SEPTEMBER 2025

FISH REPORT BY TOM GATCH

So far, the 2025 fishing season at Cedros Outdoor Adventures has produced limit-style fishing for quality-grade yellowtail, as well as excellent action on a number of other popular species, such as white seabass, halibut, and trophy-sized  caico bass. Overall, it has been a fairly typical summer; however, that may be about to change.

Shortly before this report went live online, tropical storm Pricilla was making its way up the Pacific coast of the Baja California peninsula. Pricilla’s counter-clockwise spin will likely help push warmer water up from the south, and with it, a number of popular gamefish like yellowfin tuna and wahoo. Hopefully, this will prove to augment the number of species available to Cedros anglers over the next few weeks. We’ll just have to wait and see.        

During September, Garret Toy, a long-time client who has returned to the Island on several occasions over the past 10 years came back down to Cedros Island with a few friends for another fishing adventure.  

Toy reported, “The fish were running deeper this trip, so we had to fish deep. The current was strong, and most of the bite came on yo-yo jigs. To get down, we needed 6X and 7X heavies — anything lighter wouldn’t cut it. The rest of the yellowtail came trolling with X-Rap 20s and 30s. We mostly used purple/black, and they worked!”

He continued, “In the mornings, we targeted yellowtail, and in the afternoons we switched to bass. For the bass, we used hookup-style baits, plastics, and swimbaits. Pretty standard, but fun.

There was no live bait available because of a fuel issue with the bait boats, so it was all artificials. That didn’t hurt us though — we still got our limits of yellowtail, and they were a good grade too, 20 pounds plus. Everyone went home with full bags.

Our captain, Bush from Fishing Ships, did an excellent job. The current was ripping, so the key was casting those 6X jigs out and letting them drift back — if you dropped straight down, they just got carried away. A few guys managed a couple fish on surface iron, but since the fish were mostly deep, the yo-yo was the way to go.”

Toy concluded by saying, “Some guys kept fish for sashimi (venada), and the sea lions weren’t much of a problem — I only lost one fish, and that was my fault for bringing it up too slowly. We fished mainly on the south side of the Island where the yellowtail grounds are.

Like always, every trip down there is different. But once you get out that first afternoon, you figure out what the pattern is, and then it’s just about dialing it in. This time, it was heavy current, deep fish, and yo-yo jigs doing the work.”

Another guest, Greg LaRocca, was on his third trip to Cedros, and once again, the island delivered.

His group fished the south side around the airport and out past the west side of the island, in the heart of yellowtail country. Most of the catch came from heavy white jigs fished deep on the dropper loop and trolling Rapalas (X-Raps). Early in the trip, trolling was the most productive method. By the last day, the deeper bite turned on around 200 feet, and limits came quickly.

Everyone in the group enjoyed catching limits of yellowtail on most of the days that they fished. One day, they ended up catching limits of California sheephead in the kelp beds just west of the airport. LaRocca mentioned that his party also caught plenty of bonito on the troll, several calico bass, and even a rare cabrilla during their visit.

LaRocca described the lodge as “great, simple, easy, and fun.” The ease of travel is what really stood out: hop on a plane, arrive at the island, and everything is handled: fishing, meals, and hospitality.

Later in the month, first-timer Brian Dillon Loh, made his initial trip to Cedros Island with a party of 6 anglers, none of whom had previously fished the Island either. 

Loh reported, “The trip began smoothly through CBX, which many in the group used for the first time. Tickets were easy to purchase both online and in person, and the FMM form process was simple. Security at the private terminal was quick and efficient.

Our pilot, Ruiz, handled the cloudy conditions well, and the group arrived safely in just two hours. Upon landing at 10 a.m., we were greeted by Big Mike, who was excellent; he got everyone settled into clean rooms at the lodge, and lunch and drinks were ready. Our fishing time began around noon.”

In regard to the fishing conditions that they encountered, he indicated, “on the first day we fished the yellowtail grounds offshore near Belle. The afternoon bite was slow with winds picking up, and only about four yellowtail were landed, all on iron because no live bait was available.

On the second day, we had excellent fishing, with limits of yellowtail for all the boats. Capt. Chele Mele ran one of the boats and was absolutely outstanding! The bite was all on yo-yo iron (Salas 6X Jr. in scrambled egg and blue/white, Tady 4/0 Heavy in blue/white) and Rapala Magnums (X-Rap 30s).

Some boats landed halibut using hookup baits and mackerel made the night before; one boat struggled to make bait and didn’t connect. We ended up catching several big calico bass, all of which were released. There were also easy limits of ocean whitefish. We also caught a big sheephead, which made for a delicious dinner on our last night.

On day 4, we picked up another four yellowtail between 5 and in the morning, and we were all able to wrap up the trip with consistent limits.”

Loh concluded, “The kitchen staff excelled with fresh table fare: yellowtail ceviche, whitefish, and sheepshead prepared for dinner. A freshly caught octopus was also cooked and enjoyed. Accommodations were clean, comfortable, and easy.”

Their group experienced great fishing, with yellowtail limits on iron and Rapalas, plus a variety of species to round out the trip. Smooth travel, excellent staff, great captains, and outstanding meals made it an unforgettable Cedros experience.

To close out the month, one of our long-time regulars, Nicholas Carl Ekdahl, stated, “My brother Kris and I traveled south over the CBX, and into Mexico for the Premium Guide service level trip offered by Cedros Outdoor Adventures. 

Sadly, tonight is our last evening at Baja Magic Lodge. Our adventure began on Monday, and we will fly home tomorrow after some very good yellowtail fishing. 

The calico bass fishing was spotty until today, when we cracked the code and found some afternoon biters. 

We ended the day with several big calicos caught and released. We fished with a longtime college friend, Mike Caffrey, and his son, Connor Caffrey; they caught a couple of monster yellowtail on their last day, and we all had an amazing time on our 6th trip with COA!

There is still time left to book a fall trip to Cedros Island to hopefully get in on what could very well be an influx of exotic species to finish off the 2025 season!

Word count 1,206