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I'm putting together what I hope will be some useful information about South Florida's
Butterfly Peacock Bass. We have two very distinict different types of peacock bass in
South Florida the Speckled and the Butterfly. The Speckled is STRICTLY a Catch
& Release species, they are mainly found in extreme southern Dade County. This peacock
bass can run up to 20+ lbs. but the best you can expect to catch will run in the teens
if you are lucky enough to find the Speckled Peacock Bass.
The Butterfly Peacock Bass can be found in almost any canal,
pond, and lake in Dade County, most of the canal and lakes in various parts of Broward
County, and if you are lucky you may still find peacocks in southern Palm Beach County.
The current IGFA All Tackle World Record Butterfly Peacock Bass is 12 lbs 9 oz caught
at Chiguao River, Venezuela on 1/6/00 by Tony Campa. The Florida State record is 9 lbs
08 oz, caught at Kendall Lakes on 03/11/93 by Jerry Gomez. The State of Florida also
has a program design to recognize anglers called the "Big Catch".
To qualify you must catch a Butterfly Peacock that is at least 5 lbs. or 18" long, they
also have a Junior Big Catch program with the weight and length requirements being 25%
less, 3.75 lbs. or 13" long. All you have to do is submit the completed and signed
application and
mail it to the address listed on the application and they will send you a real nice
Citation with a special Catch and Release seal if you certify that you released the
fish.
Finding the larger Butterfly Peacock Bass isn't a simple as it seems ... if you are
planning a trip to South Florida to fish for butterfly peacock bass, I would
recommend hiring a guide, at least for the first day. I have put together a few tips
to help you make an informed decision when choosing the right fishing guide for you.
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