Cays, collectively known as Jardines del Rey (Garden of the King).

The Cays, are literally uninhabited and apart from your boat partner and guide you are unlikely to see anyone else while out on the water.  Cayo Cruz / Romano is therefore the perfect habitat for bonefish, tarpon and permit.  Made up a series of mangrove lagoons and flats that run for hundreds of kilometres, most flats, of white sand interspersed with turtle grass and mangrove are ideal for those who want to wade or fish from the skiff.

The flats and Cays are extremely rich in crustacean life, which enable both the bonefish and permit to exceed the sizes found elsewhere around the Caribbean.



Large Bonefish were encountered daily

Deeper channels provide perfect areas for tarpon to feed on the shoals of sardines but when the tides are right these fish will move onto the flats where there will be the opportunity of sight casting to these feisty creatures.

But Cayo Cruz / Romano is best known for its large bonefish, and permit, as well as other species such as jacks and barracuda. Bonefish are commonly found in the range 5 -10 lbs, ( our trip nothing less than 4lb and a magic 10lb for one of the group )  Permit from 10lb to much larger specimens are frequently encounter, and  Tarpon from 20 - 150 lbs. 



Blessed with a 2nd Permit for the week, this one took the famous Avalon fly, presented on RIO's tropical quick shooter

As the fishing day draws to a close your transfer (cold beer at the ready) will be waiting to return you to La Casona for a Mojito or two while you celebrate your day .

Dinner is generally from 7.30pm onwards and includes complimentary wine with dinner, before retiring back to the bar for additional drinks which you can added to your bar tab for the week.

Cayo Cruz/Romano is a must try location for any Saltwater fly enthusiast and frankly ranks as one of the top Permit area in the world.  

Check out :

Avalon

Go Fishing Worldwide 

Or drop me a line/call if you would like to know  more. david@thatfly.co.uk 

Kingdom of the Grand Slam



Gateway to the Grand Slam

Seasons come and seasons go, fishing comes and fishing goes, but add Saltwater Fly Fishing into the equation and you’ll be talking about it forever. Don’t get me wrong I truly love all my fishing but I must say the latter delivers such a thrill, you’ll be hooked forever…

Our world continues to shrink as our ability to travel freely grows and with new fishing opportunity appearing to open around every corner, the only limitation appears to be you, or that all important budget. But destination Fly Fishing does not have to break the bank, many thrilling locations offer some great value packages and the promise of some amazing fly fishing that will suit all budgets and more importantly your abilities.
Our trip, as I am sure most, started as a casual chat over beer, where would we go? , for how long?, what’s it like , what would we need?… so on and so on…… I have always loved to hear the stories of other anglers as they reflect on prizes caught and the ever teasing one,that was so close ..., and remains so far. But it is by listening and talking to as wide an array of anglers and agents you will start to build a picture of what good may look like... no guarantees, remember this is fishing.!!
This year we had a mixed group of both novice and improving anglers,  so the right location would be key…. But where ? After a few Internet searches the odd DVD and more importantly a chat with Mat McHugh- of Fly Odyssey we settled on the excellent value and location of Mexico’s Ascension Bay.

Punta Allen is located a short hop off the north shores of Ascension Bay. A part of the Sian Ka`an Biosphere Reserve,  the location is a protected ecology absolutely steeped in wild life and where you can encounter, snook, bonefish, tarpon and permit from a myriad of locations. Punta Allen’s peninsular spearheads the access to a wide expanse of tarpon stuffed lagoons, open water channels and beautiful post card flats which teem with bonefish, jacks, barracuda and of course the revered permit. You have just entered the Kingdom of the Grand Slam....  But, if that’s not enough you can throw in a number of seasonal off shore options.



Wade Fishing

Next it was kit, and the old adage of less is more will serve you well. I armed myself with three rods, 8#, 9w# and a10w#, with all reels loaded with 200yrd of backing. In reality two rods would have been fine but three did offer another dimension - as this could be rigged for a possible trophy shot - 40lb Barracuda are not uncommon


                       








One area not to scrimp on… is lines, do spend some time selecting the right lines and leaders, after all you do want to see your fish of a lifetime…! Talk to experienced anglers and make the most of your local tackle dealers, there are quite often specific items and flies for the areas you may be travelling to. For example Ascension bay have some fantastic skinny water flats where the lightest of bonefish flies are vital for a stealthy presentation. Get it right and your reel will be screaming all day.
Other items are personal preference but do take good polarising sun glasses, amber and copper being ideal and pack plenty sun protection.

We flew direct London to Cancun arriving late PM. Upon arrival you are quickly met by your transfer host, and it’s off to Punta Allen, via Tulum. On arrival at Punta Allen you are welcomed by Manuel Chac and his team and quickly introduced to your rooms for some well earned rest. Manuel’s lodge “Casa Viejo Chac” is perfectly located and very comfortable, the team are so helpful and nothing is too much trouble. Food was excellent and presented to a high standard.

Manuel is a wealth of information, passionate, enthusiastic and highly skilled, our group were hungry to learn. The guides at Casa Viejo Chac are all highly experienced and very knowledgeable and with good English our anglers were quickly at ease and learning from the whole experience.

Fishing proved very good, even with some unseasonal weather to contend with, fortunately for us most appeared to circumnavigate the bay leaving us to enjoy prolonged tropical sunshine and explosive action. Our group caught countless bonefish on a daily basis, added to the mix were tarpon, snook, barracuda, jacks and even a couple of small permit. With the huge array of flats, channels and lagoons the opportunities were endless, our guides located fish on a daily basis ensuring us shots at every species while introducing us to an amazing diversity of wild life, such as eagles, flamingos, herons and crocodiles to name but a few..

Punta Allen went way beyond expectation, it boasts a multitude of species in a beautiful and diverse location and with simple direct access I would regard it as an idea destination for both first time and experienced anglers.

If you are seeking the thrill of saltwater fly fishing or just want to know more then please contact me at;  “That Fly”
        david@thatfly.co.uk
        07564 266 539
2014 bookings now available.