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Join Pacific Angler Expeditions on a trip to Cayo Romano, Cuba!
LOCATION Located on the north shore of the eastern province of Camaguey, the Cayo Romano/Cruz fishery is an enormous system of flats, lagoons and pristine estuaries. Located in Jardines del Rey, commercial fishing within this designated area is strictly forbidden and rigorously enforced by the Cuban Government. The designated sport fish only area is 366 square kilometers in size, meaning that on the average day, each skiff has over 50 square kilometers to itself. The fishing area is virtually untouched and represents one of the cleanest and most biologically diverse ecosystems we've ever fished. This is one of the other reasons we have chosen this destination. It is still very virgin and has only seen anglers for three seasons! The fish are plentiful and aggressive. Most other destinations are now heavily fished and have been fished that way for over 15 years.
Bonefish, permit, tarpon. Mutton snapper, snook, cubera snapper, jack crevelle, and barracuda are all consistently available from this location. SEASON OF OPERATION The flats at Cayo Romano/Cruz are a little deeper than those found in other areas of Cuba, which means that the bonefish and permit are still found in excellent numbers throughout the year. ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE LOGISTICS We will arrive in Cayo Coco, Cuba on March 24th and will depart and be back in Vancouver on March 31st via West Jet Flights.
Guests fishing Cayo Romano/Cruz will stay at the Hotel Casona de Romano, which is located in the town of Brasil. The Casona is quite likely the most unusual fishing lodge we've ever had the good fortune of fishing from. This stately house was build in 1919 for the owner of the towns sugar cane factory and it was fully renovated 2 years ago to accommodate the needs of today’s' traveling anglers. The house has 6 double rooms and 2 single rooms, two of which have balconies overlooking the courtyard and church. The beds in each room are new and very comfortable. Each room is fully equipped with a private bath with lots of hot water, along with plenty of lights for reading at night and a small fridge for cold drinks. Each room also has an excellent A/C unit, along with a TV, just in case you feel the need to watch some absolutely dreadful Cuban television. The dining room is located on the first floor and it typically produces a variety of traditional Cuban food, with dinners ranging from fish and seafood to roast pork and chicken. Breakfast is simple yet delicious, with a heavy emphasis on eggs fruit and toast. The bar area is located just inside the main entrance to the house. It is fairly well stocked with rum, vodka, scotch, red and white wines from Spain, as well as both of Cuba's domestic beer brands. The bar is quite possibly the source for the least expensive beer in all of Cuba. 1 CUC per beer is a true bargain, even by Cuban standards!
The first thing that guests need to know about when considering this location, aside from the exceptional flats fishing that is found here, is that this is a new fishery still very much in its infancy. It has only been in operation for three years and has not seen many clients, particularly when compared to other locations in the Caribbean that offer this quality of fishing. Nowhere does this become more apparent than with the guides who work this location. The guides are hard working and eager to learn but they are very green and are learning on the job. There are no veteran guides here with decades of experience. The senior guides have at most 3 years of experience and this can at times be challenging to deal with, particularly for some of our more experienced anglers who have fished all over the world with us. However, if you are prepared to be patient while the guides develop, what you will find is a virtually untouched flats oasis, absolutely teaming with fish and wildlife. We believe this strongly outweighs the fact the guides are fairly new. Last year when our group was there, Fly Max Films was there as well and caught bonefish, tarpon, and permit. Check out this footage of the fishing you will have! Cayo Cruz Footage
The flats are an inviting combination of hard packed white sand and a semi firm mottled bottom that still provides good wading. And what a place this is for those who like to wade! It's very similar to Los Roques in terms of the amount of area that's wadable and there are places here where you can wade for 4 straight hours without heading back to the boat.
There are two locations within the Cayo Romano that offer very good tarpon fishing and both are about an 80 minute boat ride from the Cayo Cruz boat launch. The guides tend to save these areas for when an angler has already boated a permit and is looking for a Grand Slam. These fish will range from 30 to 90 pounds. BOATS AND EQUIPMENT The skiffs operating at Cayo Romano/Cruz are Mitzi brand skiffs, manufactured in the United States. Each skiff has a poling platform for the guide along with rod holders and very generous storage space,located at both the front and back of the boat. The casting platform is large and offers lots of space for those anglers who like to move around a bit while standing on the bow of the boat. Constructed from a very light fiberglass mold, these skiffs are ideal for the miles and miles of shallow water flats that anglers will find here. Drawing less than 6 inches of water, the skiffs are powered by very reliable 40 HP Yamaha two stroke engines.
Guests will fly into Cayo Coco, Cuba where you will be met by a Pacific Angler Expeditions representative as soon as you clear customs. Upon arrival in Cayo Coco, guests will board a waiting taxi for the 90 minute drive through the countryside to the town of Brasil, located in Camaguey province. From the mainland, a causeway stretches out into the warm Caribbean Sea, heading up to the boat launch at Cayo Cruz. The road initially winds its way through some very rural farmland and it's sometimes hard to imagine when you're on this road that you are actually on your way to one of the finest flats fishing destinations in the world. Once you hit the causeway, after passing though the Cuban military checkpoint, it's a beautiful drive through the small islands, with gorgeous flats and bays on either side of the road as you head up to Cayo Cruz. INCLUDED IN PRICE
NOT INCLUDED IN PRICE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
RATES FOR 2012 $3500 CAD If you would like more information or would like to book your trip, please call Jason Tonelli at Pacific Angler 604-872-2204 or email him at jtonelli@pacificangler.ca. |
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This will be a great trip for bonefish, permit and tarpon! We had such a great time last year we are going back this year, March 24th to March 31st, 2012! Our clients last year hooked big bones, tarpon and permit! This year we have streamlined the flights and instead of 5 days fishing you get 6! Space is limited so please take the time to read the details about this trip and if you are interested, contact Jason Tonelli at 604-872-2204.
PRIMARY SPECIES
ACCOMODATIONS
THE FISHING
The boats depart from Cayo Cruz each morning and depending on the guide rotation that day, you may be heading to any number of areas to spend the day. From Cayo Paredon Grande in the north to Cayo Guanaja in the south, there are countless islands, lagoons and bays that will keep anglers happy and into fish. Much of the fishing takes place back towards the mainland, in and around the massive island of Cayo Romano. The average boat run to the fishing areas is about 20 minutes in length and you can be into fish within 5 minutes of leaving the boat docks. It just depends on where your guide wants to take you that day and what you are interested in targeting. With 50 square kilometers per boat, the options are just about limitless. There are so many great aspects to this fishery that it can truly be a sensory overload at times.
The average sized bonefish is a healthy 4 pounds and during the course of the week it is not unheard of for guests to land a fish or two in the 10 pound range. Tailing bonefish are common and guests can expect to see bonefish in singles and doubles, all the way up to schools of several hundred fish. What really sets this location apart from so many other fisheries is that guests can expect to encounter and get shots at good numbers of permit each day. There are very few places on earth where guests can fish for big bonefish each day and get shots at tailing permit. This combination may take place in other locations but not with the consistency that is virtually guaranteed at Cayo Romano. It is a rare day when you don't encounter and get shots a permit. The permit will range in size between about 8 and 30 pounds. 
GETTING THERE