PLAYA LARGA - CUBA
The Travel: Guests for Playa Larga will arrive at Jose Marti airport in Havana. Drive time to the small town from the airport is just short of three hours. Many times groups will arrive a day early to do some sightseeing in Havana which we may help with or organize.
The Accommodations: The small village of Playa Larga has no resorts or big hotels. Our groups will instead stay in lovely Casa Particulars, which are owned and operated by local Cubans. These houses are simple, but very welcoming, clean, and comfortable. We generally stay directly on the beach.
The Fishing: We generally organize six fishing days, but this can be changed upon the wishes of clients. There are two distinct fisheries here: The Rio Hatiguanico where we fish for Tarpon, and the flats of Las Salinas which have Bonefish, resident Tarpon, Permit, Snook, etc.
Playa Larga is located on the beaches of the famous Bay of Pigs, and is still a quiet fishing village. Nearby is the largest national park in all of the Caribbean, the Zapata Peninsula. This park is much like the Florida Everglades…..largely inaccessible, and comprised of sawgrass, mangroves, birds, animals, and fish.
Guests arrive in Playa Larga by a short trip from Havana of about three hours. Once there, they are housed in casa particulars on the beach of the bay. Unlike the boat trips offered throughout much of Cuba, this trip allows guests to experience a bit more of Cuban life each day. They are staying with Cuban hosts, and have time to explore the village after fishing. They also have the opportunity to choose different restaurants or bars in the evenings, which gives the trip more variety than does a boat experience.
Anglers here have two distinct areas to fish, both of which are accessed by car each day from Playa Larga. The saltwater flats of Las Salinas are about a forty minute drive from town. There, guests join their guides and venture in to this vast habitat. All flats fish exist here. Bonefish are the most famous, and most plentiful. They can be stalked from the skiff, or while wading.
There are also many Permit here, found both on the interior flats, as well as the beaches closest to the open ocean. Resident
Tarpon are here every day of the year, most often in the mangroves or channels dividing the many cayes. More Tarpon do show up during the late Spring and early Summer. To fill out the offering, the flats also have Snook, Jacks, Snapper and Barracuda.
Another fantastic fishery available from Playa Larga is the Rio Hatiguanico. This is one of the few available freshwater fisheries in Cuba available to fly anglers. About an hour transfer from town, this is a true jungle river. It is very famous for Tarpon, and they tend to be in the river every day of the year. Small fish inhabit the feeder creeks, while juveniles between fifteen and thirty pounds are most common in the main river. Bigger Tarpon are not uncommon, and Snook and Jacks are sometimes caught here as well.
With this destination, groups have the opportunity to customize their trip. Although week-long packages are most common, groups may add days, take a day off from fishing to explore the Cuban countryside, or even do just a day trip from Havana.