By Avalon
Posted Sunday, August 24, 2008
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 Cuba Fly Fishing for Tarpon:
Probably the best tarpon fishing in the entire Caribbean thanks to the huge Marine park ecosystem that in only 10 years repopulate what everybody are now able to experience and most of all thanks to the low pressure flats/n# angler/year that allow Avalon to fish almost everyday in an untouched flat. Numbers reflect only part of what reality can offer and not even 7,000 jumped tarpon per season can give you an idea what a regular tarpon fishing day can be. Tarpon are abundant in the island system, especially baby tarpon in the 20-50 pound class. Larger fish, 80-140 lbs are getting more and more common every year especially during March - June months. What you can expect is some of the hottest fishing for tarpon to be found anywhere in the world! Baby tarpon is a perfect fish to catch on a 10 weight fly rod, or on spin or bait casting tackle.
The many "rivers" and "creeks" flowing between islands are especially good at higher tide levels. Schools of bigger tarpons are often found right out on the flats, in two to six feet of water. The fishing is fast and exciting and all in sight casting. Schools of anchovies and glass minnows can often be found packed along the mangrove islands, and when you find baitfish in big concentrations like this, you'll find hundreds of tarpon feeding on them. This can be total non-stop action! It is also thrilling to fish for tarpon at night, after dinner, when the tarpon will come to a popper with dramatic lunges, not for the faint of heart. We also fish tarpon in the outside flats during dawn time especially if there is no wind around.
Bonefish:
You'll find some of the finest bonefishing in the world in the JDR. Since these flats are never commercialy fished, they are teeming with bones that average a solid four to six pounds. An angler has lots of opportunities daily for fish in the seven to nine pound class. Bones in the 10-14 lb. class have been caught with more regularity especially in the last years thanks to the Marine park, but what is impressive are the overall numbers and average size of these bonefish.There are a variety of flats, from pure white sand to a mixture of sand and grass, to flats where it can be solid turtle grass and marl.
Guides use the flats skiffs to cover a lot of water, but when they encounter an especially good flat to wade, they often park the boat.
The anglers will hop out, accompanied by the guide, and wade fish the flats. There are a great number of flats that provide outstanding wade fishing for large tailing bones on an incoming tide.
The late afternoon and evening fishing can be especially pleasant. The guides are willing to fish late, and the wind typically dies in the afternoon. Tailing and feeding bones can be spotted hundreds of yards away on the calm flats, and in the low evening light the bones pounce on a fly with abandon you don't see in mid-day.
 Permit:
Other than the Florida Keys, this is perhaps the best place in the world to catch a big permit on a fly. There are both good numbers of big permit, and superb permit flats to be found in the JDR. Flats that are barely out of the water, or just below the surface at low tide are two to three feet deep on a high incoming tide - perfect habitat for the largest permit.
Many of these flats are bordered by deep water- exactly the same kind of conditions you see in the Florida Keys where most of the world record permit have been caught. It is not uncommon to pole up to these flats and see a half a dozen permit tailing, all of which are in the 25-35 pound class! The Jardines de la Reina is one of the few spots in the world where you have a very real opportunity to catch a grand slam - any day of the year!
Avalon Cuban Fishing Centers
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