# Fishing in Cuba



## formerWAflyfisher (Sep 5, 2008)

I'm headed to Havana on the first of March for 4 days. This is just a vacation unfortunately and not a fishing trip. But I might be able to get away for one afternoon. I won't have access to a car, but is the inshore or offshore fishing worth chartering a captain? Any suggestions of things to do? I'd love any input anyone has to give.


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## Blue Zone (Oct 22, 2011)

You might try going to Marina Hemingway to find a charter or maybe google it, but this could be dodgy.

The better places to fish are out East at Veradero or South on Cayo Largo off the coast.

To be honest, as you have a limited amount of time, I suggest you just enjoy Havana before it totally loses its charm. Be sure to take a taxi out to Hemingay's Finca Vigia, tour the house and his boat, Pilar, is there as well. I can give you some other places to see as well if you're interested.


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## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

x2 on enjoying Havana before it becomes Disneyland. It's coming.

There are yuuuuuuuge tarpon and perms that don't get almost any pressure, but they'll still be there when the McDonalds start opening up.


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## jbnc (Feb 28, 2017)

I know this thread is a little old but I'm going to bump it anyways.



Blue Zone said:


> You might try going to Marina Hemingway to find a charter or maybe google it, but this could be dodgy.
> 
> The better places to fish are out East at Veradero or South on Cayo Largo off the coast.
> 
> To be honest, as you have a limited amount of time, I suggest you just enjoy Havana before it totally loses its charm. Be sure to take a taxi out to Hemingay's Finca Vigia, tour the house and his boat, Pilar, is there as well. I can give you some other places to see as well if you're interested.


Blue, do you have any experience with fishing out of Varadero? Thinking about planning a trip down to Cuba in May and a few resorts in Varadero and Cayo Coco/Guillermo have caught my eye. Tried to look into bonefish in Varadero but didn't find much online.


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## SC_SeaCraft86 (Nov 15, 2017)

Give the guys at yellowdog a call. I'm sure they can connect you with some good local guides. My buddy Grey works for yellowdog and he just spent a few weeks down there fishing/connecting with guides for future trips.

https://www.yellowdogflyfishing.com/destinations/fly-fishing-cuba

I second what blue zone said. You gotta take the 30 minute drive out to Finca. It is incredible.


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## jbnc (Feb 28, 2017)

SC_SeaCraft86 said:


> Give the guys at yellowdog a call. I'm sure they can connect you with some good local guides. My buddy Grey works for yellowdog and he just spent a few weeks down there fishing/connecting with guides for future trips.
> 
> https://www.yellowdogflyfishing.com/destinations/fly-fishing-cuba
> 
> I second what blue zone said. You gotta take the 30 minute drive out to Finca. It is incredible.


Thanks for the info! Was just thinking about giving them a call for advice. We definitely want to check out Finca since this will be for our honeymoon and we are getting married at the Hemingway house in Key West.


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

Fished the Marina Hemingway billfish tournament years ago. Fishing was very slow, but that was before the longliners were forced out of those waters. We were aboard a private boat, so no recommendations on offshore charters. The highlight of this trip was getting to interview Hemingway's captain before he died and getting a private tour of the Finca.

More recently fished the Bay of Pigs for bonefish, tarpon and permit. Beautiful area with the national park and extremely remote. Spent one day on the flats wading or getting poled around in a motor-less jon boat. Lots of smaller bonefish and a few shots at snook. Next day was in the coastal rivers for tarpon. Had a couple on before they threw the hooks. Our guide decided to take us on an endless mangrove tunnel excursion. Ended up in a slough with no fish and wasted the rest of the day. The last day I was in another boat with a small outboard. We ran out to the outer mangrove islands and I caught and jumped several smaller tarpon on fly. When the bite slowed, the guide insisted on revving the engine to drive the fish out of mangroves and of course, they were so spooked they wouldn't eat a thing. 

A colleague used a mothership operation off the SW coast and had an incredible trip. So research the guide services carefully. The Yellowdog recommendation in an earlier post is a good place to start.

By all means, visit Hemingway's old haunts, including the Floridita Bar and the Finca. There are also some open air markets in Havana with some cool collectibles too, like old Cuban license plates, books, posters, etc.


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## Greg Allison (Mar 13, 2018)

On a side note, if you like art bring some extra cash. There is some incredible stuff for sale in the galleries of Old Havana for low prices. Send me a PM if you need any food recommendations, I recently went on a trip there and we ate some great restaurants.


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## jbnc (Feb 28, 2017)

Zika said:


> Fished the Marina Hemingway billfish tournament years ago. Fishing was very slow, but that was before the longliners were forced out of those waters. We were aboard a private boat, so no recommendations on offshore charters. The highlight of this trip was getting to interview Hemingway's captain before he died and getting a private tour of the Finca.
> 
> More recently fished the Bay of Pigs for bonefish, tarpon and permit. Beautiful area with the national park and extremely remote. Spent one day on the flats wading or getting poled around in a motor-less jon boat. Lots of smaller bonefish and a few shots at snook. Next day was in the coastal rivers for tarpon. Had a couple on before they threw the hooks. Our guide decided to take us on an endless mangrove tunnel excursion. Ended up in a slough with no fish and wasted the rest of the day. The last day I was in another boat with a small outboard. We ran out to the outer mangrove islands and I caught and jumped several smaller tarpon on fly. When the bite slowed, the guide insisted on revving the engine to drive the fish out of mangroves and of course, they were so spooked they wouldn't eat a thing.
> 
> ...


Thanks Zika. I've seen a few guided trips that take you from Varadero over to the Bay of Pigs area which is around a 2.5 hour trip so that might be an option. That's badass you got to meet Hemingway's captain!



Greg Allison said:


> On a side note, if you like art bring some extra cash. There is some incredible stuff for sale in the galleries of Old Havana for low prices. Send me a PM if you need any food recommendations, I recently went on a trip there and we ate some great restaurants.


Awesome suggestion, every time we travel we always end up buying local art so I'll make sure to bring some extra money. Will definitely get your food recommendations once we lock in where we are staying.


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

Interviewing Gregorio is one of the highlights of my career! And I agree with Greg, some great art buys and excellent food.

Here's a recent article on Zapata written by one of my colleagues:

https://www.saltwatersportsman.com/fishing-cubas-zapata-peninsula


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## Jysk (Dec 1, 2018)

Havana is just a paradise for fishing, well, at least somehow I had a rest ... I still only dream about this


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