Cuba, Libre?

December 16, 2008 By: Marshall Cutchin

The first and only time I made serious plans to fish Cuba was during the last week of February, 1996. The day before I was due to leave, Cuban MiGs shot down two anti-Castro activist planes that had flown into Cuban air space. I took it as a sign, and paid a visit South America instead.
Today, Cuba watchers on both sides of the Florida Straights predict normalized relations with the U.S. Whether it happens in 3 months or 3 years, the good news for anglers is that a vast and relatively untouched area of flats awaits U.S. anglers, who will be eager to play catch-up with Canadians, Europeans and others who’ve enjoyed fishing there for years. Even a deluge of U.S. interest, though, should have minimal impact on the fishery, since the Cuban government has limited licensed guiding operations to only a few providers.
This week George Anderson writes about his most recent trip to Cuba and specifically to the archipelago of islands that stretch southeast from the Isla de Juventud.