Freshwater fishing locations in Cuba

[jackd]

Freshwater fishing locations

Maspotón Reserve, Pinar del Río
In Maspotón it is possible to fish at the mouth of the Carraguao or Los Palacios rivers, which teem with species such as tarpon, bass, barracuda, liseta, and others. Fishermen will discover the best natural conditions under which to enjoy their favorite sport.

There's also freshwater fishing in a nearby reservoir called Juventud. Large-mouth bass and tarpon are easy to catch along the coast near the hunting reserve.

Laguna del Tesoro, Cienaga de Zapata, Matanzas
Treasure Lake is the largest natural lake in Cuba with a surface area of 16km2. It is located in the Ciénaga de Zapata.

Surronded by a marvelous landscape, visitors will be able to fish for trout, bass, achigan six hours a day. Fishing days may be divided into two fishing sessions if the fisherman so desires.

Accommodations
Hotel Guamá
Cienaga de Zapata, Matanzas

Guamá is unique in the Caribbean. It was designed as a floating wooden city built on twelve islets that are connected through a system of canals over quiet waters. It features indigenous architecture that includes precious woods and dried palm tree leaves. Located on the Treasure Lagoon, the Taino Indian village is a natural-sized sculpture complex, depicting Taino Indians at work. Special package offers include day and night entertainment visits to the crocodile-breeding farm at the entrance of the main canal, a country lunch on dry land, and trout fishing complete with gear, access to a speedboat, and a specialized guide service.

Presa Zaza, Sancti Spiritus
This artificial lake, the largest of its kind in Cuba, is located to the east of Sancti Spiritus and features one of the first villas to be built in the 16th century. The lake holds over one-billion cubic meters of water. It is particularly famous for its abundant trout. Some specimens rank among the top of their class in the world. The record for the biggest trout stands at 16.5 pounds.

Yariguá, Cienfuegos
Bass and carp can be easily angled in the canal of the Yariguá Hunting Reserve.


Lago la Redonda y Laguna de la Leche, Ciego de Avila
The 4 km2 Redonda lake is located 21 km from Morón, in central Cuba. It features the largest concentration of trout per square kilometer in the country. Its prestige as a trout-fishing paradise was consolidated at the beginning of the 1980s, when a group of American fisherman hooked 5,078 trout in only 5 days. Its water is so clear that the fisherman can fully observe the entire catching process.

Presas Porvenir, Muñoz y Santa Ana, Camagüey
These reservoirs are located very close to Florida, in Camagüey province. They offer excellent conditions all year round for trouts, bass and achigan fishing sessions may last up to 6 hours. The record for the biggest trout fishing stands at 14.5 pounds.

More on accomodations and services: http://www.usacubatravel.com/fishingfresh.htm

[cubafish]

Whoever wrote this obviously attended the Russian school of propaganda as it is a load of bull sugar. *No offense toward you jack as I know you just cut and pasted this. *

Here are the facts:

The Carraguao and Los Palacios rivers in the Maspoton Preserve, Pinar de Rio Province may have "teemed with fish" prior to the Russian pull out in the early 1990's, but this area like most Cuban waters has been raped of most of its fish species post 1990. *A pretty area? *Yes, and to say "Fishermen will discover the the best natural conditions under which to enjoy their favorite sport" is also correct. *But what the Cuban propaganda machine failed to say is that while the area is beautiful, it has already been fished out.

And to say "the freshwater fishing in a nearby reservoir called Juventad where large mouth bass and tarpon are easy to catch" is a statement from 1998, not 2005. *The nearby hunting preserve? *Also a joke.

Laguna del Tesoro, Cienaga de Aapata, Matanzas. *The only correct statement here is that Treasure lake is Cubas' largest lake. *Trout in Treasure lake? *Ha. *Whoever wrote this propaganda piece is once again lost as there are no trout in all of Cuba, and the real name of Treasure lake is Lake ZaZa.

