When Frank Carbone’s surface lure sputtered across the weed-covered point and disappeared in a spray of water, I was thrilled. The guide had clearly found out where at least one large fish was holed up.
Unfortunately, the hooks didn’t connect.
“Toss your bait in there,” he said. “Throw it right to that clump of weeds where I got my strike.”
Flipping my offering toward the spot, I watched as the line shot sideways, then jammed the hook home. A heavy fish lunged through the water. But just as quickly, the unseen fish burrowed into the weeds and snapped the line.
“That fish had to easily go 6 pounds,” the guide said. “What a brute.”
What was the fish that had snapped my line like a piece of thread? Not a largemouth. In fact, it was a belligerent peacock bass. But if you think this exciting action occurred in some exotic location like Venezuela or Brazil, think again.
Carbone and I were in south Florida. We had launched his bass boat next to the Miami Airport on Blue Lagoon Lake. From there we had simply used the electric motor to ease over to a patch of weedy cover across from the ramp.
As the day wore on, we fired up the outboard and tried other spots in that lake. We also cruised up the many canals winding through south Florida, trying various types of structure such as bridge abutments, docks, sunken trees and the like. We even fished boat docks in front of the Miami Airport Hilton Hotel.
Virtually everywhere we went, we latched onto peacocks. Some were just a pound or two, while others weighed twice that much and put a heavy strain on the light rods.
By mid-afternoon we had tussled with dozens of these exotic, hard-fighting bass. We caught them on lures, on bait, and I even latched onto a few on flies.
The background of how the peacock bass was successfully introduced into south Florida is an interesting story, and one that relatively few people know about. And that’s a shame. After all, Miami’s a lot easier to get to than the jungles of South America.
The history of peacock bass in Florida dates back over half a century. Biologists tried planting these fish in Florida in ponds in the 1960s, but the fish soon died. Fishery biologist Paul Shafland was still convinced the gamefish might be able to make it in the southern part of that state. “Peacocks need water that does not drop below 60 degrees,” he said.
One spot he was aware of where that need could be met was in the canals of urban Broward and Dade counties. Protected from cold fronts by trees and houses, they also cut into the Biscayne Aquifer, providing further warming. Making the setup even more appealing was the fact that a small exotic fish – the tilapia – was overrunning the canals. There was a biological need for a large finned predator to control it.
One fish stood out that could solve that problem: the peacock bass.
Starting in October 1984, 20,000 peacock fingerlings from Brazil, Peru and Guyana were deposited in the 1,200 mile canal system. The rest is history. The peacocks thrived and are now successfully reproducing. And they offer spectacular angling.
Both butterfly and speckled peacocks live in the canals. Butterflies are the most prolific, but the speckled grow larger, according to Shafland. So far, peacocks topping 10 pounds have been caught, with 1 to 2 pounds an average fish. The catch rate is an impressive one fish per hour, compared to largemouths in the canal, which are caught at the rate of one per four hours of effort.
Some of the best spots to try include the C-103 canals near Homestead, and those around Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach and the Tamiami Trail. The lakes near the Miami Airport that are part of the Tamiami (C-4) canal system are also good, as is the Snake Creek Canal, which parallels the Dade and Broward County border. The Black Creek (C-1) Canal in southern Dade County and the Bel Air Canal (C-100 Series) are also top spots to go after peacock bass in Florida.
Productive lures include lipless crankbaits, shallow-diving minnow plugs, soft plastic jerkbaits, topwater plugs, worms and tube lures. Fly fishermen connect on peacocks with minnow imitations such as the Clouser Minnow, Zonker and Marabou Muddler. If you’re going after big fish, even tarpon flies will work.
If you don’t mind fishing with bait, nothing can top a lively shiner. As a rule, search the same type of cover you’d fish for largemouths and you’ll score on peacock bass.
Note: This trip was made before COVID-19. I’d suggest waiting until this virus is under control before heading off to Miami, one of the worst spots in the world right now.
July 28, 2020 at 11:00AM
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Gerald Almy: Florida's peacock bass fishing | Nvdaily | nvdaily.com - Northern Virginia Daily
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