People’s affinity for their mobile devices is something that has my mind in a bit of a tangle. I understand how much stuff is accessible on phones these days, but I struggle to understand how consumed some people can become.

Last week I flew from Washington State to San Diego to meet up with my friends Skyler and Jeff Khachadoorian, Ryan McGaffick, Afran Abutin from Warbaits, and Jeff Mariani from Cedros Kayak Fishing. We made plans a year prior to visit Cedros Island again in search of calico bass and yellowtail from kayaks.

After a short drive from San Diego to Ensenada we all hopped on a plane and less than two hours later we were on Cedros Island, Mexico. Jeff Mariani and his crew picked us up from the airport and we headed to his house to rig up our rods and make our way to the ocean in hope of catching a few fish.

It did not take long before we were all catching bass and bonito. At one point Mariani pointed out a big school of baitfish disrupting the surface of the water. I made a long cast into the center of the bait ball and let my swimbait sink out for a few seconds before starting my retrieve. Soon after, I felt life on the end of my line so I cranked and set the hook, but whatever it was that I was attached to felt really small and weird, almost like the feeling of a bonito with lightning fast tail kicks. I asked my nearby friends if they felt the same thing, as I thought I may have hooked one of their lines, but everyone said no. It was right then that line started to peel off my reel and I realized I just pissed off the creature that ate my lure. This fish pulled so hard and I had no clue what I was fighting. I was in 43′ of water and the fish pulled a ton of line off my reel and all of a sudden I felt that the fish had wrapped me in kelp. I honestly felt hopeless and at one point I said “help me get this fish, Lord”. I kept pulling as hard as I could with my bass rod that now resembled the shape of a rainbow more than a fishing rod. Short pumps of maybe 6-12″ at a time were all that I could muster while using my knee as a fulcrum. I eventually felt the fish break free from the kelp. At this point, I think the fish and I were equally exhausted and I soon saw the fish appear in the water below me and realized it was a giant yellowtail. I was freaking out. Mariani helped me land the fish, and Afran came over to shoot some photos. I could not believe how big it was when I had the beast in my lap.

Catching that giant yellowtail on bass gear was a mental way to start the trip. We fished the remainder of the day catching many calico bass.

 

Day 1:

The first official full day of fishing on Cedros Island was initiated with a one-hour ride in the panga to a fishy zone up the coast. The bass were biting and we were all enjoying the beautiful scenery that surrounded us.

The crew ended the day with a wide open hard bait bite, with fish caught on pretty much every cast.

 

Day 2:

We took the two pangas over to San Benitos Islands to see what was going on there. It turned out the bass were biting and it was some of the best bass fishing I had ever experienced. I made the decision to hunt for big bass so I tied on the 8″ Rodge Garage swimbait mounted on a 3oz. Warbaits head. It proved to be a deadly combo. The fish were destroying it both on the fall and on the wind.

On the way back from the islands we ran out of gas right as a large school of yellowtail started breaking the surface of the water in pursuit of baitfish. It was full foamer mode! Six of us were on the deck of the panga casting our baits into the chaos and winding as fast as we could turn the handle. The fish wanted to die and we were happy to be in the middle of the action. I think we were all hooked up at one point. It was so stupid!

Fresh yellowtail sushi was on the menu for dinner, and we all stuffed our stomachs.

 

Day 3:

The kayaks were loaded up and a one-hour drive to a seaweed-harvesting camp was started. We launched from the camp and soon were catching calico bass. The fishing was great as usual.

After lunch time, Afran and I fished in the kelp throwing weedless swimbaits and experienced great weedless fishing. The fish wanted the baits retrieved as fast as possible and it was exciting to see the bass chase down and destroy our baits.

The following day we flew back to Ensenada, then drove to San Diego. Sad would best describe our feelings for leaving the island, but we know we will return and we are stoked for that, as well as the memories we created during this trip.

Thank you Jeff Mariani and the crew at Cedros Kayak Fishing for everything you did during this trip and for making our trip so much fun and successful. Thank you Afran and Windy for your wonderful hospitality. Lastly, thank you my friends for taking off on another adventure with me, for fishing hard, constantly smiling, and your commitment to embark on adventures together. You guys are the best.

Upon crossing the border, into Mexico, I placed my cell phone into airplane mode. During the trip I received no phone calls, texts, emails, or access to social media. I was completely present spending time and exchanging words as well as smiles with my friends, fishing beautiful islands, catching some of my favorite fish species, and ultimately making massive deposits to the memory bank. The feeling that I got from all these experiences, and never being interrupted by my phone buzzing, was pure freedom. Put your cell phone down once in a while, experience a focused life, spend valuable time with your friends and family, and say hi to people you pass by on the sidewalk. Try it, maybe something amazing will happen.

This is Jeff Rodgers,

OVER & OUT