My wife and I planning on a traveling to Haiti on a medical mission with our church in February. In looking over the planned agenda, it looks like we’ll have most of our evenings free. The village is built on the edge of a river and I know that I will regret it if I don’t bring along a fly rod. Has anyone ever had the opportunity to fish Haiti? I’d love to hear any comments/recommendations/ideas.
Jim Smith
Hey Jim,
It’s been several years since my last
visit. Never did have time to fish. The
following is a recent answer from Lefty Kreh
to someone with the same question.
“Over the years a few of my friends have tried fly-fishing in Haiti and found it to be very unproductive. Also, Haiti is politically unstable, and I consider it to be a rather dangerous place for fly-fishermen. I would go somewhere else to fish.”
Department of State still has cautionary
advisories for tourists in Haiti though the
American Embassy there has reopened. Do be
careful! I’m looking forward to getting
together with you for a little fishing next
year.G Not to take anything away from the
very worthwhile mission that takes you there
but do be careful when on your own. Warm
regards, Jim
James
I was in Haiti last February on a medical mission trip with the church that I attend. We were up in Pignon. There was a river close by, but I wouldn’t want to fish in it. The Haitians use that river for everything. And I mean everything!
Also, because they have harvested most of the trees that grow there, there is allot of run off when it rains. In fact when you fly into the country, the first thing you will notice from the air is how brown the water looks around the coast.
Another thing to keep in mind, is that outside of Port aux Prince and Caphaitia there is very little electricity. In fact, there is no infrastructure in Haiti. So when the sun goes down, it gets very dark. If you’ll be staying at a mission compound, you will most likely have your own generator.
I would suggest not taking your fly rod. Spend your time helping the Haitian people while you’re there. God knows they need all the help they can get.
All the best…Dave
Jim and Dave,
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I was afraid that it would be very much as Dave discribed it. I’ll leave the gear at home and spend any free time we get working with the kids.
Take care and God Bless.
Jim
Oh God, be careful. I was at the little section that Royal Carribean owns, and the Haitian flea market owners there are pretty aggressive.