Fly Fishing In The Spring Summer 2017

Spring on the Upper Sacramento river is a great experience, and Jack Trout delivers on that experience. I’ve fly fished a lot of places and if your interested in catching wild rainbows and experiencing the thrill of whitewater rafting then there is no better river than the Upper Sacramento. I highly recommend an all day trip with Jack on this beautiful, intimate canyon river. You get two great experiences for the price of one. This is a must do trip, not only for fly fishers, but anyone that enjoys pristine rivers. Don’t forget your camera, you’ll need it!

It was our first visit to the Mt. Shasta area. And I wanted to treat my husband to a fly fishing trip for his birthday. Our hotel, the Mt. Shasta Resort, recommended Jack Trout Fly Fishing and my husband had the best experience he ever had fishing!

They had an unbelievable day – warm for April, sunny and clear. The water was high and my husband is a novice for a high water, tough day on the McCloud River. Jack was a perfect guide and took care of everything. Picked great spots, carried the equipment and set my honey up with the pole and flies. Fed him a nice steak lunch:) And my husband caught 14 fish (catch & release, of course). Rainbow trout and (I think) German trout. He had a great time feeling the fight of the fish – and even lost one to a hungry river otter! Jack taught him a lot about the area and about fly fishing. This was the best introduction to a new area for us. We highly recommend Jack Trout Fly Fishing for a great experience.

Wow! Hours of adventure rafting filled with chasing wild trout and viewing fantastic scenery. Jack is a complete professional. His knowledge of the river and white water rafting is superb! He took us through class four rapids like they were glass. In between he put us on more sac river fighting trout than we could count! This was the best fishing trip! I would choose this trip over just about any fly fishing destination! Thank you Jack!

My wife and I traveled to Havana on the maiden NCL cruise the week of May 1st, 2017. I was fortunate enough to have discovered Cuba Classic when planning and with the help of Jack was able to arrange our tour. We spent 2 full days on the island and both were with Jesse. He took us out in the countryside to tour Vinales, a tobacco farm, caves, horseback riding and set us up with a great Cuban lunch too. Jesse is a man who’s knowledge and talents would seem to have no limits. He explained so much about the history of the island, from the 16th century up to the present. He provided us with insight into the lives of the Cuban people, he shared his own life story and truly gave us a better understanding of what life on the island was like over the centuries and what it is like today. Personable, intelligent and considerate, Jesse continued to educate us with information and details about all things Cuban for 2 full days. His sense of humor and warmth towards people in general are unmistakable and always evident. Our 2nd day was spent in the general environs of Havana. We saw forts and churches, neighborhoods and parks, incredible architecture, Hemingway’s home and the village of Cojimar. We did an extensive walk around the Old City, had a chance to have another amazing lunch (lobster) that Jesse arranged, and did some cigar and rum shopping too. We capped our second day with mojitos in a very cool little hotel bar that Jesse directed us too. I could go on and on about Cuba. The people were wonderful and the city of Havana has an air about it that is hard to explain and even harder to resist. The absolute best part however, was touring with Jesse. I have trouble coming up with superlatives that will accurately convey just how awesome our time with him was. If you travel to Havana and don’t try to arrange a tour thru Cuba Classic you are going to miss out on the best travel experience you can imagine. Jesse is many things but most importantly a very good and nice man who loves what he does and does it better than anyone I have ever been associated with. Do not miss out on going to Havana, and do not miss out on Cuba Classic and Jesse. With Cuba, Jesse and the beautiful 1950 Cadillac on your side, you are going to have a great time. Guaranteed!! Thanks to Jack for his help in planning and his enthusiasm and availability. Thanks to Jesse for everything. Your kindness and patience, your photography expertise, your professional skill in planning our days, and the friendship you extended to us. We hope to return and if we do there is no doubt we would schedule another tour. I believe we would plan our trip to match up with your availability. If we do not return, we will always remember with great fondness the island of Cuba, the city of Havana, and our good friend Jesse who taught us so much and showed us so much and was THE major factor in our having the time of our lives there. Thank you so very, very much.

