First and foremost, all travel we arrange to Cuba is legal, and we ensure the documents to follow mandates between the US and Cuba. Travel seems to be the largest barrier for most when it comes to visiting Cuba. We at St. Peter’s Fly Shop pride ourselves in making this process as easy and safe as possible. We’ll make sure you make it there and back legally, by assuring all proper paperwork is lined up and arranged by our travel experts. Admittedly, of all the destinations we travel to in the world to fly fish, Cuba does have some difficult logistics. This isn’t said to scare one from wanting to travel there, but rather to inform you that it does require crossing your t’s and dotting your i’s. Again, we will hold your hand through this whole process. In fact, these challenges are part of what makes Cuba such a special place. When less folks travel somewhere to fly fish, and when fish see less pressure, the fisheries tend to be that much better. It is also the reason many travelers choose St. Peter’s to help arrange their trips: we know how to navigate the logistics.

Now, let’s cover some of these logistics and discuss how to navigate them. I’ll note that in the last 10 years, 3 of which were heavily impacted by COVID, logistics have been constantly changing. Since we have multiple trips there a year, we are constantly studying Cuba travel and how to make sure our customers can navigate their way to this amazing destination and back to the States. We’ll handle travel logistics so customers can focus on what they are there to do: fly fish!

When it comes to traveling to Cuba there are a handful of documents and paperwork that you’ll need to legally enter the country. (Again, when you travel or book with St. Peter’s to Cuba, we make sure we are traveling legally and that all your paperwork will be organized.)

As of Nov 1st, 2022, here is the list of required documents:

-Passport- It must not expire for 6 months from the first day of your arrival to Cuba.

-Cuba E-Visa – can be ordering them through Cuba Travel Services  prior to your trip. As of Aug 2024 Cuba is now taking electronic visas that can be obtained on the link above. We will provide all details to help complete your visa.

-Travel Affidavit- I’ll go into this document with a bit more detail because it’s the paperwork that explains our legal reason for traveling to Cuba. Currently, we are traveling under Humanitarian Projects. Let me explain how this makes your travel to Cuba legal. While in Cuba, Avalon works closely with an organization called Oceans of the Youth. Oceans of the Youth is the outfit that protects and researches Cuba’s flats and coastal waters. Each angler is required to count and keep track of fish caught each day. That info is passed to Oceans of the Youth to help them with fish population records. On top of that, while visiting Cuba, you’ll be required to attend an informative speech detailing the current status and future objectives of the marine area. By helping Oceans of the Youth, we are in the act of helping with Humanitarian Projects, therefore making our travel to Cuba legal. Prior to departing for Cuba, we’ll make sure you have the Travel Affidavit and Workshop Certificate to solidify legal travel to the country.

-Workshop Certificate. We arrange this for you through the Cuban outfitter. It defines your reason for visit and authorizes your travel.

-Vaccinations and COVID Test requirement. Currently Cuba isn’t requiring travelers to be vaccinated. COVID tests are not required to enter the country.

As of this moment, the above items are the travel requirements and logistics. Please be sure to check with us as requirements change, and we’ll be sure to get you the most up to date information prior to your trip.

At St. Peter’s, we ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for all our clients traveling to Cuba. Having worked extensively with Avalon and hundreds of clients, we are well-versed in the details that make your trip seamless and stress-free.

Trip Overview

Most of our Cuba fly fishing trips are organized as a 6-day, 7-night all-inclusive package. The all-inclusive aspect begins upon your arrival at the lodge. Typically, travelers arrive on a Saturday and depart the following Saturday.

Travel Logistics

• Friday: Many travelers opt to fly into a U.S. connecting airport, usually Miami, the day before their Cuba flight. After spending the night in Miami, you will catch a morning flight to Cuba on Saturday.
• Saturday: As of November 5, 2022, flights to Camagüey are available, simplifying travel and shuttle arrangements. Alternatively, you can fly into Havana, though this option involves a longer and costlier private shuttle to the lodge.
  • Camagüey Option: After arriving in Camagüey, a private shuttle will take you to your destination on either the north or south coast. If you’re heading to Cayo Romano, you will settle into your accommodation upon arriving. If you’re traveling to Jardines de la Reina, you will board your mothership and embark on a 4-hour boat transfer to the atoll.
• Sunday to Friday: Your fly fishing adventures will begin on Sunday and continue through Friday, with each day dedicated to exploring Cuba’s renowned fishing flats.
• Saturday: After your final day of fishing, you’ll return through Camagüey. If time permits, we recommend exploring the vibrant city of Camagüey. For those interested in extending their stay to experience more of Cuba, we’re happy to provide recommendations. Most travelers return to Miami and proceed to their final destination on Saturday.

