I'd fished Jardines de la Reina many times before and I knew my guide Bemba, fairly well from the previous March trip. I had a group with me that consisted half and half; saltwater flyfishing beginners, and experienced guys who'd been on the flats of various destinations around the Caribbean.

I had not yet had success with permit in Cuba, but missed a few takes and seen enough of them to always have them on my mind when fishing there. Our first full day out saw us fishing in great conditions and with a rising tide in the morning. After Tommy my boat partner and I both lost 40 to 50lb tarpon early that morning on the flats we went to a nearby mangrove lined flat to look for permit.

Bemba went through the usual permit crabs very quickly searching for something smaller. He's one of a growing number of guides who now prefer to target permit with smaller flies, often bonefish patterns but on the heavier end of the scale. His choice was a fly I have great faith in, the Squimp. With its small but heavy tan body and many trailing rubber legs, I'm sure when pulled it looks like a small squid, shrimp or swimming crab. Who knows what it was taken for but it was taken, and taken without hesitation by a nice permit we poled after so far and eventually managed one cast to.

When the fly landed only one metre ahead of the moving fish, the fish looked as though it spooked and went to swim around it, but turned and came back towards the fly very quickly. Permit do see better when they are side on. I made one slow strip to impart life but the fish had inhaled immediately and I set the hook with that first strip.

Such an unpredictable fish! A species I've made countless perfect presentations to and yet today, a fish that looked intent on leaving the flat decided to have one last bite of something thrown right in its path. There is a God! Thank you.

We'd hooked a bonefish each on the same flat earlier, but close to the mangroves in the shallower water.

So the guide had it in his mind to complete the Grand Slam and pick up a tarpon too. His first place to look was an interesting beach flat, hoping for a good sized fish. But after a fruitless search he quickly said, let's get this taken care of quickly and we went to a small channel to catch a baby tarpon. He jumped in the water and swam around the back side of a large mangrove bush and after a few shakes of the branches, sure enough three fish swam out and I made a short cast and hooked up, landing it very quickly to photograph and celebrate the Grand Slam.

The week got pretty windy and at times the fishing was tough but with so many options, we changed tactics often and targeted a variety of species throughout.

Michael, being a total newcomer to flats fishing landed his first tarpon, a fish of around 100lb! He went on to have a very enjoyable week using heavy spinning gear as well as fly rods.

Other fish that made the week for some were a 10lb bonefish landed by Matthew, and an amazing specimen of an African Pompano which followed a popper to the boat and then dived below only to come back and take the static lure from the surface as Tommy, my boat partner was waiting for me re-cast before he did so again. A very surprising and admirable catch and one we definitely should have weighed.

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