BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

Peacock bass, no airplane required.

Here’s a different kind of Fish Friday, Bob Bramblet’s tale of cashing in a bucket list goal. Got a fishing tip or adventure trip to share? We welcome Fish Friday submissions. it won’t bring you fortune, just a small bit of fame and the positive fish karma that comes from helping or entertaining fellow ‘yakkers. Look us up at .Tamiami AdventureBy Bob Bramblet

Everyone has a “bucket list”. Whether it involves fishing in an exotic locale, or have the perfect kayak, or to win a special tournament, we all have those things we have always wanted to do. One of the items on my “to do” list was to find and catch the exotic peacock bass. they were introduced to South Florida canals back in the 80’s and I have never been able to find the time to seek them out. That all changed one morning in September when I chose to just go for it.

My fishing team partners Jim VanPelt and Will Mallett questioned me what I was doing looking at Miami on Google Earth. I told them I had a plan to drive over the following weekend and fish the freshwater canals of the Everglades and Miami for largemouth and peacock bass. both of them immediately informed me they were in. The plan was simple. we would leave Bonita Springs early on Friday morning and drive across US 41, called the Tamiami Trail. The road is flanked by freshwater drainage canals that hold largemouth bass and snook. once in Miami, we would get a motel room and fish somewhere the next morning where we could find peacock bass. it was going to be a weekend adventure that we hoped we would not soon forget.

We left early in the morning and we were soon fishing the various canals in Collier County. we had mixed results and caught a few smaller bass. once we were in Miami Dade County, the larger canal system started. we were close to Cooperstown, just outside of Miami when we began to fish these larger canals in earnest. I had heard of big lunker largemouth bass in this area, but had never seen any of size. we were fishing at one of the water control devices when I had a nice fish slam my D.O.a. Cal lure. I was on one side of the embankment that runs along the canal and Jim and will were on the other side. I soon saw it was a very large bass and started to yell like a child “bring me a net”. After the other two stopped laughing at my high pitched call for help, they came over to see the fish. it was a huge 9-pound largemouth bass. it was certainly worth the trip so far. After a few more smaller fish, and some gar and bowfin catches, we went on to scope out the next day’s fishing.

We finished up at Antonio Maceo Park, a small parcel on the airport lake that had a launch point for the kayaks. while we were there, we spoke to a couple of local who told us there were nice peacock bass in the lake. they had pictures on their cell phones to corroborate their stories, so we chose the next morning to check it out. we found a motel and settled in for the night hoping the next day we would find the fish we came here for.

We took our time the next morning because we were told that peacock bass like sunlight. we hit the launch at about 7 am and began fishing the areas our new friends told us about the day before. it wasn’t long before we were in the fish. they started out small, but became larger as the day wore on. they were always around structure like a dock, bridge or a branch in the water. they were also very aggressive and attacked our bait like they were mad. we mainly used live shiners but switched to X-Raps once we saw how aggressive they were. it did not slow down and each of us caught our share. by noon, we were done and got an early start back home.

For a small weekend trip, it became a productive adventure, each of us setting out to do something we have always wanted to do and being successful. we met a couple of new friends and caught exotic fish we have never caught before. And, as a bonus, I caught my personal best largemouth bass!

Bob Bramblet is the president of the Southwest Florida Kayak Angler’s Association and the recent 2011 Kayak Fishing Classics series champion. His Fish on videos are fun stuff. Give them a look.  

Photos courtesy Bob Bramblet.

As a resident of north central Missouri I myself enjoy fishing for large mouth bass and catfish how about others out there in the yahoo universe what do you prefer to fish for?

I really PREFER fishing for largemouth bass as it's my main targeted species. I mean c'mon, I wouldn't be Grand Master Basser® if it wasn't! Haha!

But lately though, a friend of mine has gotten me into fishing for wild rainbow trout which, I'm not admitting was fun, nor was it dull. I see rainbows as a forage for big bass and stripers here in Southern California and if anyone got wind that I was fishing for bait… well, I'd rather not think about that.

Me and the same buddy have also been hitting crappie rather well.

At home in Hawaii, I enjoy saltwater fishing for Papio (young Ulua, Jack Crevally), Weke, Kumu, Moana (Goatfish) year-round, except when it's closed season for some species.
Freshwater fishing at the reservoirs for peacock bass, blue gills, and catfish during open seasons.

Salmon fishing for five-species of ocean fresh Pacific salmon in Alaska during peak season for King
salmon and Silver salmon.
Bottom fish for halibut and other pelagic fish (Yellow eye, ling cod, black cod).

Wow, Jay, now that I think about it, it changes with wherever I live. In Floida, tarpon was king, with snook and sea trout not far behind.

When I lived on the Susquehanna in Pennsylvania, it was walleye and Smallmouth Bass. When I hit the lakes it was largemouth at night, pickerel in the day, and crappie on flies in the spring. but stream fishing in Pa, nothin' but flies for brookies, browns and rainbow trout. those were the days.

In Virginia, I hardly ever fished for anything except Striped Bass in the James River. Or, maybe a bit of catfish fishing from the shore with my ancient buddy, Shadrack Brown. after all, he was 102 years ancient and really didn't care for boats. Man, could he catch cats, and I'm talking 50 pound flatheads!–at least one a year.

