By TommyP
It has been a few years since I’ve been to Cedros Island. As they say, “Some things never change.” Rosie has this down to a science. You just show up at the CBX in Otay Mesa with nothing but fun on your mind for the next 4 days. She has all your documents ready (FMM Visa, boarding pass, Mexican fishing license and roundtrip CBX pass).
The adventure begins with a scenic flight (under 2 hours) down to Cedros Island. The pilot flies under 10,000 feet so the views can be quite spectacular. The staff, headed by Richard, greet you upon arrival and unload all the gear for the 10-minute drive to the cliffside lodge. You can choose to fish that afternoon for an extra charge. The package includes all meals, your panga and panga captain, and accommodations for three days of fishing. Because of other special requests, I ended up on a panga by myself. What a perfect world for me as aIl I wanted to do was fish for calico bass.
It was hands down the best bass fishing I have ever had there. 5” to 7” MC swimbaits on ½ oz to ¾ oz weedless leadheads worked the best for me. On the leeward side at the north point there’s a lot of kelp and the perfect boiler rocks to fish. Also, south of the airport I had consistent luck for two mornings, catching schooling calicos from 3 lbs. to 5 lbs., with an occasional 6 pounder. I also used 7” Shimano Colt Sniper stick baits (mackerel color). Lots of good size bonitos, tons of fun on a Curado 300. Other fishermen enjoyed YT to 25 lbs. and some white sea bass. I did not hear of any halibut action to speak of.
You cannot go hungry on this trip. Breakfast is normally buffet style, lunch is provided on the boats (burritos, P&J, other sandwiches, chips, and various drinks). A special request was made by the group for an abalone dinner (an extra charge of $26 per person) that was enjoyed by all. Thursday night is usually steak night. The ribeye’s were cooked to order, big, and seasoned perfectly.
You can travel light as there is a daily laundry service available for a nominal charge. If you chose to bring back any fish it is filleted, vacuum sealed in 5mm bags, and frozen for the return trip. Just remember to bring a cooler to transfer the fish to when you return on Friday.
Rosie (rosie@cedrossportfishing.com, 619.7727570) handles all the bookings and Richard and his staff take care of all the fun you will have on this adventure.
