Again we pass flocks of bright pink flamingoes wading moncler

anglers seek out the infamous Bay of Pigs for an exclusive fly

A Cuban permit a prized moncler bambino outlet sport fish is released in the waters near Playa Large in southern Cuba. (Jim Klug/Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures)

moncler outlet online shop Crouching moncler bambino saldi at the bow of a small motorboat, trying not to make a sound, I wonder if my Cuban guide, Juan Carlos, agrees that we make for a strange scene. moncler outlet online shop

moncler uomo You see, we’re very near where, more than half a century ago, a bunch of CIA backed Cuban exiles tried and failed spectacularly to overthrow the Castro regime. moncler uomo

On this warm November morning, I’m part of a new kind of American invasion of the island nation’s infamous Bahia de Cochinos, or Bay of Pigs, this time armed with fly rods.

piumini moncler outlet The Bay is in the Cienaga de Zapata Biosphere Reserve, an aquatic Eden more than moncler outlet online uomo triple the size of the Everglades that is home to around 200 bird species, some of which exist nowhere else, along with manatees and crocodiles, plus umpteen schools of prized sport fish such as the permit, tarpon and bonefish. piumini moncler outlet

moncler saldi Only 10 anglers per day are allowed in the part of the reserve we’re in this morning, called Las Salinas, 80 square miles of mangrove flats just west of the Bay of Pigs. Today, I have the whole place to myself. Or, as I’ll gush later to fellow fly rodding nerds back home: fishing heaven. moncler saldi

moncler outlet trebaseleghe I had arrived the night before after a quick flight from my hometown of Tampa, followed by a couple hour car ride southeast from Havana to my hotel in Playa Larga, situated at the northern tip of the bay’s beach. moncler outlet trebaseleghe

piumini moncler saldi Able to swing only three days of playing hooky this trip, I had decided to spend about half my time chasing bonefish and tarpons while also enjoying local culture, including home cooked meals in family run restaurants known as paladares. citizens to travel to Cuba as tourists. To travel there legally, you need to do so under one of a dozen approved categories. outlet moncler Would be fly fishers typically go under the “educational” or “person to person” categories. The outfitters who arrange these trips in my case, Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures of Bozeman, Mont. also take care of these details.) piumini moncler saldi

Sunbathers relax among abandoned pillboxes on the beach near Hotel Playa Larga, on the moncler saldi Bay of Pigs. (Paul Abercrombie)

piumini moncler uomo Soon after hitting the water with my guide, I know I’ll be back. piumini moncler uomo

moncler outlet serravalle Juan has just finished giving me a quickie tutorial on bonefishing, including tips on casting in wind. He explains how he will direct me to cruising fish by describing the face of an imaginary horizontal clock, with the boat’s bow at high noon. Behind me he stands atop a short platform, gently poling the skiff over improbably clear water. moncler outlet serravalle

moncler saldi uomo “Be ready,” he stage whispers, eyes on the shallows somewhere ahead. “Eleven o’clock. Thirty meters. Cast. Now.” Though unable to see the fish, I do piumini moncler uomo as commanded. I moncler outlet online shop pause for a couple of seconds, letting the tiny Rubber Legged Gotcha fly sink the foot or so to the sandy bottom, then faintly twitch the line in my left hand, hoping to make the lure appear to be a moncler donna hapless crab. moncler saldi uomo

moncler outlet online uomo At first, I moncler outlet trebaseleghe wonder if I’m imagining the bump of a fish inhaling the fly. With my left hand, I give the line a sharp yank. A moment later, the hooked fish bolts. moncler outlet online uomo

“What a pretty sound,” Juan says of my whirring reel’s high pitched whine.

piumini moncler scontatissimi Several minutes and as many runs later, I’m cradling my first ever bonefish before releasing it. piumini moncler scontatissimi

moncler outlet “Big boy,” Juan says of the sleek near five pounder. Boys, he explains, are moncler outlet what he calls all bonefish because the Spanish word for them, macabi, is masculine. Similarly, permit are girls. Tarpons, because of grammatical gender and size, are big guys. moncler outlet

moncler bambino saldi Spooky boys are bonefish alerted to the presence of an angler. With my erratic casting skills and adrenaline addled eagerness, it is a term I hear often today. Still, Juan is as patient as he is talented at putting me in front of many dozens of bonefish. By late afternoon, as we head back to the dock, I’ve landed and released a respectable seven bonefish. moncler bambino saldi

moncler donna By car, we make our bumpy way back down the dozen odd mile, single lane dirt road we came by. Again we pass flocks of bright pink https://www.moncleroutlet-i.org flamingoes wading moncler saldi uomo in shallow waters in search of shrimp. On the road ahead, we glimpse skinny piumini moncler scontatissimi wild dogs, which vanish as we approach. Though normally wary of people, they can be dangerous, especially during mating piumini moncler saldi season, Juan says. His brother was once treed for several hours by a grumpy canine Romeo. moncler donna

After a quick shower and can of cold Cristal Cuban beer at my hotel’s little beachside bar, I’m off to dinner at my first paladar, Chuchi el Pescador, a few minutes’ taxi drive away. Like most, it’s a home turned into a small restaurant.

moncler bambino outlet Two teenage waitresses lip sync lyrics to Cuban pop songs playing on a moncler uomo nearby radio while delivering courses of delicious roasted and marinated (and locally caught) lobster, squid and octopus to me and a handful of European fellow diners. moncler bambino outlet

moncler saldi outlet A long day of fishing and ambitious sampling of my moncler outlet serravalle new favorite beer convinces me to reluctantly decline my driver’s offer to show me the local nightlife in favor of sleep. moncler saldi outlet

piumini moncler The next day brings non fishing activities, including visits to a crocodile zoo and a kitschy replica Indian village on an island that wouldn’t be out of place in my home state of Florida. piumini moncler

By midday, I’m starting to regret my decision to take a break from fishing, until my driver suggests a stop at the Cueva de los Peces, or Cave of Fish. True to its name, the pondlike saltwater cave is home to fish. Then I walk across the road to try snorkeling in the bay, teaming with sea life, including colorful corals. Only hunger and a lack piumini moncler of sunscreen finally pull me from the sea. imperialism, to the village of piumini moncler outlet Giron. The site of some of the heaviest fighting during the Bay of Pigs invasion, the seaside hamlet also has a museum commemorating the conflict and Cuban victory. If the woman who moncler outlet online shop sells me my entry ticket, or any of the other folks who work here, have mixed feelings about an American visiting, I wouldn’t know it from their warm moncler saldi outlet greetings.

This evening’s meal at another paladar, Restaurant Don Alexis, offers fresh surprises: venison and crocodile, grilled tableside over charcoal by the gregarious proprietor and chef, Alexis, who seems as delighted to share his food as practice his English.

A Cuban bonefish comes to hand on the flats near Playa Larga. (Jim Klug /Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures)

outlet moncler The entrance to the town of Playa Larga, ground zero for the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion. (Jim Klug /Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures) outlet moncler.