All of these fish are bigger and exert more pressure on the rod than bonefish and, of course, you will be using bigger, bulkier flies to catch them, so a heavier line is essential.

In an ideal world one would use, an eight weight for bonefish, a nine weight for permit and a ten weight for the tarpon. Really big tarpon, although not unusual, are not that common in Cuba, so a ten weight is perfect for handling the typical Cuban tarpon, which normally weigh between fifteen and sixty pounds. The same rod will handle barracuda, big jacks and snook. Big tarpon are regularly seen in Cuba and if you want to be ready for a hundred pound fish, a twelve weight is ideal.

Nowadays, there are some great travel rods around. Grandslam, on the recommendation of our fishing guru Matt Hayes, use the four-piece Loomis GLX range, but a two-piece is fine provided that you pack it in a crush-proof tube. The Cuban airport baggage handlers are not renown for their subtlety!