I have decided to give out directions on some of the boat ramps you can use in South Florida to catch The Butterfly Peacock Bass. In this installment I will let you know about the first ramp and the conditions you can expect to find at the ramp. So lets begin with the first ramp located at a canal called Black Creek, this is one of the southern most ramps that you can use when searching for The Butterfly Peacock Bass. You might get lucky and run across a Speckled Peacock Bass, while fishing for the butterfly. Catching largemouth bass, snook, tarpon or jacks is not uncommon when fishing this canal. Okay I've set the stage so how do you get there:

Coming south on the Turnpike Extension, exit on SW 211th Street (The Cutler Ridge Exit). Go straight (south) on the exit road to SW 216th Street and turn left (east) and go to SW 102th Avenue, turn right (south) on SW 102th Avenue and go to the stop sign. Turn right (south) on Old Cutler Road, go about 50 yards and turn left (east) on SW 224th Street. Continue heading east until you come to the Stop sign and turn right (south) on SW 97th Avenue. Follow the road for about a mile and turn right on the dirt road right after you cross over the canal. You will find a single lane paved ramp that is in good condition. I launched out of this ramp two weeks ago and found that the area had been cleaned up and no one bothered my vehicle in the 6 hours it sat there. In the past many vehicles have been broken into at this ramp.

Ramp number two: C-100C also known as the "Falls", this ramp has always been my personal favorite, I had one of those days that we all dream of fishing here. I was only on the water for about 2 hours and caught ten "Butterfly Peacock Bass" with the smallest tipping the scale at 4.5 lbs and the largest at 7.75 lbs they where all caught on a silver RC-1. There are also some nice largemouth swimming around the area. Enough "Peacock Stories", here are the directions to get to the "Falls". From the Turnpike, exit on Coral Reef Drive (SW 152nd Street), go East on Coral Reef Drive to US 1, this will be about 2 and a half miles. Turn left (North) on US 1 and go to SW 136th Street, turn left (West) and go to SW 92nd Avenue (The Falls Shopping Center will be on your left). Turn left on SW 92nd Avenue (South), you will cross over the canal, there will be a dirt road on the left on the other side of the bridge, follow the dirt road about a quarter of a mile and you will come to The South Florida Water Management District structure. There is a single lane shell, sand, and dirt ramp on each side of the structure. The ramps are in fair condition, if it has been raining I would think twice about trying to use these ramps without a 4x4, and even then you may have trouble.

Ramp number three: Snapper Creek 99th Ave Ramp - Directions from the Turnpike Extension - Exit on Bird Road (SW 40th Street). Go east on Bird Road to SW 109th Avenue. Turn right (South) on SW 107th Avenue and go to Sunset Drive (SW 72nd Street). Turn left (East) on Sunset Drive and go to SW 97th Avenue. Turn right (South) on SW 97th Avenue and go to Snapper Creek Drive North. Turn right (West) on Snapper Creek Drive North the boat ramp will be on the left side of the road before you get to SW 99 Avenue. This is a single lane paved ramp, just watchout for the jet skiers.

Once you get on the water all you will need to do is head west until you come to a side canal, head into the side canals and start casting and looking. Most of the side canals hold fish year around. I hope that you find this useful and are able to find a few fish. If you provide me with a fishing report after your trip I will be happy to post it on my site and don't forget some pictures.

Here is a helpful tip when trying for the peacock bring some 2" - 3" shiners, rig them on a size 1 live bait hook and place a split shot about a foot from the hook. Drag them behind the boat using the trolling motor set on 2. Fish along the grass line and hold on to your rod!!!

Another peacock catching tip -- When working a topwater lure, work it fast, you can't go too fast for the peacock. If you see the peacock charging your lure don't stop, keep it moving and keep a good grip on your rod for the bone jarring strike that it sure to come.

I will give directions to the next ramp and another peacock bass catching tip soon!

More Peacock Bass information in pdf format.