Daily Routine

6:00 am: Coffee available

7:00 am: Breakfast

7:45 am: Meet your guide and head out to the flats

8:00 am – 4:30 pm: Fly fishing (lunch provided on the water)

5:00 pm: Happy hour and appetizers

6:30 pm: Dinner

Fishing Gear Recommended

 Bonefish Tackle

Rod : 7 to 9 weight Reel : Saltwater reel holding at least 150 yards of 20 pound backing Fly Line : WF floating line to match Leader : 9-12 ft 12# or 16# depending upon the fishing situation- get 10ft or 12 ft leaders and add tippet to extend if needed Tippet : 2X – 0X(12lb-16lb, 12lb is very common) fluorocarbon preferred Flies : #4-#8 Bonefish Flies A variety of bonefish flies work well at Cayo Cruz, and the best patterns vary somewhat from day to day. Small flies (6’s, 8’s, and some 10’s) work best on our shallow, wadeable flats.

Bring two to three dozen bonefish flies in various patterns for a week of fishing. You need a mix of very light flies and medium weight flies (with bead chain eyes) to fish in water depths from six inches to two feet. You’ll also need at least a half dozen flies with heavy lead eyes for fishing bones in muds where the water can be 3-4 feet deep. Sizes should be mostly #6’s with a few #4’s and a few smaller #8’s. The bonefish can be selective, so be sure to experiment with various patterns. Most flies should be darker patterns – tan and brown but you also need some very light or white patterns for white sand flats.

Some Bonefish patterns for Cayo Cruz are the following: – Crazy Charlies #6 & #8 white, pink, brown, and chartreuse – Gotcha’s & Silly Leg Gotcha #6 & #8 – Mantis Shrimp, Veverka’s #6 & #8 – Christmas Island Special #6 & #8 pink and orange – Some of the best patterns are tan and pearl shrimp

Permit Tackle

Rod : 9 or 10 weight

Reel : Saltwater reel holding a minimum of 200 yards of 30 pounds backing

Fly Line : WF Floating to match Leader : 9-12 feet 16# or 20# depending upon the fishing situation- get 10ft or 12 ft leaders and add tippet to extend if needed Tippet : 1X – 0X (16lb-20lb) fluorocarbon

Flies : #4 to 1/0 Although the Avalon Permit Fly, in various modifications, are nearly always “the crab of choice,” a wide variety of other crab patters work well. Generally, larger, heavier crab patterns (#2 to 1/0) are preferred for the deeper flats and smaller, lighter flies work well on the shallow or wadable flats for both bonefish and permit.
Bring 6-18 flies for permit; Mantis Shrimp patterns are also quite good, especially when you encounter schools of “floaters”. These should be tied in size 2-4, and light colors mostly white, light tan and olive.

Permit Flies: – Avalon Permit Fly – Strong Arm Crab – Alphlexo – Various EP Crab Patterns o Palometa Crab o Two Tone crab – Merkin Crab – Cathy’s Fleeing Crab – Flats Crab, Bauer’s – Smaller, lighter variations for the shallow flats

Tarpon Tackle

Rod : 10 or 12 weight Reel : Saltwater reel holding a minimum of 200 yards of 30 pound backing

Fly Line : Floating or intermediate or sink tip Leader : 4 – 6 ft. butt section, 16 pound – 20 pound class tippet and 60 – 100 pound shock tippet

Flies : Size 2/0- 3/0 Tarpon Flies: – Tarpon Toads – Deceivers in a variety of colors – Black Death – Cockroach – Tarpon Bunny – Puglisi Rattle Mullet – Puglisi Peanut Butter – Darker colors are better in the morning and lighter colors in the afternoon

Barracuda Tackle

Rod : 10 weight

Reel : Saltwater reel holding a minimum of 200 yards of 30 pound backing

Fly Line : WF floating Leader : 20-30 pound wire shock tippet (8 to 12 inches in length) Flies : Size 1/0 to 3/0

Barracuda Flies: – Deceivers in a variety of colors – Needle Fish – Cuda Deceiver
Flies for other Species

In Cuba there is terrific fishing for a variety of other flats fish like mutton snappers, jack crevalle, barracuda and sharks. Here are the flies you’ll need.

Muttons/Tarpon flies and snook flies in size 2/0 will work best. Best colors seem to be Brown/Orange, Mullet (green/black/gray back and white underside) and the Yellow/Orange/Grizzly tarpon fly Jack Crevalle Larger tarpon flies are best, but any big crab pattern will work great too. You often are fishing for other fish and don’t have time to switch, but if you can put on a brown or black/purple Enrico in 3/0. Also, any popper will crush big Jacks. The key is to cast close to these fast moving fish and strip the fly as fast as you can. *WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO HELP YOU GATHER THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT AS ALL GEAR NEEDED FOR YOUR TRIP IS AVAILABLE HERE AT THE SHOP*

Personal Items Recommended

Necessities

• Passport, and make sure that itexpires more than 6 months after your trip!
• Cash – for spending money & tips – we recommend you bring a minimum of $1000US. You can’t get more cash in Cuba and you can always bring it home.
• US Credit and Debit cards do not work in Cuba

Clothing

• Rain Jacket and Pants
• 3 – 6 light weight quick dry fishing shirts or hodies.
• 3 – 6 light weight quick dry fishing pants
• Sandals
• Hat with a dark under bill
• Sun Gloves
• Buff or Bandana for neck and face sun protection

