Articles - Staff Inflections
Look for new articles every month from staff, guides, and other noted authors
on fly fishing related topics. Articles on where anglers have fished (near and far),
interesting stories about fishing our waters, and general musings about fly fishing related
topics.
This months featured article:
Cayo Largo – Home of the Super Slam
In April 2008 Avalons Outdoors opened their 7th fly fishing destination in Cuba. Located on the beautiful island of Cayo Largo, this new fishing and diving destination may be their very best yet. It may also be the best place on earth to achieve the almost unheard of “Super Slam`` a one day catch of Permit, Tarpon, Bonefish, and Snook.
I n June 2008 a pair of anglers from Country Pleasures travelled to Cayo Largo to explore this new Avalons destination.
Cayo Largo is situated south of the Cuban mainland and is the second largest key in what comprises Los Canearreos Archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. Los Canearros Archipelago is made up of 300 keys and islets and extends west all of the way to Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth), which has been an Avalons fishing destination since 2006. In a country with numerous beautiful beaches, Cayo Largo possesses what I would consider the “best of the best``. The beaches here are very large, with fine white sand. Almost like powder on most beaches, a texture not seen on other beaches around Cuba. Paraiso, Lindarena, Blanca, and Los Cocos beaches are the nicest we have ever seen anywhere in the world. In addition, Cayo Largo has a 19 nautical mile coral reef that offers some of the best diving in the world.
Cayo Largo is unique as an Avalons fishing destination in several ways. The operation makes use of a resort hotel, as opposed to floating vessels in other locations. 
During your week of fishing you will be staying at the Melia Sol Cayo Largo resort hotel. After having stayed in several resort hotels around Cuba in the past I would say that the Sol Cayo largo is as nice, or nicer, than any others we have seen. This makes for a comfortable, relaxing week of fishing. Another unique difference in this location is that it is the first location that meets not only Avalons high standards for fishing quality, guide quality, etc. but you can also combine your fishing vacation with a family vacation. Non-angling companions will love the hotel, beaches, as well as numerous other activities available on the island such as mangrove eco-tours, island tours, and many others. Anglers are treated to a full clubhouse at the marina (located 5 minutes by bus from the hotel). The clubhouse serves as a lounge area for after fishing relaxation and has full bar and restaurant facilities. There will also be a games room in the clubhouse for the 2009 season. Transportation between the hotel and Marina-Clubhouse is very easy, a bus picks you up in the morning at the pre-arranged time and the trip to the marina takes 5 minutes. At the end of the day you are picked up to return to the hotel whenever you wish. Some anglers prefer to relax in the clubhouse with beer and pizza for a time before returning to the hotel.
The fishing at Cayo Largo is something to behold. This area is as healthy of a flats environment as we have ever seen. I have never seen more Permit in a week than I saw at Largo. The Permit are well represented in all size classes, the smallest around 10 pounds, the largest being around 35 pounds. The only description I thought fitting upon my return home was ``the place is polluted with Permit``. Bonefish around Cayo Largo are certainly plentiful but what will shock you early on is how big they are. The average sized Bonefish here is larger than anywhere else I have fished in Cuba. It took until the second or third day before either myself, or my partner caught a bonefish under 5 pounds. There were several specimens that approached double digit weights throughout the week. 
Tarpon are present here all year round. The Baby Tarpon, always present, are found in huge numbers in and around the mangroves, creeks, and channels. Large Tarpon, we saw fish well over 100 pounds, are present in good numbers from early April through early July. The Tarpon fishing here consists of classic backcountry style fishing, around the mangroves for Baby Tarpon, and a combination of shallow flats and lagoon fishing for the large Tarpon. The channels throughout the system of keys have good populations of Snook, mostly in the mid sizes but very large Snook are found with some frequency. There are also Mutton Snapper on the flats, one of my favourite targets in shallow water.
Fishing in and around Cayo Largo is pleasant on several levels. First and foremost, the guides are something of anomaly amongst Cuban guides. You will find all of the guides there to be very calm, helpful, and very knowledgeable in the intricacies of flats fly fishing, particularly for Permit. 
This is somewhat of a reprieve from the high intensity (although very capable) approach used by the guides in other locations. Adding to the pleasant experience is the comfortable access to the flats. The average run time to fishing is around 10 minutes and consists of smooth running through calm seas, you will not be subjected to any Boca crossings in large swells. There is a 6 skiff (12 angler) maximum per week and the keys are split into 6 zones. This means that you will fish a different zone every day and will see no other boats. Our experience showed that all 6 areas provided excellent fishing
and no area was preferred, it was all amazing. Last, but not least, would be the types of flats found at Cayo Largo. The flats are huge, one flat we saw is 12 kilometres long by a few kilometres wide. The flats there are also, for the most part, very white. It is an amazing site fishing for tailing Bonefish in 6 inches of water on a flat that is 6 kilometres long and completely white. Most of the wade able flats there are also very smooth; the sand is almost like silk. We waded all week in bare feet with no problem at all.
For the saltwater angler who craves the “Grand Slam”, Cayo Largo is the best destination we are aware of for a chance at this elusive prize. The 2008 season count for Grand Slams at Cayo Largo was somewhere around two dozen (unheard of) and there had been six or seven “Super Slams” (Bonefish, Tarpon, Permit, Snook caught in the same day). That number of Grand and Super Slams is absolutely outstanding but indicative of the unique fishery available at Cayo Largo, Cuba.
Mike Gifford
