AVALON CAYO ROMANO
Cayo Romano
LOCATION
Located on the north shore of the eastern province of Camaguey, the Cayo Romano fishery is an enormous system of flats, lagoons and pristine estuaries. Located in Jardines del Rey, commercial fishing within this designated area is strictly forbidden and rigorously enforced. The sportfish - only area is 366 square kilometers in size, meaning that on the average day, each skiff has over 50 square kilometers to itself. The fishing area is virtually untouched and represents one of the cleanest and most biologically diverse ecosystems we’ve ever fished. This is one of the other reasons we have chosen this destination. It is still pretty much untouched and has only seen anglers for few seasons. The fish are plentiful and aggressive. Most other destinations are now heavily fished and have been fished that way for over 15 years.
Also, those concerned by the occasional cold fronts from the north during January to March can be assured that Cayo Romano is privileged in having an extensive string of cays on its northern border which protects it from all but the most violent of weather patterns.
GUIDES
Cayo Romano has only been in operation since 2011 and has not seen many clients, particularly when compared to other locations in the Caribbean that offer this quality of fishing. This leads to a completely unpressured fishing area where the guides have free range to explore and share the bounty of this flats oasis. Many of Avalon's guides have worked in this area previously as commercial fishermen and have grown up among these flats, lagoons, and mangroves. Because of this deep history and wealth of knowledge, along with Avalon's professional and progressive training measures, Cayo Romano features some of the best and most competent guides in all of Cuba and the Caribbean. Our guides speak good English and are eager to share stories about their Cuban heritage and unique fishing experiences with the guests. These guides will go the extra mile for each and every one of our clients while exhibiting a passionate drive towards success while pursuing the fish of a lifetime.
GENERAL PROGRAM
The skiffs depart from Cayo Romano each morning and depending on the guide rotation that day, you may be heading to any number of areas to spend the day. From Cayo Paredon Grande in the north to Cayo Guanaja in the south, there are countless islands, lagoons and bays that will keep anglers happy and into fish. Much of the fishing takes place back towards the mainland, in and around the massive island of Cayo Romano. The average boat run to the fishing areas is about 20 minutes in length and in some areas, you can be into fish within 5 minutes of leaving the boat docks. It just depends on where your guide wants to take you that day and what you are interested in targeting. With 50 square kilometers per boat, the options are just about limitless. There are so many great aspects to this fishery that it can truly be a sensory overload at times.
FISHING
The first thing that guests need to know about when considering this location, aside from the exceptional flats fishing that is found here is that this new fishery is still very much in its infancy.
The flats are an inviting combination of hard packed white sand and a semi-firm mottled bottom that still provides good wading. And what a place this is for those who like to wade! It’s very similar to Los Roques in terms of the amount of area that’s wadable and there are places here where you can wade for 4 straight hours without heading back to the boat.
Cayo Romano demonstrates all the characteristics of a recently discovered, virgin fishing territory – large numbers of fish, good sizes and their evident lack of exposure to flies and leaders. Add to this the natural beauty of the cays and of the water and you have a truly memorable place to fish.
The average sized bonefish is a healthy 4 pounds and during the course of the week it is not unheard of for guests to land a fish or two in the 10 pound range. Tailing bonefish are common and guests can expect to see bonefish in singles and doubles, all the way up to schools of several hundred fish. What really sets this location apart from so many other fisheries is that guests can expect to encounter and get shots at good numbers of permit each day. There are very few places on earth where guests can fish for big bonefish each day and also get shots at tailing permit. This combination may take place in other locations but not with the consistency that is virtually guaranteed at Cayo Romano. It is a rare day when you don’t encounter and get shots at permit. The permit will range in size between about 8 and 30 pounds.
The flats at Cayo Romano are a little deeper than those found in other areas of Cuba, which means that the bonefish and permit are still found in excellent numbers throughout the year.
There are two locations within the Cayo Romano that offer very good tarpon fishing. Guides tend to save these areas for when an angler has already boated a permit and is looking for a Grand Slam. These fish will range from 30 to 90 pounds. Besides the fishing for permit, bonefish and tarpon, you will also cast for other challenging species as mutton snapper, snook, cubera snapper, jack crevalle, barracuda, etc.
We look forward to host you in Cayo Romano!!
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