"access to a speedboat" - Another ha! *Try a 12 ft wooden excuse for a boat powered by a 30hp outboard.

"Yariguá, Cienfuegos *where bass and carp can be easily angled in the canal of the Yariguá Hunting Reserve." *Another joke. <- want to really waste some time, try here.

"Lago la Redonda y Laguna de la Leche, Ciego de Avila *
The 4 km2 Redonda lake is located 21 km from Morón, in central Cuba. *It features the largest concentration of trout per square kilometer in the country. *Its prestige as a trout-fishing paradise was consolidated at the beginning of the 1980s," *Another Ha! *Yes there was good fishing here in the 1980's as the writer says. *But today? *Another waste of time as the area has been seriously fished out.
----

Thems' the unfortunate facts folks. * * :o

[jackd]

Cubafish, it sure sounded good, I checked the site it came from it's an outfit working out of Canada that organizes tours and things to Cuba, the boats in the pictures look good.

I guess it was just too good to be true ::)

[jackd]

Do you know of any fresh water fishing that still exists ???

[Wade]

I fished Laguna Tesoro in February, 2000 for a couple of days - best largemouth were a 4-pounder and one 3 1/2, several smaller - great habitat - miles of canals with lily-pads and tall grass. But who knows now - they tend to keep everything they catch.

For some reason, in Cuba they call largemouth, "trucha", which translates literally as "trout". It was funny reading that blurb and also guide books that boast of the great trout fishing - e.g. that guy who rode his motor bike all over Cuba supposedly.

That site, by the way was last updated in August 2000!

[cubafish]

Well, you can fish in freshwater anyplace in Cuba if you want. But good bass fishing? No, not really.

OK fishing? Yes. There are a few lakes that have a redeming reason for fishing there, and as Wade mentioned you will still catch a few bass in the process. Lake (Prensa) Hanabanilla for example is a reservior up in the mountains (3000 ft elevation?) south of Santa Clara and if you don't catch anything, you will still run out of film (or CF cards) taking pictures of this the most beautiful lake in Cuba. You'll need a guide (land) or the ability to speak spanish to get to Hanabanilla as well as most of the other lakes in Cuba because they are located in remote areas with no road signs along the way.

There are a couple of other lakes in eastern Cuba that also have "OK" fishing, but they are too far from the bars in Matanzas to get to on your bike. ;D

[jackd]

cubafish, my location in Matanzas is too far from the bars, I don't even go there ;D

I'll check with my amigos next year, they might know something

Cheers

[cubafish]

That is a good idea as there is no substitute for local knowledge. But keep in mind that your amigos' idea of good fishing may differ from yours. A clasic example of this occurs in Havana where if you go into any hotel, store, restaurant, etc., and ask if there is any good fishing around Havana, the answer will invariably be: "oh yes, go to Marina Hemingway." Not! ::)

[jackd]

Good point, the locals fish for food so if there are any good places or ways, they will be the ones that know :)

[cubafish]

Yes, and I should have expanded my above post to say that what the locals hope to catch and what you are expecting to catch are often many pounds apart. * *:o

[jackd]

I'd be happy to catch a 1/4 pounder ;D

[cubafish]

Then you'll be in bass fishing heavan in Cuba. [smiley=mad.gif] Actually when you do catch one, the average will be 1-2 lbs. I have not seen/caught too many dinks, and ones in the 3-4 lb range are not uncommon when you do catch one. [smiley=shocked2.gif]

[jackd]

Would they be wormy in that climate
???

[cubafish]

I live in south Florida & there are no worms in the LM bass here. Never seen any in Cuba either.

