Cuba 2022

 Cuba has been on my bucket list for many years now, and the opportunity came my way to join a group of buddies for 6 days aboard the Avalon Fleet 1.  This is a 4 story luxury, liveaboard yacht, with beautiful state rooms, spacious dinning area, incredible staff, and some of the best guides and skiffs anywhere.

We were greeted every evening to a multi course dinner, including 

BBQ lobster, fillet mignon, and snapper!

Always great stories mixed in with the great food!

The Fishing.....

12 anglers from the US and Europe paired off, and a friendly competition energized us all week, as if we needed an incentive!  Grin!

Our goal was to catch migratory tarpon, on white sand flats.  However, this just didn't happen for us.

A hurricane had pushed through a week before, and although it was not close to our location, it left rough seas, floating Sargasso grass, and wind; the entire week.

On many days we were forced to fish the mangroves, rather than the reefs, flats and beaches.

There were plenty of smaller, resident tarpon to keep us busy....

...but we found that there were some nice 30# to 50# tarpon mixed in.

There are few moments in fly fishing that can equal a high flying tarpon!

Many thanks to my partner, Doug Behrman, for capturing this shot!

You never knew when a big girl might eat your fly!

With so much sargassa grass, weedless flies like my black/purple Floating Minnow, proved the right fly for these conditions.  

Lee's Floating Minnow  (light orange)

This huge cuda ate my tarpon fly, and, hooked in the corner of the jaw, gave me an opportunity to land this amazing speedster.

A red/white Foxxy Griz Minnow, was a great pattern out on the flats.

The competition was tight the entire week, but the US prevailed in the end.  Yes, the spoils go to the victor!

It didn't take long to be reminded that the USA is an incredible country, with great opportunity!

Thanks to the Avalon staff, and the fishing friends,

 that made this week one to remember!

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