But I traveled to this locale to stalk another, more aggressive type of chiclid, the butterfly peacock bass. From the bow of our johnboat, I unfurled a cast where my guide had pointed, and out of the shadows a hefty peacock blasted my clouser minnow. The commotion caught the attention of a ferocious animal that ran down to the water's edge to confront us.
"Nice doggy," said my guide Mark Hall, of the barking neighborhood rottweiler.
Welcome to peacock bass fishing -- Miami style. For those who have dreamed about traveling to South America to target these exotic fish in the remote corners of the rainforest, only to wake up to a wallet not up to the task, fishing South Florida's urban canals may be the solution. The fish don't grow as big as their Amazonian brethren, but they are plentiful, and you don't need a passport or malaria medication to get after them.
The Butterfly Effect The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission introduced peacock bass into the Dade and Broward canal systems in 1984 to combat the rise of exotic aquarium fish that had been illegally released. In a three-year period, the state dumped over 20,000 butterfly peacocks into the local waters, and the fish have flourished, creating an incredible and easily accessible fishery.
These fish can be caught on live shiners, topwater lures, crankbaits, and jigs. But I wanted the fly fishing experience, so I set out with Mark Hall (www.flyfishpeacocks.com), a young Miami guide who knows the canal system, and when and where to fish.
"If you want to sight-fish for them with poppers," he said, "Come in the spring."
The best time to target the bigger fish, the 4- to 6-pounders, is from February to May, with March and April usually offering the hottest bite. But that is not set in stone, and peacocks can be caught all year long.
We targeted them with a 5-weight fly rod rigged with floating line and an 8-pound tippet attached to a green and white clouser. We also used a 6-weight rod with 150-grain sinking line, and a chartreuse and white baitfish pattern to locate deeper fish.
In Hall's johnboat, we set out into a canal system, working our way under low slung bridges and past Florida-style houses with the backyards set against the shoreline. And, oh yes, barking canines!
The Bass Assassins The day started slowly as we looked for big fish along the shallow limestone ridges along the shoreline.
"Take a cast at him," Hall said, pointing to an impressive, but disinterested largemouth. The canals hold several species willing to eat a fly -- from Mayan and Midas chiclids to oscars, to the occasional snook and baby tarpon.
But the peacocks were the name of the game this time, even if they didn't know it right away. I cast around bridge pilings, to submerged tree stumps, and to overhanging shoreline structure, but only attracted interest from a few smaller fish.
The key to targeting these fish is speed. They are aggressive, ambush feeders and respond explosively to fast, erratic retrieves. Even the little ones I hooked into put a nice bend in the rod, jumping and pulling with the tenacity of a smallmouth bass on Red Bull.
In the afternoon, the water began to heat up, and so did the peacocks. We changed tactics and used the sinking rig exclusively, and after a few good hookups, I finally got the fish I'd been hoping for -- a sturdy male peacock complete with the requisite forehead ridge. The take felt different -- a solid "whump." He quickly took me to the reel and made a beeline for some bridge pilings, like a snook. We played that game for a few runs before I finally subdued him.
"They hit hard, don't they?" Hall said, as we released our catch. They definitely do.
Their aggressive takes and stubborn runs more closely resemble a saltwater fish than any other freshwater fish I've encountered. And the best part is that they're available right here in the states.
It's awesome to take an exotic angling adventure, yet check in at the airport counter marked "domestic." Enough to make you as proud as, "ahem," a peacock.
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