[jackd]

Cubafish, don't know if your familiar with this org but they have info on every fish species in every country in the world (or so they say) http://www.fishbase.org/home.htm

You can pull up a list of all the freshwater species in Cuba:
http://www.fishbase.org/Country/CountryResultList.cfm?country=192&group=freshwater

[hector]

Hi my name is Hector Rodriguez and i was born in Cuba. im living in the U.K. right now and i'm planing to go to Cuba in july this year 2006.
I'll be so happy if any of you could answer me the following question please?!!!!!
What species of fish can i fish in Cuba in the lakes and in the rivers? Please if you can, include species of fish in Pinar del Rio, Matanzas and La Habana. Also do not write that i can catch tilapia and crappie, just because i know that these ones are everywhere in Cuba.

THANK YOU yours HECTOR

[cubafish]

In the lakes (actually reserviours) you will catch largemouth bass. In the rivers you will also find largemouth bass, and as the river gets closer to the ocean (saltwater) you will start finding snook (robalo), snapper (pargo), and tarpon (sabalo).

You say you know that tilapia and crappie everywhere in Cuba - out of curiosity, how do you know this, have you caught them in Cuba before?

[cubafish]

To the best of my knowledge there are no fish in that lake.

There are no carp or tenca in Cuba. While you can catch fish in Cuba, do not go with high expectations unless you are going with someone who has already located a good place to fish.

[fishfull thinking]

hello,

i was thinking of going to trinidad for a week and fishing in lake zaza - is it worth it? or has the lake been fished out...

[cubafish]

Had you gome to Zaza in the late 1970's and 1980's when many anglers along with fishing writers went and returned with stories of catching one big bass after another, you would have good memories.

Unfortunately today Zaza is just another ordinary, ugly, almost fishless reserviour in Cuba. "Is it worth it?" I was there last year, found the fishing a waste of time and will not go back, but others may think differently . . . . . .

Hanabanilla is worth spending some time at tho, and it's closer to Trinidad than Zaza.

[fishfull thinking]

thank you cubafish thats great advice. i have a choice to either stay in trinidad or cayo guillermo. which place would you go for better fishing.

thanks again!

[cubafish]

Well, I don't know how experienced of a Cuba traveler you are, so will assume this is your first trip, and as such, I think you need to address the reason why you are going to Cuba.

Trinidad and it's surrounding area will expose you to Cuba, the Cuban people, and the Cuban way of life.

Cayo Guillermo on the other hand is a very isolated island in an area where there are ONLY tourists staying in All-Inclusive hotels - an area that Fidel has placed off-limits to all Cubans except those who are bussed to work on a daily basis. Cayo Guillermo is an area where you would not know what part of the world you were in if you were dropped there blindfolded - other than you would know that you were on a beautiful island, with a beautiful beach, etc., etc.

If I had to flip a coin to decide where the better fishing was located I would hope the coin turned up Cayo Guillermo. But the cayos are shallow water saltwater fishing which is much more demanding than freshwater.

Questions?

[fishfull thinking]

thanks for the tip cubafish!

[Peter Perez]

Well to me , the best fishing is the Rivers in Oriente.
It is the best because is what I have done.
I fished the Yabazon River 16 miles from Holguin, we caught some Fish called Guabino, long an dlarge mouth like a bass and the Cuban Viajaca which is in the chilliad family, beautifull fish with irridence blues and the best meat I ever tasted.

the Locals catch pitices(Freshwater shrimps) they have tenazas like a scorpion and bite hard, the color is dark brown to Black the meat is white, I think they are related to the Florida Crawdads and lousiana swamp shrimp.

After several hours of fishing we were ran off by army patrol, but saw were tourists and didnot arrest us for all the fish we had and kept.

to me that was the best fishing ever, specially the locals go into the river and stick their hands in the caves on the river shores and catch the fish by hand, we caught a 12 fot cuban boa in one of those holes, that was a job getting it out.

[Peter Perez]

Bump For Cuba Fish, This is about the guabino

[Max S]

Thanks again Cubafish for keeping the records straight. Almost broke sweat after reading top post. Return to Guillermo this year it is.

..Max