FISH REPORT BY TOM GATCH
As promised, the 2026 El Niño conditions have arrived and are predicted to be the strongest such event to hit our region in nearly 70 years.
This situation has proved to be extremely beneficial for the many anglers visiting Cedros Island this season because, quite simply, the fishing has been off the charts!
Mike Felix, who is the manager of fishing activities at Cedros Outdoor Adventures, reports that those fishing for yellowtail have already been rewarded with more and larger yellowtail than is typical for this early in the season.
A lot of other species have been in the mix as well, including several big California sheephead, lots of trophy-sized calico bass, and even a huge white seabass weighing close to 55-pounds.
In Mid-July, Dan Mansir and his group of 12 anglers arrived at the Isla Cedros airport in anticipation of a magical angling adventure …and they were not disappointed.
Mansir reports, “Our group of 12 anglers had great action on a variety of species during our trip. This was our second time at the COA Lodge, and we had an awesome time.
“Day one saw quick action, with some big yellowtail close to the harbor. Most boats were able to capture a handful of fish on the 6-hour session, with a few big yellowtail coming in at 30-36lbs. Most of the fish were taken on slow-trolled live macks or surface irons in mint or scrambled egg.
“Day 2: The boats got out for a full day of fishing. Our fleet of pangas spread out all over the island to target different species. One boat went far north to fish white sea bass. Other boats stayed close to the harbor and had success on big grade yellows up to 38lbs.
“Our third day was a rinse and repeat. The yellows weren’t out in huge numbers, but the quality was some of the best we’ve seen, with the average fish being in the 30-40lb range. However, they were topped off with a personal best for Kenji Nakagawa at 43lbs. One boat also got a nice hit on some beautiful sheephead while fishing the south end of the island.
“The final morning, before we flew out, a few of the boats went out for a quick three-hour final hoorah. Before the buzzer rang, a few lucky anglers were able to land more personal best yellows at 36, 37, and 44lbs! All fish were landed flylining live mackerel in shallow water just north of the town beach.
Mansir concluded by saying, “Overall, it was another outstanding trip with COA. The majority of our group came away with new PB yellows and a ton of great memories!”
As time goes by, we are noticing an increase in the number of female anglers who are coming to the Island to focus on catching the fish of their dreams.
Most recently, we were delighted to host a couple of hardcore lady anglers. Meghan Fox and Melynda Marie Dodds, who had set their sights on the big, bruising yellowtail that Cedros Island has become famous for.
It was the duo’s first trip to Cedros, and they ended up being truly surprised at how smoothly things went.
Meghan offered, “Honestly, it was probably one of the easiest border crossings into another country that I’ve experienced in a while, and I’ve traveled to several different countries. You just have your gear ready, go through the airport, get your ticket, and they wave you through. Then you wait for the small plane, hop on, and arrive at your destination. It was very quick and easy.
“As far as the fishing went,” Meghan commented, “ I had been watching the fishing reports and hearing from friends who had fished the island a couple of weeks earlier. They said the yellowtail fishing was off the hook and that there was a lot of surface-iron fishing.
“A couple of days before our trip, I noticed that the yellowtail bite had slowed down a little, although it was still producing. I decided to bring a full arsenal of tackle instead of only surface irons.
“The first day was a little slow for us. We got settled in and fished out front. Some of our friends hooked a few nice yellowtail, but there were not a lot of fish caught.
“The second day was great. We found a small area where we caught one or two yellowtail on almost every pass. We caught enough that we eventually started releasing them. We had a great time and then headed back in.
“Over the next couple of days, that same area became pretty windy, so we tried fishing somewhere else. Some of our friends wanted to go to Punta Norte, but they could not get there because of the wind.
“We stayed closer to the harbor and fished toward the south end. The yellowtail fishing was a little slower there, but the fish were of a better grade.
“On the second day, Melinda and I found a good school of yellowtail. We also spent part of the day fishing for calico bass in the kelp beds.
“We used surface irons, swimbaits, SP Minnows, and other surface lures. The calico bass were biting very well.
She concluded, “On the way back in that same day, we made a couple of drifts for halibut in the harbor. We caught a halibut and then headed back to the lodge.”
Melynda added, “As two women traveling together, safety was naturally something we thought about. We wanted to make sure that everything we were getting into would be safe.
“The entire experience felt very safe, including the flight, the pilot, the transportation, the van ride, and especially the accommodations. We felt comfortable and secure throughout the trip.”
As far as the fishing went, she said, “The fishing was incredible.
“I did not realize that we would essentially be fishing from the moment we arrived on the island until the time we left. The schedule was designed to give us as much fishing time as possible, which was great.
“You cannot control the weather, but even when the weather was rough, we still had fishing options. We caught a lot of fish, including many large yellowtail. My biggest yellowtail was almost 40 pounds, and I caught it on one of the rough-weather days.”
To sum it all up, Mylinda added, “The scenery was gorgeous, especially having a view from the window. The stars at night were also beautiful. I was usually so exhausted from fishing that I fell asleep early, but Meghan stayed up later and took a really nice photograph of the stars.”
The good news is, it is still early in what is turning out to be a banner year for catching a variety of big game fish in the waters surrounding Cedros Island.
We are looking forward to seeing more great fishing action develop over the next few months, with a possibility of dorado, yellowfin tuna, and even wahoo showing up for the party.
There are still a few prime dates available, so book ‘em before they are gone!
Cedros Outdoor Adventures offers a fly-in fishing resort off the Baja California peninsula where you can stay on the island for several days, without having to travel there on a panga or cruiser.