Jardines De La Reina

WhereWiseMenFish takes exclusive bookings of the fabulous Perola Yacht for one or two weeks every year over recent successive seasons which have proved to be very popular and will be an ongoing WWMF arrangement. In the past the Perola has been based at the Isle of Youth however for the 2018 season the Perola is moving to the equally excellent and even more widely acclaimed Jardines de la Reina.

Although all the fishing areas have their own characteristics the defining attribute of the Jardines de la Reina is the variety of fishing on offer. Covering a huge area along Cuba’s southern coastline the area has everything from myriad channels and lagoons within the mangrove forests to long ocean flats.

Details of the past tthree WhereWiseMenFish hosted week to IDJ can be seen below:

2014 Hosted Trip-Isle of Youth

2015 Hosted Trip-Isle of Youth and Jardines de la Reina

2016 Hosted Trip -Isle of Youth-Perola

If you are interested in either joining one of the WWMF hosted weeks or booking the Perola or one of the other yachts as a group please get in touch for group rates and availability.

The Perola

The Perola is a 75-foot luxury live-aboard yacht that for 2018 is operating in the Jardines de la Reina. This area is only accessible via one of the live aboard yachts and the area is divided in to three fishing zones to ensure that no one area is over-pressured, albeit the entire area is a protected marine national park.

Chosen anchorages have all been carefully selected so that they are sheltered from the prevailing wind and the Perola being an ocean going yacht is especially stable in the water. Although by nature more confined, fishing from a live-aboard confers significant advantages vs staying at a land based operation.

• Extended fishing hours (Guides will be stood by the skiffs ready to go from around 7.30am-6pm)
• Immediate access to the fishing area
• Good food with freshly caught fish, lobster and conch
• Will move to selected anchorages over the week providing great access to some of the more remote and best fishing areas with minimal travel time
• Option to return to the yacht for lunch at midday and a siesta if a more relaxed approach is preferred

Over the weeks fishing anglers will have the chance to fish the full length of the fishable area, from the Islas de Mangles in the North West to Cayo Roserio in the South East, stopping at selected anchorages such as Cayo Campo and the Cantiles Islands. This is a wider area than the area that can be fished by anglers at Hotel Rancho on account of the proximity of the yacht to the fishing.

This is a wonderful yacht, recently refurbished and perfect for a group of six to seven anglers. There are two twin berths and are three single cabins below deck. All are air-conditioned, most having their own private bathroom, with good showers, plenty of hot water, and lots of storage space for anglers. Dining is on the upper deck which can be left open-sided to enjoy the elements but also closed as appropriate to the conditions.

Named the Queen's Gardens by Christopher Columbus, the Jardines de la Reina ("JDR") is a pristine chain of islands, very similar in nature to the Florida Keys in the USA. The island system runs for more than one hundred miles back to the northwest, from Cuba's southeastern coast. Most of the area fished is forty to fifty miles offshore and has been designated as a Cuban National Park. As such it has been protected from any commercial fishing for decades. With no human habitation Jardines de la Reina is just a huge expanse of saltwater wilderness, offering some of the best-protected and varied saltwater fishing available.

Alongside the superb migratory Tarpon fishing in the 80lb+ range you can expect Bonefish, Permit and just about every other species of fish that one might expect to catch in the Caribbean - Snapper, Jacks, Shark, Barracudas alongside blue-water species that patrol the reef.

Alongside the Bonefish, which are numerous and of a good size on many of the ocean flats, it is the Tarpon that are one of the primary sources of interest for anglers visiting this area. The numbers of migratory Tarpon peak from April to June but genuinely good fishing can be had throughout the season due to the diversity of the fishing. Despite being infuriatingly difficult to tempt a Permit to the actual hook none the less there are plenty of large Permit that cruise the flats.

PLEASE NOTE: All the offshore fishing areas in Cuba are now designated fly-fishing only

Each pair of anglers has an individual skiff and guide. The professional fly-fishing skiffs typically have 70HP engines. Although wade fishing is possible in some areas the majority of the fishing is done from the skiff with the guide using the platform and pole to spot and steer you into the optimum casting position. All the boats have coolers for drinks although there is also the option of returning to the yacht for a mid-day break.

Getting to The Perola

Anglers can now fly into Cayo Coco, Camaguey or Santa Clara international airports that are in relatively close proximity to Jucaro Port. On arrival you will be met and transfers arranged from there to Jucaro Port (2/3 hours drive) where you will overnight on the Perola prior to sailing to the JDR fishing area the following day.