Now I'm living on Moosehead Lake in Maine and it's strictly downriggers on the Lake for togue, brookies, and salmon. Flies in the river for salmon and brookies. Man, I love it all!

Gee, thanks for the walk down memory lane. There's a lot more to likin' the kind of fishin' I'm likin' than I ever thought about!

Delight in!

Bass, Catfish and Trout, I've just got into fly fishing for trout, it is a blast. a right fisherman doesn't need a big fish to be pleased, yeah trout tend to be smaller than bass, but they sure are beautiful and fun to go after. I find 75% of the fun in fishing is just being outdoors.

in the sport of fishing, i cannot turn down a fantastic day going after large mouth bass, but for the taste, you cannot beat the crappie.

I like largemouth bass fishing when I'm doing some serious fishing. if I just want to goof off I like pond catfish.

Smallmouth/walleye/pike and panfish.

its all about catfish in Texas! LOL

anything I can catch

whatever happens to be biting at the time

add a few crappie to your mix and l'm in hog heaven!

rainbow trout and german browns

We want t o do this on our own…not with a guide service!

the canals in , Miami, Florida I have heard that is a excellent place to find Peacock Bass.

YOu can get all you want in Brazil, but now in Florida the DNR was experimenting with Peacock Bass, but if it was producing is not known.

i have a tank with 7 cichlids at the time and they are all africans except for one jack dempsey and i dont want to be told you cant mix the two kinds because they get along great! my local fish store has a small peacock bass and i was wondering if i could add him to my tank. someone told me the PH is different but i wanna know if there is anyway i can do it because i really like this fish. please help

how huge is your tank? it sounds over stocked :S

i have a 55 right now but do i need a 75 gallon if i want to get peacock bass or a silver arowana

Haha. for a silver aro, you're looking at about 500 gallons. A fish 4 feet long needs a 4 foot wide tank to turn, and about an 8 foot long tank for swimming. as for Pbass, I'd get about 75-90. Read about them on monsterfishkeepers.com LOTS of pbass owners there.

I bought 3 juvinile peacock bass from my local fish store. they are in a 55 gallon alone right now. I have had them for about 3 weeks now and all they eat is live feeder guppies. how do I get them to eat frozen or dry food? (yes people I have a huge enough tank for them it's a 500 gallon acrylic tank).

Incorrect section bud. You may wanna leave because some people in this section are KAH-RAIZ-EY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yes, horse section people, I AM talking about earlier XD

Ok, I don't get it. WHY is this in horses???

hahaha sooo true horse junkie!

shew… go to the fish section matey…

orrrr… we could make up an answer… you can't get fish off live food…. and eventually they will eat your hand when you put it in the water… then they'll grow legs and then they will be able to breath out of water, then they'll eat you….

Pleased?

very slowly introduce the dead food with the live food to the point where there is more dead than alive. like 5% dead 95% alive and slowly go through untill its 5% alive and 95% dead.
i dont know much about fish but i think that will work out

Shouldn't this be in the Fish section?

Place molasses on the food.

I know that it is illegal to keep game fish in an aquarium such as largemouth bass and bluegills. since peacock bass is a game fish (but not in California) I wonder if it is legal to keep one.

I live in Panama, i fish at Gatún Lake. i want to know what types and color of lures do i have to use to get big and plenty peacock bass….

Ummm….
Check out these sites!
monsterpeacockbasslures.com/PeacockMinnow.html
peacockbassonline.com/lures.html

I live in southeast Kansas, and I have a 450 gallon aquarium. I have had bass in it that I caught for about a year, they are eating very well, and have put on weight, both bass in the aquarium are about a pound and a quarter. I have been wanting peacock bass since I got the tank, the pet store sells them, but they only sell 2 to 3" ones, I need 8-14" peacock bass, I called the pet store to question if they could order in any bigger ones, and they said they can't, I am wondering the closest place I could go from Wichita, Ks. to catch peacock bass? thanks

PS. I don't want a bunch of tree-huggers saying I need to let the bass go. I am not asking what I should do with my fish, I am asking the nearest place to catch peacock bass. Thanks

sorry to say it but theyre native to tropical waters and the only states that have them are florida and hawii

Get one shipped from Florida.

Where is a decent place to fish for peacock bass in southeast florida. More specific stuart florida. Also are the same tecniques that are used for largemouth used for peacock bass?

There is a excellent web site for your needs. hawghunterguideservice.com
Once you get there I believe it is number 3 on the list. Fishing reports. I've used there site several times free and up to date. Excellent luck and keep your line wet.

As Gene mentioned, Broward and Dade counties are the spots for peacocks. Closest to you would probably be Pompano Canal. Your preferred minnow imitation (hard body, plastic, fly, etc) is a best bet for fishing them. they tend to be a bit more territorially aggressive than largemouth, but fishing techniques should be pretty much the same.

The link below takes you to a small tale about my experiences fly fishing Miami for peacocks.

Tight lines!

flyanglersonline.com/features…