Esoxhunter.com

[scuro]

This was my first trip to the northern Cuban islands and what a nice respite from our dull Canadian gray March.


What I often saw on my walk home.


Purdy insects too!


I met a new fish this time around, the lowly Grunt. We don't see those up here. It was the most handy bait around when I had nothing else to fish with.


Heavy spring winds put me on the bridge and once there I anchored in for the week. I had a feeling I would end up there after reading reports so I brought along the big artillery. I bought a Shimano 6500 baitrunner with about 300 yards of braided. My Baitrunner was something that caught every Cuban's eye. It would be the equivalent of showing up with a Porsche at your reunion. One thing you can't do in Cuba is ignore how little they have. My whole tackle box was full of stuff they could only dream of owning. The embargo really limits what comes into Cuba. It was easy to trade things to get good live bait. You also just shed stuff because you see that a good number of them fish without rods or reels and other basic stuff. If you see that they get bitten off, you offer wire trace. When their hooks get bent out, you offer better hooks. And when they are catching you the best live bait, you give them anything they want. If you don't like the idea of shedding what you have, Cuban bridge fishing isn't for you. I had no fears about my gear and while many complemented me on my stuff like my stainless steel wire cutters or my shimano scale, not a thing was stolen....even though I often walked on the opposite end of the bridge in the dark. Cubans are good decent warm people.


A typical Cuban set up for bottom bait. The line was run across two pillars and the can full of pebbles would make a noise if a fish was on. Usually Cubans who are very social, were no where near the line and you would see them running down the bridge. I was driving the Cubans nuts one night when a larger splitshot wouldn't come out of the canister and I kept on shaking it to get it out. The Cubans all thought FISH ON!!


The first few days I fished virtually alone. It was generally cool and windy. I had read reports of a dozen or two Cubans fishing the bridge. The only Cubans I encountered were two teenage boys who couldn't speak a stitch of English. What we could speak was fishing. That, and we could always "grunt" when we wanted a laugh. They descaled their grunts and turned them into nice triangler bait that would hold a hook nicely for bottom bait or could be fished like a lure. It has a nice fluttering action. The boys descaled their grunts and I got to thinking why descale them because it certainly didn't look natural. When I did it, the skin actually looked a dull metallic gray. I'm guessing that the fish are very much like walleyes in that they often go for something that feels tasty, even though it doesn't look natural.


It got so I would take two rods and share one. They had only one el cheapo bass rod. Normally they would go home at darkness but the one boy stayed well into the night just to fish with my rod and he was as happy as pig in shite. He probably missed dinner just to fish with a rod.


They also took the time to show me some hazards like this purdy looking fish.


Check out the that nice little barb by the tail.


Speaking of hazards....this place could be very dangerous to drunken bridge fishermen. There were a couple of these holes on the bridge and at times you forget about them.


Funny, as soon as the weather turned nice the bridge population increased exponentially. Check out this guy I fished with. Somehow he got a chest full of ice out on the bridge where he eventually stored a very nice haul of fish. Cars are also very hard to come by so I wonder what deal he had to make to get that chest out there.

If you fish on the bridge long enough and make an effort to be kind, they will return the favour in spades. One fellow took the time to explain a whole lot to me. Late after a night's fishing he told me to come back at 7 am the next morning and we would fish "Yaks". Yaks I thought, well okay it's got to be better then this. when I showed up there at 630 I was greeted warmly like a friend and they offered me food. That day high tide was in the morning and about the time that we had set up gear it was time to fish. Spot rain came down and they were frustrated. "Yaks" hit on day break and the delayed light meant that the Jacks were in no mood for breakfast. We were catching grunt after grunt and chewing through their bait.


The cloud moved from over us and we were greeted by this sunrise.


I was the first one to hook a Jack, and with that they all got excited. The sun broke through the clouds and we became a fish factory. You bring them up to the bridge with one heave up comes the fish...it was raining Jacks. No time for glory shots, our time was limited. Fish started flying everywhere. There were four of us and if you can believe it we had a quadruple. I couldn't believe it and kept checking for crossed lines but there were none. The old guys laughed like kids and made "bon" kissing gestures with their fingers as each fish came up. I had a nine foot rod that I swung back a little too carelessly at times. One of them made some noise as the tip came close to his face but kept on fishing. I brought my rod tip back and placed it literally under his nose. He looked perturbed until he saw me smiling. That got a good laugh from the other guys. All in all we did quite well by the time the sun was higher. About a good two dozen nice sized Jacks. I brought one fillet back and Fidel, no not that Fidel, but another nice guy in the kitchen went to town with it and made a great meal for me and my wife.


I also saw a 3-4 foot Cuda come from under the bridge and chomp the whole body off of one the Jacks in one bite.


Ricco with a pair of nice snapper caught one afternoon.


This was the only evidence of Communist zeal that I could find in the areas where the Cuban workers lived. Cubans are interested in the outside world but generally don't want to talk politics. They have a term for those who have that zeal still burning in their hearts. They call them politicos. I talked at length with a lawyer who was working 72 hours straight at the gas station by the bridge. He was there because he could make way more money as a gas station attendant then working as a lawyer. He hadn't seen his uncle in 20 years...yes he had come over as a politico in the 80's and now lives in California. Perhaps with the change in governments he may finally get to see his uncle.

In the end my baitrunner never got the workout I had been hoping for. No large fish pics and Hemingway like struggles. Still it's one of those trips I won't easily forget, and just as pleasurable as those trips where it's all about fishing.
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Anything to bend the rod

[Scottie 2 Hottie]

Great stuff scuro. You are quite the ambassador for the good of Americans, and American fisherman for that matter.

[scuro]

Americans can't go to Cuba or must do it secretly risking jail. Canadians have no travel restricitons. I'm a Canadian.
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Anything to bend the rod

[Scottie 2 Hottie]

Roger that. Correction, your a good Canadian.

[Gordy]

Hey Scuro:

Great trip overview. I won't be going there any time soon, but it does look like you had a good time. We appreciate the Pics and the story.
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Gordy

[scuro]

[Scottie 2 Hottie]

Scuro - I agree. I wore my Team Canada Hockey jersey today!
Tulsa is forecasted for snow tonight!!!

[johnnytheboy]

Great pics, always fancied Cuba for a wee bit relaxing
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"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are "
Theodore Roosevelt

[John G]

Great Report

[johnnytheboy]

Hi there,

Booked a holiday for Cuba, 10 nights, havana and varadero, any tips for the fishing. Wht rods to take what weight of line, what do they use for bait?

Do you need a licence?

Tightlines John
_________________
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are "
Theodore Roosevelt

[scuro]

[John G]

I was in the Bahamas during the summer. Being the addictive fisherman I could not but help put a line in the water. Caught a lot of small snappers and other fish I couldnt identify from a pier . Had ball trying to catch small barrcudas . They followed but would not commit. Reminded me a lot of musky fishing.