Peacock Bass Fishing
The Peacock Bass
The royal peacock bass (Cichla intermedia) and the butterfly peacock bass (Cichla ocellaris) are the 2 most recognized and popular of this bass species. Prized by anglers around the world for not only their tenacious fighting abilities but also as table fare. These fish originated in the Amazon in South America but can be found in other places as well.
These bass will usually have 3 dark vertical stripes on each side with a tail that has a spot that looks like the eye on a peacocks tail. The can be a dark green on the upper back fading to a lighter green with bright orange or red along the belly and fins.
During the years 1984 to 1987, these fish were introduced to the warm waters of Florida right here in the United States. Currently only 2 counties have self-sustaining peacock bass stocks and they are the Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. The arrival of the peacock bass to these counties has brought in an estimated 5 million dollars annually in economic benefits.
If you are visiting the part of South Florida that has peacock bass, fish for them in the canals – they are everywhere. A few of them are Pompano Canal, Snake Creek Canal, Black Creek Canal and Snapper Canal. If you are new to the area, try hiring a guide, as this will help you to not only find a good location, but actually catch some of these good fighting fish. Prime time is during the daylight hours and look for them to be in shaded areas that offer some cover. They will attack most largemouth bass lures with the exception of the plastic worms.