CAYO LARGO
Home to many Permit, and the most beautiful flats in all of Cuba
Getting There: US travelers will arrive in Havana, and then traveloverland by bus to join the live-aboard boat on the Bay of Pigs
The Fish: Exceptional Permit fishing, excellent Bonefishing. Tarpon become plentiful during the months of the migration. Jacks, Snapper, Cuda
Notable: Known for excellent Permit opportunities, Cayo Largo has some of the most beautiful flats in the Caribbean
Cayo Largo lies at the very eastern edge of the Carnarreos archipelago, which is comprised of nearly 350 islands. This resort island is regularly visited by Canadians and Europeans who seek the sun, crystal clear waters, and white beaches Cayo Largo has to offer. Better yet, the waters here are abundant with the shallow water fish fly anglers love to stalk.
Until recently, all fishing guests stayed in land-based, all inclusive resorts. Starting in the Summer of 2019, the outfitter moved a live-aboard boat to the area. This allows better control over the quality of the experience for guests, and better yet makes access to some of the more remote parts of the fishing area easier. When staying aboard the yacht, guests travel overland to a small port on the Bay of Pigs instead of flying to Cayo largo. They then motor to the fishing grounds. making several anchorages during the week long trip. This allows guests to experience a diversity of fishing habitat.
Cayo Largo is operated as a separate fishing area from Island of the Youth to the west, from about mid-February until mid-July. This is peak season in the archipelago, and as the flats warm, both Permit and Bonefish swarm the flats. Both of these fish average on the large side, as there is an abundance of food on the immense flats to the north and west of Cayo Largo. Many of the Permit anglers cast to will be feeding in the company of Rays, and this makes them a bit more susceptible to taking the fly, as they are grabbing any food that the Rays are stirring up. Many of the Permit caught here weigh between fifteen and twenty five pounds. The Bonefish love these flats, as well as the shallower waters closer to the islands themselves. Feeding on the same prey as the Permit, these fish also grow large. It is not uncommon to catch Bonefish of five to seven pounds here in abundance.
Cayo Largo is not a destination for resident Tarpon, although there are a few which the guides leave un-hassled until an angler is en-route to a grand slam. However, migratory Tarpon do arrive in good numbers in the Spring, and will stay into the Summer months. Many of these fish are between thirty and seventy pounds, although it is not uncommon for fish nearing one hundred pounds to be present. Anglers are able to stalk them in the channels dividing the islands, on the oceanside reefs, and on some of the flats.
When the peak season is over at Cayo Largo and Island of the Youth, the operator combines these two areas in a program known as the Canarreos Archipelago. From Mid-July until Mid-February, guests are housed on the Jardines Avalon 1 yacht. Instead of being confined either to just the Cayo Largo or Island of the Youth fishing zones, the boat this time of year is able to fish the entire archipelago, thus capitalizing on the resident Tarpon to the west, and the abundance of Bonefish and Permit to the east.
ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS
