During your trip, we expect to have very good fishing for Yellowtail and Calico Bass as well as a chance for several other species such as Sheep Head, Halibut, White Sea Bass, Sand Bass, Barracuda, Bonita, and possibly Yellowfin Tuna, Dorado and Grouper.

Important Things To Know…

Passports are required for this trip so please have a current passport

Mexican Fishing License is also required (which included in your trip cost)

Bring your personal Hydro Flask as we will have water on the all boats to refill it

Bring a cooler and leave it in your car to transport your fish to your house

First about the flight: We will be flying from Ensenada Baja Ca Mexico. We have a charter van that picks us up in San Diego Ca in Mission Bay. We park at: Fastlane Sailing and Kayaking 2590 Ingraham St San Diego, Ca 92109 This is safe free parking. The charter van will pick us up there and we will proceed to the border where we make a quick stop for our travel visas. (Please have your passport on you as we need it for this process). We will remind you of this. Once through that process you will cross into Mexico and its about 1 ½ hours to Ensenada where you will go have a meal and then stop by the money exchange and get pesos for your gratuity, rod fees and overweight fees, souvenirs and adult beverages. Then you will be taken to the airport. It is a military base so please no photos. It is a very, small airport with only one check in area which Alfredo (the driver) will escort you to. Luis will assist you at the counter. The plane ride is about 1 hr. and 35 minutes to the island. The plane is a 14 seat Cesna Caravan turbo prop airplane. The airlines name is Aero Service Guerrero (ASG). We are notified a couple days before the flight as to our departure time. That will determine what time we will be picked up at Fastlane. If we are on the morning flight then we will be picked up at 5:30am. If we are on the afternoon flight we will be picked up at 10am. Luggage rules: The airlines has fees for fishing rods and overweight charges which are not included in the trip cost. You are allowed up to 30lbs of luggage. Roughly $2.00 per lb after that. Rod fees are $10 per rod. Max 4 rods per guest. Below I explain how to pack them for transport on the plane.

How To Pack…

Gear: (4) Fishing rods per person. No Rod Tubes are allowed on the plane. I use the neoprene rod socks and then just the Velcro straps to keep them bundled up. You can also bundle them together and wrap them in a towel.  Max weight per person is 30lbs. Below I have listed clothes and tackle recommendations so this may help you. If you are over the weight limit, it’s not the end of the world you just pick up the fee. You are responsible for your bags and what is in them. Please do not bring anything down to Mexico that you shouldn’t.

NO drugs, guns, ammo, or knives please in Mexico. You won’t need them

When we arrive at the island you will be greeted by myself and the crew. We will assist you with getting your luggage in the trucks and then they will drive us to the house. The house is 10 minutes from the airport.

The Accommodations…

The house is very comfortable. There are 5 (single bed) bedrooms and 3 baths in the back house with 3 bedrooms having in suite restrooms. The front house has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. Once at the house, we will get you settled in a room. From then on the trip is yours.

We provide breakfast options in the morning before we get on the boat plus provide snacks, lunch, water (bring your hydro flask), and a limited amount of sodas.

All meals will be prepared by our staff. If anyone has any special requests, food allergies or any special needs please bring them to my attention so I can address them and prepare the crew to accommodate them. Drinks Coffee, limited sodas, and endless water is provided. There is cold beer (Tecate) available to purchase on the island for those who would like to partake. And Lulu makes us fresh juices at least once per trip.

The Schedule…

You and the rest of the guests dictate our schedule. We are ready to do it all. A typical full day consists of waking up at 5am and being out on the water by 6am. We can stay out as late as 6pm.

Each day can be modified to fit what the group wants to do. We all decide at dinner the night before what we will do the next day. That way I can lay out the plan for my crew and we can get set up for the adventure. Most of the activities on the island are water related but there are hiking opportunities and visiting the fish camps on the South West end of the island by truck. There are also lots of sea life and the island itself is very beautiful just to site see by boat or truck.

The Gear…

2019 Hobie Mirage Outbacks equipped with fishfinder/gps units, bait tanks, 180 reverse drive turbo fins, Kill Fish Bamboo gaffs, and Hobie and Scotty rod holders, Cobra VHF radios, and game clips. Also we have all necessary leaches to secure our gear.

