Cuba Fly Fishing Report - March 2023

Our shop had a great week in Cayo Largo to start the year!

The first day's weather was good: sunny skies, excellent visibility, low winds, warm water, and fish everywhere. Between all of the skiffs, there were almost 50 Bonefish that were landed, with some up to 8lbs. Our group also landed a few Permit, like the one pictured above, and a few resident Tarpon. The Cuban Marine Biologists tout the Bonefish in Cayo Largo as the largest, on average, in the country at 5lb.

The weather cooled off significantly the next few days, the water chilled down, and the fish were a bit more scarce. Those who powered through the rain still had fun with sinking lines in the channels and tucking away from the wind within the mangroves and lagoons, targeting smaller resident Tarpon and Snook.
The conditions improved steadily throughout the week as the weather got warmer and warmer, more fish showed back up on the flats, and the number of fish on the boat grew.

Our group logged a Grand Slam on day 1 and a Super Slam (Tarpon, Permit, Bonefish, Snook) on day 4 with other close calls! (We blame those shifty Permit)
The Avalon Fly, in both bead chain and lead eye, is always a must-have in your fly box on Cuba fly fishing trips. We also had some luck with a Strong Arm Merkin and other shrimp and crab patterns.