Cuba Trip 13 - 19 April 2002 Jardinas de la Reina

	March 14, 2010

After the long trip from Havana to the military airport and on to Ciego de Avila by plane then to Jucaro by road and finally a 4 hour boat ride to our ‘casa’ (house) Halcon a 65ft motor yacht for 6 six days, my father and I had a few hours fishing in the afternoon with my dads guide Coky (Victor Gonzales). We both caught bonefish - dad 2 me 1.

On 14th II fished with a friend Olle Jarund and the guide Argelio Espanosa - we had good fishing in the morning with us both getting bonefish. Argelio said that permit would be good in the afternoon on some of the coral banks to the north of Boca Perdre - so off we went and we saw schools of them. On the second cast I hooked up to my first permit on fly (I’d been trying for years) and of all things I pulled the hook. The take was very jack like - fast and furious. The language was unthinkable as was losing the permit. More small permit kept pushing in front of us and I was hooked up again in 3 or 4 minutes - seemed like that with all the excitement. This time I struck the fish hard 5 or 6 times - he was hooked - I landed my first ever permit about 8lbs WOOHOO! We headed back to Halcon but now there were thoughts of a grand slam so the quest for a tarpon was on - any Tarpon - even a baby in the mangroves. After all a grand slam is a grand slam, whatever the size of fish! I had many shots - even pulled the fly away from a follow by mistake - finally at 6.30pm with the sun getting low, I hooked and caught my baby tarpon - My first permit and my first Grand Slam - What a day! A huge head and lots of rum…… What a great start to the week.

The rest of the week saw the group catching bones, jacks, permits and tarpon. Nicholas fly-fishing for the first time even caught bones. Peter my brother caught is first tarpon weighing about 50lbs. I even cast at a shark with a bonefish fly for fun - I hooked him but came off quickly.

On the 17th my fishing partner, my dad, wasn’t feeling very well and decided not to fish. So I was fishing alone with Coky as my guide. The morning started out cloudy and it was very difficult to spot tarpon. Every now and then the sun would pop through and the lights turned on. There he was a tarpon laid up at 11 o’clock, one quick cast of 50 ft - the tarpon turned and rolled on to my fly - I was ‘hooked up’. He jumped and flipped - the hook stayed in. After a great battle on my custom 10wt rod (made by Key Largo Rod) I landed a 35-40lb fish. The quest had only just begun. After getting ready a permit rod - just incase- we continues to look for tarpon. As we got to a rocky piece of shoreline Coky told me to change rods to the permit one. All of a sudden there was a permit but moving so fast I couldn’t get a shot.

After lunch Coky and I headed out for those famed coral banks looking for permit. After a while Coky said we should move because this area had been fished hard over the last few days and the permit were very spooky. We made a short run - about 10 minutes - to Kayo Largo. A beautiful Key with white coral and mangroves - permit and bones right next to each other!! After about 20 minutes Coky saw him - a bigger permit this time - moving around a small coral head. My first cast off target, I picked up and did a back cast - slightly ‘around the corner’. I let the ‘tasty toad’ sink a bit and then started stripping. The permit followed, and then darted away. I stopped stripping, he came back and I stripped again. The fish darted backwards and forwards behind the fly just like a jack. When I stopped stripping again he ate!! Yahoo - hooked up. I set the hook hard and he headed for the horizon and 120- 150 yds into my backing. Eventually he slowed and characteristically put his deep body sideways to me - how should I know this was only my second permit in my life!! This was a strong fish, it took me about 25 minutes to finally land him. Once in the boat we had high fives, hugs and screams of joy (surely sex is underrated!!) We finally release the permit after many pictures. He was about 10lbs. Now all I needed was a bonefish, which we got about 20 minutes later in the same area.

My quest was complete - I couldn’t believe it, 2 Grand Slams in 4 days.

Finally, I would like to thank my father for inviting me once again and I’m so sorry you couldn’t have seem me catching a grand slam after letting me have “HOURS” on the bow searching for permit in previous years and I’m sure happy you and mom are on the mend!!

Jump dem Bones
James