Is it just me or does anybody else have an issue with Fly Fish America magazine running a feature article on fishing in Cuba? It is still illegal for US citizen to travel to Cuba and to run a story glorifying the fishing is quite irresponsible. The Cuban government treats their citizens terribly so to go there you are supporting the oppression. There are so many incredible places around this globe to fish so why run this article. Grandstanding perhaps!? Very sad.
Not trying to be difficult but someone may read this and not realize they can be jailed and heavily fined when they return to the US.
Was the intent of the article to mislead readers, or possibly raise public awareness of the situation (for any number of purposes, including encouraging support for bringing an end to the embargo)?
Yes I know that US citizens can get permission to to go Cuba but to go there simply to fish is indeed illegal. Hopefully some day things will change and relations with Cuba will improve, Cuban’s will be trated better and then we will be allowed to go there to enjoy the region.
If I understood correctly, something the wife says I don’t do that often, Fidel has recently stated the current economic model is not working. Sounds a lot like “we have really screwed up for the last couple of generations.” It seems like a lot of former communist country are realizing that socialism has some severe limitation. I would love to see Cuba become friendly to the USA again, they have a lot of people who have had a hard lesson for a very long time and would welcome a free market economy. The USSR fell without a violent action it would be good to see the government in Cuba do the same.
Well I can’t say for sure but the Author, Tom Boyd, appears to be an American BUT if he is or is not, it does not matter. The publication title is “Fly Fish America” which would lead us to believe it is geared and marketed towards America’s or at least those living in America so . . .
Somehow I have lost interest in all magazines and most shows as they relate to places I’ll never make it or do not even want to make it to. I get a lot more interested in the presentations on local fishing within driving range of where I live.
To make a presentation concerning Cuba is extremely superfluous and is absolutely useless to me and most anyone I know.
Let me play devils advocate here. If somebody came out and said, that you could get a trip to Cuba, normal airfare and approved passport, to flyfish Cuban lakes that have not been fished in 50years. And the only stipulation would be that ALL you could do was fish and ALL you could bring back were digital images. How many of you would say no? If the ultimate warmwater flyfishing trip was going to cost you less than airfare and hotel stay in Bermuda. Just sayin…LOL!
BINGO! I agree with what you say 95%. The other 5% is for the wealthy who can afford to go fish the Amazon for exotic species or Kamchatka for giant salmon. There is nothing wrong with the wild rivers of the western U.S., or the rivers, streams and creeks of Upstate New York, or the pan fish empoundments all over the U.S. Within 2 hours of my home, I have more good fishing spots than I can shake a fly rod at. Sure, I’d like to be able to afford a fancy vacation to Belize or Bermuda, but I’m getting tired of the shows that only feature those kinds of destinations. Sorry for the Hi-Jack Dr. Fish. It just came out.
Sorry to hear that panfisher. I do enjoy reading about locations around the globe as you just never know when an opportunity to travel may come up. More important that that though, techniques used in other locals can be quite effective locally. Showing your local fish new patterns / techniques can really pay off. I love seeing the flies and methods used in other regions. That fly used to catch Queenfish in AU could be your best new local pattern for bass, pike or stripers. You just never know. I can tell you that my annual trips to British Columbia has made me a better salmon and steelhead fisherman locally in in western NY.
suppose a magazine told you about a place you couldn’t fish. suppose it looked really great. suppose a few of the folks who wanted to go there added their voices to those already asking for more “normal” relations with our neighbor. who do you ask? your congressman.
relations were broken with Cuba in 1958 not just because Fidel brought in communism, but because a whole lot of people felt betrayed: he’d asked for and gotten a lot of American help. he was a hero to my 3rd grade class and the Weekly Reader–until…
we can change our minds, you know. so can Fidel. he’d love some rich anglers; maybe he’d do something to get them. many of our neighbors in Florida would appreciate better relations, too. we used to have very strong economic ties.
just a dreamer musing, please don’t anyone take offense.
Lots of wealthy Cubans in South Florida + Fidel being the reason they are in South Florida = Politicians who want to see Cubans suffer for Fidel’s transgression. The transgression?? He didn’t listen to big brother Sam when Sam told him Batista was a fine leader and should stay there.
PS - Who was leader when those Ricos Cubanos got wealthy???
Do you go out of your way to make sure nothing you purchase is made in China? Every American red cent sent there promotes human rights abuse as well as shameful and sinful environmental abuse.
Just sayin’
The American government deciding telling me where I can and cannot travel seems decidedly un-American to me.
As for the article, I see little wrong with it. Like some of you said- lots of FF articles in many of the national magazines are dream trips- just because FFA prints an article on fly fishing Cuba doesn’t mean folks have the money or determination to actually get there. For the vast majority of the readership, reading the article and looking at the pictures is the closest they’ll ever be to Cuba.
I have had that “dream offer” with airfare included to go fish Cuba. I told them no a long time ago - I don’t even bother to open/read the offers anymore. Ya, I am probably a flag-waving American who understands that for whatever reasons it is illegal to go to Cuba to fish (although I do know some Canadians who did go and it’s legal for them). I also know at least one big name American who did it and I have no respect for him either.
I guess that’s all part of being a responsible person? Obeying the law? Duh.
The point of my post is simply that an American magazine that is printed for a US readership ran an article about a place that is illegal for American to go to to fish. That is what bothered me.
Is it just me or does anybody else have an issue with Fly Fish America magazine running a feature article on fishing in Cuba? It is still illegal for US citizen to travel to Cuba and to run a story glorifying the fishing is quite irresponsible. The Cuban government treats their citizens terribly so to go there you are supporting the oppression. There are so many incredible places around this globe to fish so why run this article. Grandstanding perhaps!? Very sad.