scuro2

Yes, this is not Mexico, I like it better! Very nice people but it is built on developing a relationship, kindness goes a long way. Many tourists treat Cubans like servants. Out at Pardon they may be a little more jaded. Mostly they do hand lining..so anything that works with hand lining..not plastics so much but they may be interested in anything. The guys out at pardon will not appreciate this stuff so much..unless it is top quality You will have to plan for using your own stuff. No fishing stores in Cuba, no amazon, etc. They may have gear, may be not. There is a fly store in TO where you can buy ready made flies for down south. The crab patterns worked well for me. Don’t think huge fish...but they are twice as strong and even small medium fish are a blast If you don’t fish the water at the resort, walk it anyways with the girlfriend. You may see fish! Take the taxi out to Pardon, say day two. Take your girlfriend...it is an eye opening trip, especially the “bridge”. I don’t even know if the miltary will let you drive to the outfit. But talk about it with them! They all have cell phones. Most cubans will always try to help you once they see you are not a jackass tourist. The nicest people I have met anywhere. If you dont speak spanish pick up a few phrases and try to get a driver who speaks decent spanish. It could be really windy many days anyways this time of year. Tides are everything this time of year, if you can, plan to fish the high tide Don’t worry...this experience alone is worth the effort...fish is a bonus

Well you are an unknown. This isn't Canada where you just call a business and they respond. Are you phoning at a time when they are fishing? Do they have enough work already during your week? Things are different down there...a slower pace where respect and relationships are king. Who are you? A 1st time tourist Gringo. If you can't connect in Canada go down with some nice fishing hats. They also love great hooks...bait hooks. You wear that fishing hat everywhere on the resort. Wear your fly fishing outfit around in the resort, go fishing on some flats, any piece of water, every jetty - scout it out. Smile and be friendly to any Cuban who looks at you...be it the bellhop or the guy who makes the cappuccino. A number of them will fish. Once you spark their interest those who fish will seek you out. Talk with them...tell them what you have tried, what you have heard...share some stuff if they take any interest in your stuff. I'd carry the extra hooks in my pocket. Few of them will have rods...the contact may well be made for you. This guy will phone that guy who will phone Duniesky. Now you are not a newbie gringo. Another tact to take is take if you are striking out say your 1st three days is take the taxi out to operation....in the late afternoon. I never got past the bridge to the island. That bridge...the guards at the bridge...worth the cost of taxi ride alone. They will be friendly. Made one privates day with mouth spreaders. Explore...worth doing even if you catch little

Muzzin would be an instant hero, and may go down to be as famous a checker as Brian Glennie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmIFPDwsfHk

Best report yet...with the best fish. You have learned how to fish the south sea little grasshopper

I don't think anyone who has fished there and anywhere else in the world would call it the best fly fishing there is. Cubans are notorious catch and kill fishermen. Protein is hard to come by so they will go to great lengths to get fish. The islands are limited to locals...and off of Cayo Coco to the east is an island I believe is called Playa Pardon. That spot is as protected as any in Cuba. There is an outfit there not too pricey. Check out this forum https://www.worldseafishing.com/forums/forums/rest-of-the-world.314/ The nice thing about Cuba is that you don't need a license for the non protected areas. Bring your fly rod along...there are some fish along the beaches. That is what is nice about Cuba...you can do some fishing free and guided fishing at not the prices you would pay in the Bahamas...Do a search on CC and PP...you will find plenty of info

Kesagami is over fished and I would only consider early spring or when the main camp shuts down, but I don't think they fly into Partridge anymore once the main camp has closed. For that type of money I'd look elsewhere first. Their little isolated fishing camps have their charms and for the right price would be fun. Some only get fished once or twice a year, if that. That is the type of conversation I would be having. Do your homework. Just don't go in with huge expectations.

Misfish says he is not a Habs fan but he sure smells like one.

It is not illegal to fish from shore in Cuba, no license is required. It is illegal to fish in a nature preserve and Holguin is no where near one. If you are new to southern fishing I would advise just fishing of a hired Cat for an afternoon or two with the wife. Those are great little trips and you get to see the resort from a completely different perspective. A good trolling rod and and bright flashy lures you can troll quick is what I would bring. I did that one time and nada. Southern DIY shore fishing has a steep learning curve and you don't want to try to learn under difficult circumstances. Basically any mainland coast is under a ton of fishing pressure. If you are adventuresome scour a map of the region. Any place with a heavy tide could be good. You can rent a local taxi for the day relatively cheap. That sort of excursion is also fun even if you catch nothing.

Hope springs eternal bud! THIS AIN"T 2010 bwhahaha!! First Montreal has to make the playoffs and THEN it needs to take the first wild card spot to get Washington in the first round. I would take that bet that they can't even accomplish this! Oh by the way the HABS are not winning the cup again this year or next, or anytime soon!

Apparently there are Muskie in one NB river. Mackerel,...if you hit it right, tossing Cleos will get you as many Mackerel as you want. Giant schools of them right from the dock.

Price is still under career stat levels....he is not the Price of old. Leafs beat Boston? More improbable would be Habs get to the playoffs and take out either #1 seed. Most improbable would be the two teams meeting in the playoffs.