We can fish from kayaks or pangas, the group decides what we will do each day.

Yellowtail Fishing…

Yellowtail fishing is done a few different ways on the island. We will sometimes see them up boiling under the birds and we will cast jigs at them or we will use sabiki bait rigs and catch mackerel and either slow troll with them or drift and fly line baits. We also troll deep diving Rapalas such as the Mag 30. The fish range from 15-50+ lbs with a typical fish being 25-40lbs. Slow trolling a large Mackerel is a great way to produce a big bite. You will also have a real good chance for BIG Yellows while we are fishing for Cailcos. I have caught several 40+ lb Yellowtail in 10’ of water while Calico fishing. They just come through sometimes and they will absolutely pounce on a well-placed surface iron or SP minnow. Rapalas are trolled and this does produce as well as helps with locating fish. Best colors are Blue Mac, Green Mac, Bunker, and Sardine. Casting jigs is another great technique that is used. Blue/White, Scrambled Egg, Mint, and Sardine or bird shit colors are the standard. Tady 45, JRI, Kicker, and Salas 7X are the favorites. The Daiwa SP minnow is an absolute bring. Buy the 6 ¾” Floating model in the Laser Sardine color. This bait produces all my yellowtail the past few years. You should have a few surface irons and a few heavy irons for yo yo fishing. Same colors for yo-yo as for surface iron. Also bring a 100g and a 160 gram Flat fall style jig in Blue Sardine color. This is my go to the past couple of seasons. Live bait is also used. We will use Sabiki rigs size 6 and 4 to jig up Mackerel. Typical bait size is 1lb to 2lbs that is used. Technique is usually slow trolling but we will also drift through the zones and fly line baits. Hook size should be at least 5/0 to 7/0 live bait hook or circle hook.

Calico Bass Fishing…

Calico Bass fishing is done almost completely with artificial baits. Live bait can be used but is not necessarily needed. Calico Bass fishing is really good just about anywhere on the island. Most of our fishing will occur in 1’ to 50’ of water. Due to the warmer water conditions there is not a lot of kelp at the island right now so we will be fishing structure and boiler rocks in tight. Plastic swimbaits in 5” to 9” sizes are fished at the island. I typically throw 5” baits and have caught fish to 8lbs. but please feel free to try what you like. Most colors work very well. I lean towards browns, orange belly styles, Grunion colors and Anchovy or Sardine colors. Lead heads from ½ ounce to 3 ounce is the norm. Weedless swimbaits have also been a great option on the island. I have several spots with lots of kelp. MC swim baits is the brand and the 7” model is the way to go. Get the trocar 9/0 hook with the 3/4oz weight. Stick to bait fish patterns both green and brown patterns. Hard stick baits or Jerk baits are very effective. I use the Daiwa SP minnow with great success. Other brands will work as well. I typically throw a 6” model. I recommend you bring a couple Daiwa SP minnows. 6” floating model in Laser Sardine color and Bunker color. Upgrade the split rings to Owner Hyper wire #5 and upgrade the hooks to Owner 4x strong size 1 treble hook. This lure will catch tons of Calicos and Yellows so very important to upgrade the hardware. Above in the Yellowtail section I mentioned the 6 ¾” model and now 6” for Calicos. It’s nice to have both sizes. Also on the larger model you do not have to upgrade the hooks. The larger model will also catch calicos. Alabama Rigs work but be prepared to hook multiple fish at one time hahahaha. Jigs also work well for Calicos. Standard yellowtail colors work as well as Orange and Yellow patterns. Tady C or similar size works very well. Spinnerbaits, deep diving crank baits and underspin style baits all work well. They also last longer than plastic swim baits. I throw a lure called the Warblade made by Warbaits and it works very well. Typically I will use white colors with a silver blade or orange colors with a gold blade ¾ ounce and 1 ½ ounce size. 100 gram flat fall style jig in Blue Sardine. A must have okay. This jig works great when the fish are deeper. Everything eats this jig so you will be happy you brought it.

