Fishing in Cuba | The Complete Guide for Tourists (Video)

[popofish!]

Hi all,

If anyone has considered trying out some saltwater fishing on their next trip to Cuba, I've put together a video from a recent trip to Cayo Guillermo in order to illustrate the what, where and how. Enjoy and subscribe to the channel for similar content!

 

Edited November 2, 2019 by popofish!

[BillM]

Great vid!

[captpierre]

Nice!  Never been to that area. 

[popofish!]

10 hours ago, captpierre said:

Nice!  Never been to that area. 

In terms of typical resort destinations, it is the best one I've been to in terms of land based fishing. You have all the options right there. People who have additional time can pay to go fish the reefs (either by resort catamaran or boat). At that point you will be catching anything and everything.

[DanD]

Nice.

I always bring my telescopic rod and a few lures with me, when heading down to the islands. Just before daybreak, walk out to the water break walls, piers or wherever; sit back and enjoy, chucking some bait. Usually bring two coffee's & Baileys with me. One for me and the other for the security guard; that usually tells me that that place is off limits. Then he'll escort me to where I want to fish and stay until the coffees are done. LOL

Dan.

[mamona]

Great tips @DanD 

@popofish! the trolling part - did you hire someone with the boat?

[Big Cliff]

Really nice job on that video

[popofish!]

18 minutes ago, mamona said:

Great tips @DanD 

@popofish! the trolling part - did you hire someone with the boat?

No, this was a catamaran. Most resorts will offer complementary 30 min catamaran rides right off the beach. Sometimes they try and push for you to pay 40 CUC so that they can take you fishing for 2 h. However I typically just go for the free 30 min. I've yet to go and not have something on my line. 

[popofish!]

1 minute ago, Big Cliff said:

Really nice job on that video

Thank you!  I don't really like talking in videos so I'm hoping to visually show people exactly what I did to catch fish. I try and stick with the same formula for all the videos on my channel.

[Jds63]

very cool, do you need to purchase a fishing license or permit down there ?

[popofish!]

55 minutes ago, Jds63 said:

very cool, do you need to purchase a fishing license or permit down there ?

Nope. Tourists fish for free.

[bobowski]

Great video. Looks like fun

[Toronto_Angler]

Very cool!

[Tomcat]

How did you get there once you flew into Havana airport?

[popofish!]

1 hour ago, Tomcat said:

How did you get there once you flew into Havana airport?

I actually flew into Cayo Coco. From there, buses take tourists directly to their respective resorts (included in the resort package deal). The three main airports for tourists are Varadero, Cayo Coco and Santa Clara. 

[Tomcat]

Thanks

[chris.brock]

nicely done, slick video!

I'm going to Mexico shortly, I'm bringing a rod and some tackle. I don't know what I'm doing though.

From what I've heard, it's an evening bite? very fast retrieve with big poppers and twitching big shallow running salt water cranks? 

any tips are appreciated 

[popofish!]

4 minutes ago, chris.brock said:

nicely done, slick video!

I'm going to Mexico shortly, I'm bringing a rod and some tackle. I don't know what I'm doing though.

From what I've heard, it's an evening bite? very fast retrieve with big poppers and twitching big shallow running salt water cranks? 

any tips are appreciated 

The bite is at sunrise as well as sunet if you are fishing from shore. I'm not sure what type of rod you are bringing, that will determine what you can throw. Send me a PM and I can help as much as I can. Cheers!

[scuro2]

To go down there thinking there is one mythology of fishing that works is like saying fast troll is the way to catch big fish in Ontario.

I've fished those spots. Honestly, fishing was better in the past. I go down to that area every second year or so, more for my wife. I still bring a rod but fish once every day or two for an hour or two...depending on conditions. If I get one or two good hits for the week that is good enough...the opportunity is all I ask for.

If you're a newbie bring the rod along. It's nice in the middle of winter to wet the line. First time I went down I figured out one fishing pattern day 7, hours before we flew. I caught some gray snapper bass size, I could have easily been skunked for the week ( beyond a few dinks ). Don't go down there thinking this is a fishing trip.

Even though it is hard for them to fish on tourist islands the Cubans are there. Cubans are protein starved and net frequently, or spend nights and days in a row fishing places like the bridge with chest coolers with blocks of ice. I've fished with them, they keep everything. 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2019 by scuro2

[chris.brock]

That's basically what I've discerned about fishing down there Scuro

I was going to ask popofish a related question-

Cayo Guillermo, if you go out for 1.5 hours at dusk, how many fish can you expect to catch? what's the average # caught? is it 2, or 0.25 or what?

 

 

 

[popofish!]

I guess it all depends on the conditions. If waves are pounding the shore, you will have a hard time hooking up. I will put it this way. I was down there for a week with my wife. I fished most mornings, most evenings and went trolling three times (30 min each). So I definitely didn't go hard everyday. In those 7 days I went 2/8. I had more than one fish on per day on average. I just happened to lose a lot of fish this time for some reason.

As far as pressure goes, I would argue that Cuba, particularly Cayo Coco and Cayo Santa Maria, receive very low pressure compared to some other places like Florida. The locals rarely fish with lures so that fish are not savy to them like in other places. Hence, I would most definitely consider going down there for an actually fishing trip. Especially between May and September.

[scuro2]

If you're fishing 7 days say 3-4 hours a day and bring 2 in, that isn't worth the money to fly there and make it a fishing trip. A week south with your wife yes! By the way that sounds about right...a nibble a day if your on a good spot...but if there is such low pressure how do you explain that catch rate? Florida can't be much worse except in the populated areas. I've heard some good things about Florida. 

I've walked and boated a lot of shoreline on Cayo G trying to get to "isolated" spots. I've fished with great cuban fishermen and seen their best techniques. Some do have rods, others are so dam persistent they sleep on the bridge for days with multiple lines in. I've seen fishing trawlers, and nets with 12 cubans needed to haul it in. When I was in the middle of a tidal channel thick with mangrove, there were Cubans there. They try to keep the cuban fishermen away from the tourists. They have banned them from the bridge...but they find their way back there a 1/2 year or so later. They are there and catching, they keep every single fish they catch. You should see their faces when you throw one back in. Any fish or species out of the sea is food. Next time go, head into the town where the workers live on the way out to Cayo Pardon. A good chunk of the Cuban population is living in what we would call poverty. The country is under a US embargo still. A fish has real worth.