I don’t know where to start about Cayo Cruz. The fishing Bonefish has got to be some of the best in the world averaging 4-5 pounds with multiple larger fish up to 10 pounds everyday. The Bonefish are more than plentiful and very eager giving the novice saltwater fisherman an incredible environment to learn the sport while successfully landing fish. A more experienced angler will find heaven chasing these Bonefish as well. At times fishing for Bonefish is so good it is pure chaos with doubles being the norm.

I was told the Permit fishing was possibly the 2nd best destination in the world and Cayo Cruz proved itself during my stay with Fly Fishing. Although I am a very bad Permit fisherman they are my favorite fish to chase. I had 5 Permit eat, missed 2, lost 1, broke off 1, and caught 1. My wife who is a novice also caught a Permit! I cant even explain how many big Permit there are. It is truly amazing to see the numbers of big Permit. The last day we saw some smaller Permit in schools and any angler would be happy to catch any of them but the previous 5 days I don’t think I saw a Permit under 12 pounds with most being around 20 pounds or bigger. Including a 25 + Permit I lost.
We didn’t fish for Tarpon very much but when we did we caught them. I broke off an 80 pounder and caught a 50 pounder and my wife caught a 40 pounder all in about 1 1/2 hours. Members of the group that were more interested in Tarpon fishing spent more time and were rewarded with Tarpon from 80-100 pounds. I should have put my Permit addiction aside to fish for Tarpon more because it was excellent Tarpon fishing.
All in all the fishing was incredible.

One amazing part about the fishing that all anglers should know is Avalon is the only company fishing this preserve. You do not see any other outfitters and you barely ever see the people in your group. I believe this is a major reason to book this trip. There are just not many places like this in the world and as a result you have a fishery with little to no pressure. For the price and compared to other saltwater destinations Cayo Cruz is unmatched in my opinion.

Our guides were excellent and the boats were well maintained and extremely comfortable. The Cayo Cruz manager, marina manager and staff did a phenomenal job. I really have to tip my hat to all the guides though. They are professional, very knowledgeable and extremely hardworking. They offered to use their flies, tied all knots and acted fast in sticky situations like when knots in fly line occur with fish on. Excellent poling and boat positioning for the best shots at fish day in and day out.

There is a new hotel across the street from the marina which will be extremely convenient. It is almost completed and I’m looking forward to staying there in 2020. It looks extremely nice and said to be a 5 star hotel which will be a phenomenal pairing to a world class saltwater destination. Like I said I can’t say enough about this destination and I HIGHLY recommend this destination to anglers of all skill levels. Lastly, I want to say that I am a critic and extremely picky when it comes to the destinations I choose to fish every year. You wont be disappointed in Cayo Cruz!

Thank you Daniel Beilinson and FlyFishingCaribe for an amazing experience. We will return every year, no question!

Best,
Matt