Advice sought

[GTMODawg]

Hello. I am new to the forum and have several questions.

I am fortunate enough to have an opportunity to live at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for at least the next 24 months and I am teaching myself the art of saltwater fly fishing. I have used a fly rod for years in the States catching stocked trout in North Georgia trout streams and bream and bass in ponds but the switch to salt water is very different. I have pretty solid evidence that the bay and river here is virtually teaming with Snook, Barracuda, Sharks, King Fish, Small Tarpon (20 - 50 Pounds typically) Jacks, Permit and Bone Fish. the most beautiful part is that the fishing is almost untouched!!! I have brought a 9 weight rod and reel with me but I do not have any flies at all. All of the fishing will be blind casting and of course casting to feeding fish (there are no flats and sight fishing is almost non-existent). There are hundreds of miles of Mangroves!!! This is just the inshore fishing, there is also great offshore fishing but that is going to have to wait a while LOL. My question is where is a good source of mail-order flies, what are some basic patterns I should purchase to get started, and what are some good sources of videos and books where I can teach myself more? Any information would be GREATLY appreciated! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I mean to make the most of it. Thanks in advance!!!

[Seth]

It could be worse, I guess, lucky dog. I would love to fish Cuba. You may want to peruse the Fly Tying and Pattern sub forum. http://forums.marlinmag.com/forumdis...ge3&order=desc Of course, you will have to see what works for the fish there.

Here are some links to a few fly threads for snook, tarpon, etc. You will find info on the type of fly patterns used for various species.
http://forums.marlinmag.com/showthre...04-Snook-Flies!!!
http://forums.marlinmag.com/showthre...Bonefish-Flies

You can try the Fly Shop https://catalog.theflyshop.com/index...vnmstrcn14r87k
or
http://www.saltwaterflies.com/theflies.html

[Zecura]

Hey Dawg, Welcome to the Forum.

Not being a fly guy, I would humbly suggest you begin to widen your angling skills by trying out a couple of spinning rods. No doubt if you see busting fish, you could throw some lures and or jigs at them. Not the same fight as a fly rod but it's a lot of fun. You may want to try some bottom fishing in the channels around there. There should be plenty of gear around there you could borrow. Try not to over kill on the line size. Most people new to SW fishing over size the line and subsiquently reduce their strikes.

Good luck.

[Jack Hexter]

Come-on Nick. Give the guy a break. Just because you cannot handle a long rod doesn't mean the rest of the world can't do it. It's similar to using a sabiki. Sabiki is a Japaneese word that means "One who cannot use cast net)

To answer Dawg's question, if I had to live with just one fly for the rest of my life, it would be a chartreuse/white Clouser Minnow, probably tied on a #1 or 1/0 hook. Another pattern not to be overlooked is teh Lefty's Deceiver. These two flies will catch most of the species you list, plus some. I'd also find a glass minnow pattern to throw. For the bones and permit, I'd throw a Merkin Crab or some other type crab or shrimp pattern.

Thank you for your service

[GTMODawg]

Thanks for all of the advice!!! I am told that the Snook/Tarpon/Bonefish and Permit fishing here is almost untapped and is excellent!!! Unfortunately it has rained here for a solid week (and by rain I mean folks are building boats and rounding up pairs of animals!!!) and the bay looks a little like a cotton field back home....but I am told that the rainy season ends in mid June and the fishing will be HOT by mid-July...so I will be ready!!!

I plan on doing a good bit of bottom fishing and live bait fishing while I am here also...there is also some very good offshore fishing. The King fishing in the bay us also supposed to be excellent, and although no one has mentioned it I suspect the Bonita and Tunny are thick in the bay as well (and should be easy fly rod targets). I keep hearing tales of 100+ 5 - 15 pound Snook trips here in the fall so I will keep ya'll posted....the only trouble is that work interferes with fishing time LOL!!!

Thanks again for the advice. I appreciate all of it and will try to post some pictures somewhere if the rain ever stops!!!

[mikev]

Sabiki is a Japaneese word that means "One who cannot use cast net)

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Zecura]

Come-on Nick. Give the guy a break. Just because you cannot handle a long rod doesn't mean the rest of the world can't do it.

Hey Jack, You can keep your long rods and fancy shmancy thread & feather hooks. I'll keep droppin' with 6 oz. of lead and Gog halfs for Slob Mutts.

Oh and Dawg, target those Kings if you can. That sounds like a blast, fishin' Kings in the bay.

[rbrdogs]

I have been fortunate enough to have fly fished the Jardines De La Rieana off of the S coast of Cuba. The bones there would eat a number of different flys including gottchas, clousers and mantis shrimp patterns. A rule of thumb was light colored flys on sand bottom, dark colored over grass.

Poons and snook eat the same flys you use in FL. A cool trick they used on smaller tarpon in the mangroves was stake out within casting distance of mangroves that boarder a deep channel and bang the side of the skiff with the push pole. The poons would come out to investigate and present a target.

Bert