When your fishing buddy tells you the fish ran like a runaway freight
train and shot through the air like a rocket and then tried to rip their
arms out of their sockets. You are probably thinking they are lying, there
can't be a freshwater fish that fights that hard. You better believe them,
they just got back from a trip were they experienced the thrill of
catching a butterfly peacock bass. By nature the butterfly peacock bass is
aggressive, the meanest and toughest kid on the block and will prove it
every chance they get. . It is a fish so powerful that it can break rods,
burnout reels, straighten hooks or tear the hardware right out of your
lures. You may think I'm exaggerating about the fight of the peacock bass.
Don't! The larger they get, the meaner they get and the better they will
fight. Once hooked these fish will come flying out of the water with
head-shaking acrobatics that are second to none, if they haven't thrown
the hook or broken something, they will then make powerful runs, that will
tax even the best reels. Even a three or four pound peacock can wear a
person out, thankfully they top out at around twelve pounds.
By now you are
wondering how can you experience this fun? Two states and various
countries in South & Central America lay claim to this unique fishery.
Most of you will be interested in which states have peacock bass, Hawaii
and Florida. For some of you the trip to South & Central America or
Hawaii is affordable, but for most of us, if we can't get there by car we
just can't go. So that leaves Florida, while it might be quite a trip from
Alaska to Florida, it is an area accessible to most fishermen. Peacock
bass fishing is a year around fishery so you can plan a trip for anytime
of the year. If you asked what is the best time to come, the answer would
be between the middle of February to the end of May. During this time of
the year you will have the best chance at a large butterfly peacock bass.
If you plan to come and experience the thrill of catching South
Florida's Butterfly Peacock Bass, I would recommend that for your first
trip you should hire the services of a guide. You can find a list of peacock
bass guides on my Peacock Bass Fishing Lense.
Here is a list of line class, and all tackle records for the Butterfly Peacock Bass:
|
Class |
Weight |
Location |
Date |
Angler |
|
2 lb |
7-8 |
Homestead, Florida |
3/31/2001 |
Herb Ratner |
|
4 lb |
8-8 |
Homestead, Florida |
3/29/2001 |
Herb Ratner |
|
6 lb |
8-8 |
Kendall Lake, Florida |
5/27/2002 |
Eric Cuevas |
|
8 lb |
8-8 |
Sunshine Ranches, FL |
4/20/2000 |
Jay Wright |
|
8 lb |
8-8 |
Weston Florida |
12/17/2000 |
Joseph Ellis |
|
8 lb |
8-8 |
Homestead, FL |
12/17/2001 |
Herb Ratner |
|
12 lb |
12-9 |
Chiguao River, Venezuela |
1/6/00 |
Tony Campa |
|
16 lb |
8-7 |
Boynton Beach Lake, Florida |
7/24/99 |
J. Mark Greene |
|
20 lb |
8-12 |
South Dade, Florida |
2/06/2002 |
Herb Ratner |
|
All Tackle |
12-9 |
Chiguao River, Venezuela |
1/6/00 |
Tony Campa |
|
