… probably similar to The Keys which is something I’ve been looking at as I’m going this year.
I’m taking a four piece travel rod I have which is about 2.25lb TC and have been advised to take a strongish fixed spool reel with one spool of 12lb mono and another of 20lb plus braid. I don’t know about the state of fishing tackle for sale there but I would suspect there’s not a lot so accessories wise gear yourself up to leger or floatfish prawns and bits of fish and also take some jigs and spinners/spoons. That’s from the shore. Avalon organise most of the proper boat fishing there I don’t know if you can book single days but if you can they should have all the gear.

i think he meant more of the airport issues gareth….

Where abouts are you staying

Hi Mate
I stayed on Cayo Las Brujas a couple of years ago and fished under the bridge near the dolphinarium and had some good succes on shallow diving plugs (Rapalas) with snappers and lost a really big barracuda on a Skitter Pop (surface popper) in the same place. whatever you take, change the hooks, as those supplied on the lures are totally inadequate even though they look strong; the ‘cuda just bent the originals almost immediately. i changed to VMCs and haven’t had an issue since.

i also hired a boat for a half day from the marina near the airport on the Cayo to fish for tarpon, as the big girls come in around August time. i think the cost was around £160 and was just me alone. unfortunately a hurricane passed us the day before and the sea was too cloudy/murky and the tarpon couldn’t see the lures, but they were surfacing round the boat. in the end we went off a reef and i used the skitter pop again to take a barracuda around 15lb and a “runner” around 5lb. not astounding, but the conditions were against us at the time.

under the bridges, the locals use handlines baited with bits of fish and caught more snappers than i did. the rocks are sharp under there, so they used strips of lead bitten onto the line to get the bait down.

FYI, i use a tele shimano 30g spinning rod, but would recommend something rather heavier. i’ve had a close look at the Shimano Ocean Master 4 piece 17-30lb rod in USA and this looks just the jobbie at around £100, but i’ve yet to see one in UK.

Stayed in Cayo Coco,the local beach had several board walks entering the sea which you fished at the end of.Snappers would ball up under these platforms and get caught frequently,always Barracuda on the fringes of the shoals but these seemed hard too catch,they came quite close when you were snorkelling though which was strange.