I heard about Katia from Cuba Classic Tours from a colleague before arriving in Cuba. He had recommended her and we were so happy to have her with us that day in Havana. We were picked up at the hotel 9 am by Katia and the driver (sorry I forgot his name) on the classic green Cadillac. We had a great day and everything exceeded our expectations! After this day, we know much more about Havana and the history and culture of Cuba than we did before. Katia, thank you so much for a wonderful day in Havana! Elisabet

A review for Jack and Jesse is well overdue.. Cuba Classic tours was an amazing day out for myself and my girlfriend. Jesse was a great tour guide and a really nice guy!

We drove to Vinales and spent a great day there. It had scenery that looked almost prehistoric. We visited a small town, went to a cigar farm and had some of the best if not the best Cuban food I ate all holiday.
Jesse is a smart, honest guy – he speaks with passion and can answer anything you ask him!
Jack has some of the best and most enthusiastic communication skills ive aver encountered.

If you are at all interested in going on a classic tour please pick these guys. They are worth every penny/dollar!

Thanks Lads!x

Traveling to Cuba was a last minute thought. It was my best friend’s birthday and we wanted to do something memorable. We had contacted 2 other tour sites, but they told us they couldn’t accommodate us. I really believe it was meant for us to be toured by Jesse.

We chose a 2-Day excursion. The first day, we went to Vinales, an underwater cave, the famous mural in the valley and a tobacco farm. Jesse seems to know all the good restaurants and most of the merchants. It is obvious that Jesse has invested a lot of time and energy into developing quality relationships with contact people at different sites. The trip was so educational and Jesse is very knowledgeable. He even has information bookmarked on his phone. It was amazing.

The second day consisted of taking a tour around old and new Havana. Jesse is very punctual, so we started at 8. We saw sites of many historical events. We also saw bronze statues of John Lennon. We went into downtown, and Old Havana. Again, Jesse’s contacts truly benefited our tour.

Jesse has a brain that is equivalent to a computer. He is able to reference people, events, historical details because he actually researches information on his days by going to the library. He is able to show you videos and pictures of sites such as Hemingway’s pool, boat and house from their heyday.

My bestie and I had the best trip because of Jesse. We were able to go back to old Havanna and take our time. The people who had seen us with Jesse remembered us and treated us with extra attention. He knows almost everything. Touring is his passion and it shows. . .how many people go research to make them better for their jobs, on their day off?!?!?!?

My bestie and I are already planning our next trip to some of the other areas on the island. We are hoping that Jesse will be available.

Jack and Jesse allowed us to experience Cuba with 9 family members from 18 to 78 years old and every one of us felt humbled and amazed. Jesse showed us his culture and country and made us feel welcome, connected and special. Highly recommend. Wish I could award a 6th Star!!

My wife and I first encountered Jesse a year ago when we booked a tour through Havana Journeys.

Since then, Jesse, and wife Katia, recently married, have had such positive feedback that they have now started their own company, Cuba Classic Tours.
This is the review I submitted after returning. In the intervening time, I have recommended Jesse and Katia to a number of friends who have also made the trip and they all agree … their tour was the highlight of their stay in Cuba.

My reasons for originally booking with Havana Journeys was quite personal. They promised a day tour with total flexibility to depart from their standard stops. This was extremely important to me, as I was going back to Cuba, where I lived as a child, for the first time in 57 years.
I told Jesse, our guide, and his driver, Osvaldo, that I wanted to visit my grandfather’s tomb in Cementerio Colon, as well as the old neighborhood where I used to live.
Jesse and Osvaldo helped me locate the tomb, after some searching on our part, and allowed my wife and me sufficient time and space for the visit. It was a highly emotional moment which they respected fully.
Next, we located the home I used to live in by zeroing in on the only spotty address I could find in old papers my parents left me. Again, their interest was genuine, and the time and space was deeply appreciated.
Of course, there was sufficient time to resume the overall tour, and though we did omit the Rum Factory (no interest) and the Cigar Factory (ditto) … We got a wonderfully, in-depth overview as a memory jogger for me, and a first time viewing for my wife.
Jesse … I can’t thank you enough for the wonderful gift you gave me. I came back to Cuba to reconnect with and relive a pivotal time in my life, and you saw to it fully.
Gracias, mi amigo!!