Fishing Items- Please see Fishing Gear list below for more information

• Rods and Reels – refer below
• Fly Lines – refer below
• Leaders & Tippets – refer below
• Flies, Fly Box – refer below
• Wading Boots- these need to be boots specifically designed for the flats with soles impermeable by sharp coral.
• Wading Socks- Neoprene or Wet Wading socks
• Polarized Sunglasses – and a spare pair if you have one
  • Different light conditions merit different sunglass shades
• Chest/Waist Pack
• Gear Bag to bring on the boat
• Clippers
• Hemostat/Forceps
• Fishing Plyers
• Hook hone- for sharpening hooks
• Sunglass cleaning wipes

Toiletries and Medications

• Waterproof Sunscreen
• Lip Balm with SPF protection
• Contact Lenses, lens solutions, wetting solution
• Eyeglasses, reading glasses
• Medical Tape or “Nu-skin” – for your fingers from leader cuts
• Ear Plugs
• Prescription medication that you need
• Aspirin, Motrin
• A kit with Antibiotics, Imodium AD etc. for emergencies
• Zophran- great if you get motion sickness or sick
• Prescription Medications for travelers diarrhea – Contact your doctor
• First Aid Kit
• Zap a gap for bad cuts
• Anti itch cream
• Moisture Cream if hands dry out
• Wet Wipes- always handy to have when traveling
• Electrolytes for extra hydration
• Compression Socks to reduce swelling

**Contact your local provider to see what their current recommendations are in regard to medications.

More Items to Consider

• Most hotels have the same power outlets as the US. Some locations have 2 prong or 3 prong outlets so adaptors may be advisable most hotels have 110v to 220v in Cuba
• Lighter
• Small pocket knife- put in checked bag
• Small flashlight or headlamp
• Camera or phone camera
• Garbage Bag – to pack wet clothing on the way home
• Bug Repellant
• Zip Lock bags for passport, camera gear, cigars, misc.
• Energy bars/granola bars
• Tortillas(a 6 pack for lunches) nice to make a burrito and easy to eat
• Hot Sauce
• Koozie for soft drinks or beer
• Sealed Coffee mug for the boat
• Cash- please see tip recommendation for more
• Water Bottle
• Candies- additional items for your lunch- consider bringing 1 for your guide
• Do not bring a GPS, satellite phone or Drones. These will be confiscated by the Cubans if they find one on you. You can get it back when you leave though.
• Download a Spanish app on your phone or bring a dictionary- not necessary but nice to
• Cash- we recommend you bring a minimum of $1000US. You can’t get more cash in Cuba and you can always bring it home.

***Bring maps of any areas you plan to visit- Cell phones don’t work in Cuba so don’t rely on them for maps. Lonely Planet has a new book about Cuba coming out in Oct. or you can buy the current edition as an option. Maps.me app works well if you download it before you leave.

***GPS Units and Drones are not allowed in Cuba. If you bring them, they’ll confiscate them at the airport.

Travel Cash and Tip’s

It is important that you bring as much cash as you think you’re going to spend. There’s no way to get more cash once in Cuba. All tips can be done in US dollars.

Guide Tips-  All tips can be done in US dollars. The average guide tip is $600 per boat for the week. That means if you’re splitting a boat, the tip should be $300 per person. If you’re solo on a boat, then please plan to tip accordingly. If your guide goes above and beyond feel free to tip him additionally if you please.

Staff Tip- Average staff tip is $150-$200 per person. There are 2 sets of staff members. The first is Avalon’s staff who help coordinate logistics and the fishing side of things. The main tip of $150 is for these staff members and is given to the manager at the end of the week. The second staff is that of the hotel. These are concierge, bar tenders, chefs, ect. We recommend having $20-$50 in small bills to leave incremental tips throughout the week for these staff members.

Breakdown for tip funds– Tips $450-$600 US

Guide tips $300 – $50 per person per boat per day – average

Avalon Staff tips   $150 

La Marina Spa Hotel Staff -$20-$50 – bring small bills

Total tips   $450 and if you’re treated well bringing extra gives some cushion. 

Travel Cash – US dollars will work for all expenses and purchases while in Cuba. Guides can be tipped in Dollars and purchases can be made by dollars. There are few and rare occasions that stores will only take Euro. Please bring smaller bills in denominations of $1, $5, $10, $20 and make sure none of the money is torn. They will not accept torn money. You may want to bring some money to make purchases while visiting such as rum, cigars or souvenirs.

Note: It is currently illegal to bring Cuban Rum or Cigars back to the US.

Bring money for anything else you want to buy. Overall bring $1000 just to be safe. If you don’t spend it, you can bring it home.

When flying, we strongly recommend that you carry on your fly rods and a small gear bag (which can also be used as your boat bag) containing such important items as your reels, fly lines, sunglasses, camera and other key fishing items. In addition, we recommend you may want to carry your personal toiletries kit, a fishing shirt and pair of shorts. That way, if your checked luggage is lost or delayed for a day or two, you will at least be able to fish until it arrives.