OCTOBER 2025
FISH REPORT BY TOM GATCH
Once again, another banner sportfishing season at Cedros Outdoor Adventures has come to a close. As often is the case, 2025 proved to be a year that, once again, showed us it was actually the whims of Mother Nature, and not the climatologists, that would actually determine the type of weather that would eventually affect the fishing conditions in the waters surrounding the Island.
The fact of the matter is, the El Niño conditions that were originally predicted to begin in the Eastern Pacific around May never showed up. It became apparent by mid-summer that we were experiencing conditions that were typically normal for our region, which meant that visiting anglers would be focusing more on our homeguard stocks of yellowtail and calico bass, rather than crossing their fingers for yellowfin tuna, dorado, and other exotics later in the season.
One of our regulars, Steve Morales, who brought his group down this October, said that they enjoyed “an awesome trip!” Steve has visited us more than half a dozen times over the past several years.
Morales went on to report, “We fished mostly near Morro Point, on the southwestern side, and in front of the salt plant. Most of our success came using Salas 6X Heavy and 7X surface irons, along with Rapalas in green, blue, and chartreuse. Those colors worked great!
We caught plenty of yellowtail, along with a few sheephead and calicos. The best moments were the triple hook-ups — we managed to triple up several times!
He concluded by saying, “As always, the food and the people were excellent. I make it a point to come twice a year, spring and fall, and this trip was another great one. One of the highlights of our trip was catching and releasing a 120-pound black seabass, which we caught on a Salas 6X in pelagic crab color. What an incredible experience!”
Craig Troup, also a member of the Morales party, added, “Once again, a fabulous trip from airport to airport! This was my sixth time here, and I’ll definitely keep coming back.
The fishing was incredible every day — we were mostly limiting out by noon! We caught mainly yellowtail, and the grade of fish was the best I’ve ever seen. We used mostly surface irons, trolling Rapalas, and Salas yo-yo irons.
I’ll be back in June — can’t wait!”
Andrew McCormick arrived with his party in late September, and they were delighted by the great fishing that they experienced during their 5-day adventure on the Island.
McCormick reported, “The fishing was excellent! We had three straight days of yellowtail limits, plus some great catch-and-release action with calico bass and yellowtail on the final day.
He finished his report by saying, “Most of our success came trolling purple and green Rapalas and using mint-colored yo-yo jigs. We fished primarily at the south end of the island. We can’t wait until next year!”
Tony Manzano, who came down with a couple of buddies in early October, was blown away by the fantastic bite that they were able to take advantage of while visiting Cedros.
He offered, “The fishing was excellent! We had great conditions throughout the trip and steady action every day. Most of the fish were yellowtail, with a few bonito and calico bass mixed in.
We used a mix of surface irons, yo-yo jigs, and trolled Rapalas. The fish hit best in the early mornings, and the captains did a fantastic job putting us on the bite.”
Manzano concluded by saying, “As always, the food, crew, and overall experience were top-notch. I’m already looking forward to coming back next season!”
Dave Baker, a regular visitor to the Magic Lodge, offered, “We had a great trip. The fishing was good overall. Although the fish were a bit smaller this year, we caught a greater quantity this time around.
Although live bait was in short supply, our trolling lures, yo-yo jigs, and surface iron still got the job done. Unfortunately, there were no tuna or dorado to target this year, but we did catch a lot of quality calico bass.
We mostly fished the southeast side of the Island, but never made the run to Augustine.
Purple, blue and white, and squid colors worked while trolling at about 6 to 7 miles per hour. Mint, scrambled egg, blue and white, on a high-speed reel worked for the yo-yos, and we often limited out on the forktails, though they were not as big as usual.”
Baker closed by saying, “As usual, the food and service were great.”
Drew Sloane, his dad, and friend, Jeff, flew down to Cedros in late October and enjoyed the trip of a lifetime. He commented, “We had an amazing captain with great energy, and listened to awesome music the whole time!
We caught limits most days but often chose to chase the bigger fish, using only lures and targeting quality over quantity. Our motto was definitely “go big or go home,” and we made it our goal to catch every fish on a jig instead of trolling.”
He mused, “My favorite memories from the trip were fishing with my dad, watching a massive yellowtail crush a surface iron right at the side of the boat, and landing my personal best — a 42 lb yellowtail — on a surface iron during the fly-out day with only two hours to fish. We’re already looking forward to next year.”
We are constantly upgrading the services that we provide to our guests. One of the most popular additions to that list is the availability of fully certified massage therapists to help work out the aches and pains of your stressed muscles after an active day catching big fish out on the water.
We also offer a surprising array of fishing tackle and accessories, which include Rapalas, jigs, hooks, sinkers, flourocarbon, mono, and braid line, Sabiki rigs, Hook-up Baits, and other plastics.
Although Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner, veteran anglers know that it is never too early to book your next trip to Cedros Island. Prime dates fill up fast; so, don’t delay in securing your reservations early.