Most fishermen in the southwest are familiar with Baja California, which boasts an abundance of eco-systems and fish species, and many beautiful, remote locations. Now kayak anglers have a new option—Cedros Island, renowned as one of the best locations in the world for yellowtail and calico bass fishing.

Kayaks are a well-established fishing platform in Southern California, and it is practiced all over. The new kayak designs for fishing are extremely stable, durable and can be adapted to fit all of your gear, not to mention that it is a very good exercise with the reward of a great dinner. But it seems that very few fishermen practice this fun activity in Baja.

We are now offering a great opportunity for those who have always wanted to try kayak fishing but don’t have the gear or the experience to go out on their own. These packages provide state of the art fishing kayaks and super pangas to transport both anglers and kayaks to the prime fishing spots only minutes from town. The altitude of the island gives coverage from any strong winds, and using pangas as mother ships helps ensure safety. Best of all, anytime you want, you can load the kayaks and move quickly to follow the birds and the fish boilings.

To inaugurate kayak fishing at Cedros island, we invited a group lead by well-known kayak fishing expert Jim Sammons (kayak4fish.com) to come out and show us how the pros do it. Jim and his group had a blast fishing a wide diversity of habitats – kelp beds and paddies, boiler rocks, sandy bottom, reef, grass beds, high spots, and drifting through the kelp fishing lanes and pockets.

For those new to kayak fishing, the technology has come a long way since the Inuit people constructed the first kayaks 4000 years ago from stitched animal skins stretched over a wooden frame. In recent years, manufacturers such as Ocean Kayak (www.oceankayak.com) have developed models designed with the needs of anglers in mind. Today, the typical fishing kayak consists of a sit-on-top kayak with a couple flush-mounted rod holders behind the seating area, space for a strapped-on milk crate, and even adpatations to install a fishfinder. These kayaks have very wide beams that increase lateral stability and include storage space inside their hulls for stowing rods, extra paddles, and other fishing gear, including batteries for an electric motor, or first aid kit.

Whether in pangas, spearfishing, or kayaks, Cedros Island offers world-class fishing. In addition to the large and abundant yellowtail and calicos, there is good diversity of other species like groupers, sheep head, halibut and white sea bass. For the last couple of years many of the long-range boats from San Diego have increased their visits to Cedros Island because the size and quality of the fish in this area.

The great weather is among one of the best reasons to fish at Cedros. This region doesn't have the extreme heat of other areas like the Gulf of California in the summer, or the windy, rough seas of any open Pacific coast. Temperatures range 65-85 degrees in spring, summer and fall, and most of the time it is sunny.

One of the most unusual and enjoyable features of Cedros Island is the people. This is not a common tourist destination, in fact it is one of the most remote places in Mexico, so visitors have an opportunity to experience the real Baja—a small, family-oriented town.

Our company's goals include conservation of fishing and other natural resources through the creation of economic opportunities for locals. Most of the money our visitors pay for their trips to Cedros stays with local vendors – the hotel and staff, the pangeros and others, so by visiting Cedros Island you are helping to support local businesses and preserve these spectacular fishing grounds for the future.

For more information and rates contact Cedros Outdoor Adventures at (1) 619.793.5419 (from US) or (01) 646.193.2031 (from Mexico), or to visit their website listed below.