The Prez. announced that the US would normalize relations with Cuba. This was greeted by applause, condemnation and, probably, a general lack of awareness in the US of where Cuba is.
This new opening doesn’t translate to you being immediately able to take that Cuban fishing trip worry free, tourism is still not “OK,” but it is a step in the right direction. And… let’s be honest, if you want to fish Cuba, you can. You just have to be a bit creative and be OK with a bit of risk, even though it really is a very small risk.
Some are very opposed to normalizing relations with Cuba, but in a day and age when we trade with China, Vietnam and Russia, having no ties with Cuba seems silly. I mean, if we haven’t changed Cuba in the last 50 years with these policies, why do we keep trying using the same techniques?
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. – Albert Einstein
So, Cuba is slowly opening up. Soon, it could be fully open and us Americans can finally rush in to destroy Cuba… right?
I doubt that narrative. First, Cuba is still Cuba and it has exclusive concessions for a lot of the really good fishing and it still has very complicated ownership rules and regulations. Secondly, I don’t know how much tolerance Americans will have for the state of the infrastructure over there. Third, how exactly have we destroyed the other Caribbean economies? The places are not overflowing with American resorts. Sure, there are some, but outside of Nassau, it is really on a pretty modest scale (or so it seems to me).
I welcome closer ties with Cuba. It is a really interesting place and the people deserve better than what they have.
Awesome shot by Jim Klug.
Bonefish… I like bonefish.
Photo by Matt Hansen… me, seconds after losing a really, really nice fish.
Mmmmm… beer.
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Tags: Cuba
People have to remember is that everyone else in the world has been allowed in Cuba, it is only Americans who haven’t been allowed there. So there is some tourism there. I have a friend that was working in Gitmo on their HVAC system and he went bone fishing there. Some of the sport fisherman catch bone fish for bait to use for billfish there.
Hope this incresed tourism with get the money to the people and not only to the rich few MF who run the country. Cuban Govt. owns the tourism industry and the money goes to their pockets, NOT THE PEOPLE.
Also this misery of the Cuban people promotes sex exploitation where girls and boys of all ages need to sell themselves for a few bucks. Sad to say that Fly fishermen traveling to Cuba are no exception to this cruel trade.