|
It's not often that I get the chance to wet a line in saltwater, actually,
this year was my first! After capitalizing on one of the infamous
(and very cheap) last minute vacation deals to Cayo Guillermo, a very
small island off the Northern coast of Cuba, I started toying with the
idea of lugging a long rod with me, if for nothing else but to cast in a
completely foreign backdrop. As our departure date neared, I
felt more and more confident that some hastily tied saltwater flies and my
8wt would provide a glimpse of the saltwater world, if but only a brief
and limited one.
I use the word opportunistic because this trip was just that, an unplanned
opportunity to try something different and for myself, completely new.
Unlike many other advertised saltwater fishing trips, where the tourist is
joined by a guide, usually equipped with a skiff and an enormous price
tag, this trip was going to be much different (just think very low
budget). No guides, no skiffs, and very little information about the
area and the fishery. In fact, in the days prior to our trip, in all of
the online world I was only able to find one likeminded angler who had
fished the exact area we were going to be visiting, a chap by the name of
Mark Fowler from the UK. Mark's descriptions of encounters with
bones, barracudas and even tarpon provided such excitement and hope that I
can actually say I was losing sleep prior to the trip.
This article is far from a "how-to" piece by all means; quite frankly
because I do not know nearly enough to even think about such an article.
Rather this is a collection of chicken scratch notes which I recorded
during my fumblings on the shores of Guillermo. Absolutely no BS,
pontification or exaggeration, just a testament that one can enjoy
the past time they love in a completely unexplored world without spending
an arm and a leg. Keep in mind that this trip was not a true,
dedicated fishing trip, rather it was a vacation with my girlfriend in an
attempt to enjoy what was left of the Summer. Any and all fishing
was just an added bonus.
Please click on the links below in sequence to view the corresponding
journal entry and pictures.
Written By: Nick Pujic, © September 2004
Photographs By: Nick Pujic © 2004 & Karin Zandbergen © 2004 |
