Here is a trip report from Neil Mize ... thanks for the report.

I drove down from Atlanta with my boat and tackle and instructions in hand. I was able to drive right to the 99th St. ramp and continued to follow your directions on my quest to catch a peacock bass. On my fifth cast, I lost a rattling rogue (I decided to throw this since it's my favorite jerk bait) to a fish I never saw. What I can tell you about the fish was that he was big and knew exactly where the grass was.

I kept getting grass on practically every cast with the Rogue so I decided to fish a prop bait. I kept working the banks from a bridge all the way into the "manatee" area that formed a pond. On the right hand corner of this pond I had two huge explosions on my chrome crazy shad. I couldn't hook this fish to save my life. I worked my way around the perimeter of the pond and in the back of one of the little pockets saw my first peacock bass. It looked the color of a school bus and took my crazy shad down into the grass never to be seen again. I figured out that 8lb. test wasn't nearly enough and pulled out my rod I use for Carolina rigging worms that had 12/24 Spider wire on it. Then I started getting the hang of it. After screwing around with a gold husky jerk for a few casts and catching a lot of grass, I went back to a prop bait. This time it was a yellow and green baby torpedo. I caught a 3 - 4 lb. largemouth soon after and then another one about 1 1/2 lbs. but still no peacocks in the boat. I was two hours into my trip and running out of time when I turned back into where the canal makes a 90 degree bend. There I caught my first peacock. It probably only weighed 3/4 of a lb. but at least it was a peacock. I did catch another largemouth before I had to leave. I had enough strikes to know I wanted to come back.

I fished Okeechobee and the Everglades the next two days so I didn't come back to the canal for a few days. I had the whole place to myself again and fished for an hour with no success. I started to wonder if I just didn't have it in me or I wasn't holding my mouth right when Mother Nature flushed the toilet under my torpedo. A two lb. peacock fights much harder than a two pound largemouth. Anyway, by the end of the morning I had landed five peacocks weighing between one and three pounds. I know there are bigger fish. I can't wait to get back. Thanks for all of your help. I wouldn't have done anything at all without your help. I'll be back in April.

Neil had sent me an e-mail asking for directions and tips to various areas where he might be able to catch a few peacocks. Needless to say he was able to catch a few, he plans on making another trip in April, he wants to try his hand at a few spawning Peacocks.

Here is another report hot out of my inbox. Thanks Fred!!!

We were staying at the Fairfeild Inn by the Lakes by Miami's Airport. I had heard about the peacock bass, I am hooked know! There was a canal running along the Interstate where me an two other companions caught almost 40 peacock bass, and all on floating Rapala's 2, 4, and 6 inch sizes we also used a 4 inch orange/blue Husky Jerk "4" on ten pound line all the bass were between 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 pounds...... but there were three big boys that I caught myself! Two fives and one six possible even seven, I saw the record charts and was that a possible record fish. @!!!!!@!#@ those bass fight!!!

Welcome to the world of South Florida's Butterfly Peacock Bass Catchin!!!