CAYO PAREDON

Some of Cuba’s biggest Bonefish inhabit the flats of Cayo Paredon

Getting There: There are both international and domestic flights to nearby Cayo Coco airport, with Camaguey also being an excellent option

The Fish: Noted for abundant and large Bonefish, Permit, as well as resident and migratory Tarpon

Notable: Can be accessed from direct flights from some countries. Large Bonefish are abundant on massive flats

Cayo Paredon and the surrounding environment has been in the know for some time among well-seasoned anglers coming to Cuba. It lies in nearly the center of the vast Gardens of the King Archipelago, and is bordered by other fishing areas to both the east and west. In the past, mostly Canadian and European vacationers took advantage of this fishery while they were on holiday from the cold of their prospective countries. It was possible then to book a guide, although the reliability of both them and their equipment was an often amusing topic when looked up on fishing forums.

Recently, Fly Fishing the Run gained the license to fish this area. Like most of the fishing destinations in Cuba, Paredon is under strict environmental protections, and under the umbrella of the environmental advocacy group Blue Sanctuaries. This ensures that the area is protected from commercial fishing and poaching, and sees minimal angling pressure due to the limit of only 8 anglers being able to access it each week.

The fishing area of Cayo Paredon is bordered to the west by the amazing Tarpon fishing of Cayo Santa Maria (also known as Gardens of the King). This area has abundant Tarpon all year long, and then a massive surge of bigger migratory fish from Spring through Fall. To the east is Cayo Cruz, which has a reputation as an amazing Permit fishery, as well as having very large Bonefish. Paredon sits in the middle of these areas, and takes some characteristics from each of them

The most notable feature of this area is that the flats are massive. You not only expect to see lots of Bonefish, but the reality exceeds the expectation. Food must be abundant here as the Bonefish grow to a very large average with many fish caught in the 5-7 pound range. Bigger fish are not uncommon. They are mostly pursued from the skiff, but in some oceanside beaches and protected back-country areas the flats are hard and wadeable.

There are Permit around Paredon as well, and like at Cayo Cruz, they are often big. Many of these fish are in the range of 15-25 pounds. Also similar to Cayo Cruz, they are often in the company of Rays, preying on the fleeing critters that the mudding Rays stir up as they feed. This makes them grabbier and less spooky than free-swimming Permit it seems. Both the Permit and Bonefish populations seem to benefit from the close proximity of the deep water of the Bahamas Channel. It offers refuge to them when tides are low, excellent spawning habitat, and seems to replenish the flats with new and abundant fish.

There are some resident Tarpon here all year long, mostly in the western parts of the fishing zone which borders Gardens of the King. In Summer, it is not uncommon for anglers to encounter migratory Tarpon as well.