How funny that everyone gets their knickers in a knot so quickly. "Sparks has got to go! We had Curtis McElhinney and he was the best". Curtis McElhinney is 13-6-1 with a save % of .916 and he is 35 years old. His career SP is .909 Sparks is 7-4-1 and developing. Trend line is higher. Current save percentage is .908, and it's his first fully year here. Give the guy a break, if Boston overtakes the Leafs it won't be because of Sparks.

Well do they really need to move anyone especially now? If you replace your RFAs with internal talent half the problem is solved. Gardner, Hainsey, Innis, Lindholm, would all have to go unless they do Leaf cap friendly deals. The talent you would be interested in keeping is Sparks, Johnnson, and Kapanen...yet you have $5.3 on the books for Horton and another $1.2 for Kessel. Trade that debt away if need be. Horton comes off the books after next year anyways as does Marleau. If you listen to Dubas, that is his solution...internal talent to fill holes or to be used as bait in trades. He states basically they do a lot of future number crunching. Look at Pittsburg...similar boat, top 4 talent basically take up 1/2 the cap. I have no reason to doubt that Dubas can get er done. GMs now have to be great jugglers.

Matt reminds me of the star high school quarterback...all he can talk about is glory days and everything he talks about is always referenced back to his glory days. This team sucks because they sucked when I was back in high school. Planet Earth has not stood still Matt...the past is over. Welcome to today!

I would agree with a place like Lac Seul but not Temagami or Kipawa...both deep water shield lakes. The link I offered to you for Nipigon is another option. Nipigon is a shield lake but just so massive that there are pike areas. To top it off the crusie guy would know where to go. That cruise would be an experience in itself

http://www.nighthawkcharters.ca/ This is the one we were looking at, even looked in the boat. It sails from the south end of Lake N

Kesagami is probably too expensive and too pressured for it's size and the price. I would not suggest Kipawa if big pike are the goal. They are in there for sure but it is a damned shield lake and they take water levels right down in the fall which is not good for early spring spawning. I've been to a few camps there and found no ideal habitat or had a lot of success for pike. They are in ambush spots such as narrows etc. They are caught usually when folks troll for walleye or lakers! Nipigon is huge and beautiful but also a shield lake and prime pike spots are not easily accessible. That open water can be potentially dangerous in spring and big wind can create tide like conditions on wind swept shores! They used to do a cruiser rental that you would sleep in and they would tow a few boats that you could fish in once the cruiser was anchored. Meals were provided and that would certainly be a great experience and possibly in your price range once have enough people going. I always wanted to do that trip. The cruiser operated out of the southern bay. A lake like lake of the woods might work especially in the early spring. It could be one of those situations where it is the third target species and not specifically fished as hard. Spring would be good too before the cottagers are established. It is big...never fished it.

I've been watching YN weather forecasts...at first I thought it was in Fahrenheit until I saw the minus sign

Big hungry pike in numbers need little harassment and bigger water. To get those conditions cost$$$. I'd consider going Muskie fishing in prime time....

You sound like a Leaf fan of old. When you rode them all the down your pony is taking it all in. Karma bud! I try not to bash any fan except Habs fans. Cowboy and Yankee fans are less obnoxious.

In the stock market everybody is a genius in good times. Brag to me in bad times. Wait everybody loses in bad times.

I've been fighting crab grass for years, read this thread about a week ago and bought this. I may not be winning the war on weeds but I sure am having fun doing battle. It gives off a real hot flame...shoots out about 4 inches and when you turn it off it makes a very satisfying noise. Perfect for you closet pyros out there. https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.lawn-and-garden-propane-torch.1001002719.html

That's so retro...what Napster is down?

Exactly...Temagami say 50 years ago? You are not going there to catch big fish although it does happen....it is just that laid back lifestyle and a huge body of water to explore. You can go hours without seeing a boat. I don't fish for walleye unless I have too....tried it briefly before the kids came to make sure we woudl catch. Leeches were the ticket. We were down Laniel way...got to fish around Strawberry island and past the "Farm" almost down to Hay "river". The price was right, we have friends up there so a little fishing in the evening and in the morning if I went to bed at a decent hour. There was stuff to do. So yeah...jigging may be next time especially if the fishing gets no better. On this trip I had no big expectations so was simply happy to boat on this fine peace of real estate and take it all in. Bunk, not every trip is a big fish trip, eh? I'd also recommend Kipawa Lodge...the cooking is fabulous. Took my wife who had been stressed out by her father's cancer. She breathed.

I'd never say Kipawa is a great Lake trout fishery but usually you could dial it in and catch a few per outing. Keepers at about 26 inches?...usually you could catch one a week. This time was tougher. No consistency in catching and getting skunked happened about every third or forth outing. That was unusual. We had the massive pollen dump...you can actually see about a 3 inch line on the rocks of pollen as the lake lowered. Then some unsettled weather and then the heat. I'll take stability any time...give me consistent conditions. Floater, one thing you may have to contend with is poor air quality as the forest fires in Ontario are still burning. Kipawa got soaked when that last storm front went through.