Fishing Cuban Style

So with the help of some locals I caught a fish. A good sized fish. I'm not sure exactly what it was but it looked like an oversized Garfish and fought like a bass on steroids.

It started with me finding a couple of places on the old Russian sea wall that looked like they might provide a safe(ish) place to throw in a lure without getting washed in by the swell. Evening is the best time so I set off, with Chris to keep an eye on me, to Spot 1 and gave it a try . . . . but no luck. Spot 2 was a little more exposed to the swell and just along from it, on the very exposed point were a small group of Cuban anglers. I walked over to say hello and they showed me what they had caught - some 2-3foot long silvery and muscular looking fish. I gave them the thumbs up and pointed to the spot further back where I planned to fish. They were having none of it. This was the spot to catch fish and I was going to fish with them. Finito! So I clambered over the wall and on to the point with my rod and started fishing with a silver spinner called a 'Dexter'. To make sure I had the best chance of catching something I showed them my other lures to see if they recommended something better. Now there are a couple of things I should explain here. The first is that I have a really smart double sided lure box that holds about 20 lures. The next is that these lures cost anywhere between £3 and £15 each. So this single box held nearly £100 worth of lures. Probably a months wages for some of these guys. 

A gasp of approval went up as I produced the box followed by wows and laughter when I deftly flipped the box over to display the rest of the contents. If I'd arrived in a Rolls Royce I don't think they would have been any more impressed. These are fishermen after all and rich and poor we are easily impressed by a cool fishing gadget. 

So I fished with the chosen lure while they used bait in the shape of small fish. Some had rods but others just a handline and we stood and fished standing back as the big sets of waves came through and moving forward again during the lulls. Apart from from  the smallest guy with his handline who stood on the edge of the rocks with the waves washing around him, sometimes almost breaking over him. Every so often a bigger set would come through and a shout would go up to the little guy to get the hell out and he would scamper up the rocks to safety as all hell broke loose behind him.

I fished and fished but for all the money I'd spent on my fancy lures nothing was happening. One guy beckoned to me and showed me a bare hook in his hand. I removed the latest lure and he tied the hook on for me and attached a small live fish to the hook. I cast it in and instantly felt something hit it. I didn't want to strike too soon so I left it awhile and then started to retrieve some line until I hit something solid. The solid thing took off like an express train stripping line off the reel and the rod almost bending in half. The cheering and shouting behind me let me know I was in to something respectable. I guess it took around 5 minutes to get it to the base of the rocks, but now I had to land it. The trick is to use the swell to wash the fish on to the rocks then hold it there as the wave retreats, but I also had a secret weapon. The little guy who scampered down and grabbed it just to make sure I didn't loose it.

Lots of high fives and back slapping followed and of course a group photo. Fantastic. I gave them the fish and some spools of line I'd  brought with me by way of thanks and left them to the evening, although they said they'd be there at 6am in the morning and why didn't I join them . . . . lovely guys, so happy to share their expertise with a visitor.