Finally, Tarpon season has arrived in 2024. We have been eagerly anticipating this month for nearly a year, and we are ecstatic that the Tarpon did not disappoint our anticipation. The wind was a bit more than what we would have preferred to get the fish swimming better, but when the poon swam, they smashed the fly with reckless abandon. What more could a tarpon angler wanting to fly fish Cuba want??? Migratory fish that eat without hesitation, IF given the chance…

One major point we must remind anglers on our Cuba fly-fishing trips is that while the fish love to cooperate and eat the flies they see, it is the angler's job to do their part in this equation and deliver the fly to the Tarpon. Tarpon can't eat what they don't see. The fly needs to be put in front of the fish to allow it to be demolished. The beauty of Cuba fly fishing is that it allows for a more significant margin of error from anglers than tarpon fishing in the Florida Keys, for instance.

We would be retired if we had a dime for every time an angler said they wished they would have practiced their casting more before the trip. The goal is to practice before a Cuba fly fishing trip, not during the trip. This way, you are practicing catching fish, setting the hook, and landing fish. If we spend all the time practicing casting, we don't get as many opportunities to practice feeding the fish, setting the hook, clearing the line, and landing the fish.

The good news with fly fishing Cuba for Tarpon is that they give you more than enough opportunities to succeed, even when you might need help with your casting. If you are doing well with your casting, you can have unbelievable action when the fish are moving on the flats. It is not uncommon for a good caster to get 10-20 eats during a 1-2hr window when the fish are moving. It sounds insane, but every fly presented to a migratory tarpon gets smashed, nearly with 100% certainty. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't experienced it repeatedly. That's not to say the fishing is great eight hours a day, either. But when the fish swim during the right tide phases, the fishing is mind-blowing for anyone who hasn't experienced catching the mighty Silver King in crystal clear water.

This week, we had an excellent diverse group of anglers, friends from Houston to Florida, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, and Long Island. We had clients who never had saltwater fished and those who had done it every year for years and years. Every angler hooked Tarpon during the week; some landed a few, and some landed dozens. Everyone had more eats from Tarpon than they expected. The wind was a bit strong at times, which limited the opportunities for some of the newer anglers. Still, they saw some more experienced anglers deal with the wind and whack the Tarpon in the process.

The Texas boys are sold on fly fishing in Cuba. They are booking a boat for next year's Tarpon migration as well as a boat to fish the Grand Slam opportunity in Cayo Largo. I guess that really tells anyone how much the group liked their week.