Fishing Rods & Reels…

Calico Bass fishing can be done either using spinning gear or conventional gear. I use both on the island. My typical set up for Calico Bass is a 7’ or 8’ rod rated for 15-40 lb. I am spooled up with 65lb braid and use a 5’ leader of 40-60 lb fluorocarbon. You can use lighter line but you need to be prepared to lose fish as they are very toothy critters. I use a 5500 series spinning reel and 300 and 400 series baitcaster reel. Yellowtail fishing will require your heavier equipment. The fish are a really nice grade on the island and the seals are present so although I tell people to enjoy the fight you must also work hard to get your fish in to avoid losing it to the rocks or a seal. My typical outfit for jig fishing is a 7’ to 8’ rod rated from 30-60lb. I use either the JX or LX series from Avet. I am spooled up with 65lb braid and use 50 yd top shot of 50lb mono (blue or clear). This outfit will work for both your surface iron and deep jigging. For Fly lining or slow trolling I use an 8’ stick rated for 25-50lb. I use an Avet MXL spooled with 65lb braid and use about a 25yd top shot of 40lb Fluorocarbon. You can go as heavy as 50 or 60lb but you will get more bites with the 40lb and as long as you fish hard you will land your fish. Spinning rods can also be used. I would think at least a 6500 series would be needed with the 8000 probably being the reel of choice. Bait runner type would also be very useful. All the reels listed are to give you a guideline so you can pack the reels and rods that you have that best match up with the recommendations.

What To Wear…

The weather on Cedros will typically be warm in the morning, and then hot all day. Sun protection is a must. A light weight jacket and pants is a good thing to have. Sun will be strong, so a hat, sun buff, and light clothing will prevent sunburn. Evenings are typically very comfortable and shorts and tee shirt will get you by. Mosquitos are alive and well at the island. Dress island style at your own risk hahaha. I wear jeans and long sleeve shirts because I hate getting bit up. I would bring a bathing suit also. Beanies, sunscreen, water shoes, light weight sweater, flip flops, sunglasses and a little can of bug spray will all be helpful items.

Taking Fish Home…

We do send fish home with you on the plane. Overweight charges are your responsibility. Everyone who wants fish will get to take home fresh never frozen filets and smoked fish if you would like. Packaged in vacuum sealed 1 to 1 ½ lb bags. In an effort to preserve the resource we are so blessed to have we practice Catch Photograph and Release of all species and only keep enough for those who want some for home or to share with the people in the town. We are also enjoying fish meals and sushi prepared by yours truly for those who enjoy it.

The Town…

The town on Cedros is very small but there is a local t shirt shop if anyone would like a local t shirt from the island for themselves or family and friends. There is no night life or bars in town. You will be very entertained with the fishing. I do have a pretty well stocked tackle shop in town also in case you didn’t bring a jig a may have mentioned. Everything I listed I carry at the store.

Gratuity for the Crew…

All tips go straight to my crew but I do control that process. Reason being all my crew members are equals to me so they all receive exactly to the peso the same amount. It is a very important process to me. I want all my crew to feel like equals and pay attention to you guys and not worrying someone is getting a tip on the side. You will see this first hand when you stay with us. They are very interactive and their main importance is you which is what I want them focusing on. Please feel free to give away all your tackle, hell give them the shirt off your back but please no money or pesos. Not even to get you something from the store. I will take care of all that for you. Again this is a very important process to me and I am more than willing to openly discuss this with anyone who may need further explanation, please don't hesitate to call me. Most guests tip 10-20 percent of their trip cost. All money is given to me and I evenly distribute it to my crew while they are all together. I personally contribute to the fund to make up any difference so that it all is even for each crew member.

Going Home…

As with getting to the island leaving is much the same where we find out the departure time maybe as late as the day before so no stress we go with what time they give us. Once back in Ensenada, Alfredo will be there to get your things and get you loaded on the van and up to Fastlane in San Diego. We usually don’t stop for food only a quick bathroom break before the border in order to get you to Fastlane as quick as possible. I hope this helps explain what you will experience while joining us on Cedros Island. I am sure you will find the island as beautiful and magnificent as I do and I look forward to showing you all her beauty. If anyone has any questions at all please do not hesitate to call me or email me. I am always available.