My daughter and I just returned from Cuba where Jack Trout helped organize a fantastic adventure for us. We only had two days to fish and most of the outfitters are focused on 4-6 day trips. Jack found a place about two hours south of Havana where we could do one day of bone fishing in the salt water flats and one day of tarpon fishing in a river system. The local guide he found, Felipe was vey capable and professional. It was our first experience salt water flying fishing and Felipe was very patient as we learned the fine points of stalking bone fishing.
He also took us to a spot where it was pretty easy to strip a shrimp pattern and get into a lot of Jacks and Red Snapper. On the second day after having success finding a few baby tarpon, we decided to check out a section of the river full of very large tarpon. Within a few minutes of stripping my fly I hooked a 100+ lb tarpon and battled him for almost 30 minutes before he managed to shake loose the fly. Shortly thereafter, my daughter hooked an equally large fish that we battled for over two hours. The fish managed to drag our boat two miles upstream. Unfortunately, we were overmatched and the fish finally managed to wrap the backing around a mangrove branch and snap the line off. But even though we never managed to land both big fish, it was a highlight of our trip.
The “best” hotel in the area, Hotel Playa Large was our only option and it was passable at best. It a least was clean, but if you plan to go to the area, you might consider one of the many guest rooms that have opened in the area.

David Woodard SF.

After a great trip with Jack in 2016 on the Upper Sac with a buddy, I treated my brother as a birthday present to his first time flyfishing. Our Upper Sac float trip June 4, 2017 with Jack was epic, too many strikes and fish caught to count! River flows were high due to wet winter, and the whitewater rafting in Jack’s capable hands was thrilling. Streamside lunch as usual was delicious. Jack did well to instruct my brother in his first use of a fly rod. Beef, his dog, is a marvel, and I look forward to fishing with Jack and Beef next year. There is no better way to experience the river canyon.

After a great trip with Jack in 2016 on the Upper Sac with a buddy, I treated my brother as a birthday present to his first time flyfishing. Our Upper Sac float trip June 4, 2017 with Jack was epic, too many strikes and fish caught to count! River flows were high due to wet winter, and the whitewater rafting in Jack’s capable hands was thrilling. Streamside lunch as usual was delicious. Jack did well to instruct my brother in his first use of a fly rod. Beef, his dog, is a marvel, and I look forward to fishing with Jack and Beef next year. There is no better way to experience the river canyon.

I’m not much of a review writer but I thought a recent trip to Belize with some good friends and the fly fishing charters we booked through Jack Trout warranted one.
Prior to leaving Canada we booked charters through Jack. He put us on the water with some great guides (Lloyd and Ransom) that put us on top of the fish every trip. These guys were not on the clock and genuinely want to see their guests catch fish and put in the time to make sure each trip out with them is special. I keep reading about the “elusiveness” of the Permit. They were not elusive on the days we were out and loaded got us shots at dozens of Fish in two days. Also schools of Bonefish certainly numbering in the hundreds if not thousands as well as bays full of rolling Tarpon… unbeatable.
I’m always hesitant about booking trips and making deposits over the internet but between Jack and Carola, the customer service we received and the attention to detail made me feel like I was standing face to face with them at a counter in their shop instead of doing business half a world away.
Thanks for the great time and the memories I have of spending those days in paradise with my son, my good friends from Canada and my new friends Lloyd and Ransom… were already dreaming about next year’s trip.

Tight Lines
Gregg

I’m writing this review after I’ve returned home and have had time to settle; to reflect; and to consider my trip to South America as a whole. I’ve asked myself “what makes a good guide service?” What was it about Jack and Carola Trout that made their “service” much more than I dare to describe?

The difference with them is that they care about people. They care in subtle and profound ways, and in ways that I didn’t expect. For example, Jack and Carola helped us plan every detail of our trip, from our rental car, to where to eat an authentic and delicious meal, to helping us with our plans even after our scheduled float, and to freely and openly telling us to call them if we needed anything – like they were our contact if we needed help. That is personal; that is what you do for family.

And, so, my finance and I spent a good amount of time chatting over the phone and e-mailing Jack and Carola, asking them for guidance and advice, and every time we were met with the most welcoming and helpful advice. They are the kind of people that after they’ve done so much for you; after they’ve helped you so much, you want to show your appreciation in return. Because, they’ve become much more than wonderful guides – they’ve become friends.

And one of the best parts? Is that when you land that killer fish with Jack Trout or one of his guides, you can bet damn sure that’s he’s just as excited as you are! So, they’ll make sure you’re cared for and comfortable, and you, you just make sure to tell ’em thanks, because that fish in your hands is a beautiful thing.

Cheers!