Seaworthy81

I’m guessing the primary need for heavier braid is abrasion resistance and casting ease. Casting 65 or even 80lb braid with heavy lures is so much easier in that overruns are easier to pick out and also less likely to snap a heavy expensive lure off. Also if you snag them on stuff it’s a lot more likely to get them back. I haven’t fished the Amazon myself, but from friends who have the two primary ways they fished was a heavy rod with large topwater and other heavy type hardbaits (typically a 300+ sized conventional reel) and then a second lighter setup (like the 2500 you described) with normally a bucktail. Info on the jig and lighter setup here: https://www.acuteangling.com/peacock-bass-fishing/jig-guide.html

Spring is primetime just after the spawn, but they are active all year as long as its warm enough. Your boat would be great for Lake Ida (and connected waterways) and also the everglades. I'm less familiar with the Miami canals but there are definitely some that are boatable with your style boat too. I'm sure others have other ideas for other boatable places too. As far as bait vs artificials, I'm on the same page as you. About 90% of the time I'm fishing a small hardbait, my favorite for the shallow canals I fish is the yozuri 3DS 70mm minnow, but you might need something deeper running for the lakes like a lipless crank or deeper jerkbait. Small plastics like flukes and paddle tails can work great at times too. I find they really like small and erratic lures, especially stop and go style things for me personally, especially when its hot.

Im away from home right now, I’m scared this cold blast wiped out my favorite shallow spots so I can’t give you any up to the moment tips. Generally speaking any freshwater from Palm Beach south will have them. Popular areas are Lake Osborn/Ida chain, Everglades, Miami Lakes and canals, but they are all over. Finding bigger ones is more difficult but finding peas is relatively easy, you’d have a harder time finding places that didn’t have them. A lot of people fish them with live shiners, but I find lures more challenging and rewarding. The warmer it is the better. I’ve had my best fishing for them in October/November but anytime from April-November should be fine and even the off months can be good if it’s warm, which it is frequently. April-June is typically the spawn so you will see them bedded up and protective of fry. It’s the easiest time to find them and they are easy to catch because they will hit anything that gets close to the bed but I prefer to leave them be that time of year. Are you looking to get a guide or just get a rental car and explore on your own?

I fish a SLX MGL with 12lb fluro mostly throwing 3/16-1/4 hard baits and it’s a dream of a reel for this. Long smooth casts. I fish it on a 13 fate cranking rod. Love it for peacocks and LMB where I’m at.

I used to buy some niche stuff from acidrod.com but now I try to be as exclusive to voodoo as I can, with backup being getbit and mud hole last. I don’t like how mudhole pushes their own stuff so hard and makes it difficult imho to buy the non-mudhole stuff.

Yeah but Peacocks, Snakeheads, Clowns and Cichlids are a nice side gig.

I’d be more concerned with weakening and discoloring the finish on the wraps than damaging the blank. If I was stripping the rod completely I’d be using a little heat carefully to soften the finish. In this case the risk isn’t worth the reward though, although you could heat a metal tool like a dental pick to help get some purchase on the material to pick it off. Probably not needed though.

Dental pick should work.

I’m at a similar crossroads here, hoping to get some feedback on this topic as well.

Been working at lot and fishing less than I would like, but was glad to sneak out and have the locals participate. Also caught a Bigmouth Sleeper which apparently is somewhat rare? Either way cool stuff.

That’s just my current other species fascination, in a not so long ago passed life I used to pretty much only fish for large saltwater fish in Southern California with some surf fishing in between. I just like fishing, from the first 2” green sunfish when I was as young as I can remember to the peacock bass I caught on Saturday morning this week. I’m sure my tastes and tackle will change but my passion will always remain.

I’m pretty sure the bullseye snakehead in south Florida are limited by temperature just like the peacocks are. Definitely not the case for the northern snakehead species up in the Chesapeake bay systems though.

Living in south Florida bass have become bycatch and the exotic species really shine. Peacocks, Snakehead, Cichlids etc are such a blast.

As a recent socal to sofl transplant, you would be surprised how easy it would be to get on a plane and catch peas here, i wish i knew this much sooner. If you can catch bass in urban socal lakes or catch halibut off the beach in socal you will be absolutely stacking peas and all sorts of other fish in a few hours in FL. Peas fight similar to calicos or spotties imho. Awesome report! By any chance can you let us know what lures you were using?

Nice score! Sounds like I should be taking tips from you!

The only thing I have figured out so far is that if I take a light rod looking for peas I see more snakehead, if I take the heavier rod looking for snakehead I see more peas! I have not been able to pattern the snakeheads or really any of the canal fish very well yet. Sometimes when its rainy and cloudy the snakes seem more active, but that doesn't seem to be 100% yet. They are definitely more active when its warm out, but I have caught them even after mild cold fronts as long as its not prolonged or if its warmed back up. I haven't night fished them so I cant help there. I did set a new PB snakehead for myself the other day after seeing two monsters while fishing peas. I went to a different canal that I normally see lots of snakehead at, walked it up and back for 0 bites or chases and was pretty discouraged, saw lots of super active Peas and figured the rule I wrote above was kicking my butt once again, was about to call it quits but on one of what would have been my last little pocket of fishable water got a monster bite on the chatterbait and the fish went airborn! After a few seconds of chaos I was able to flip the 7lber up on the bank. I fish a frog a lot, but all my largest snakeheads have been on an underspin or now a chatterbait, and all basically on the sink from a well placed cast. I still fish the frog a lot for obvious reasons though. Hope that helps!

I'm in SE FL, they are everywhere here. Between you and I are miles of areas of both the Aligator Alley and the Tamiami Trail (further east side) that can be loaded with them. I have found that live shiners work the best but I opt for lures. Small shallow cranks, jerkbaits, crappie jigs, paddle tails, etc. Think of replicating a 2-4" shiner and you should find something.

I’d look at the warbaits stuff, they are made for saltwater fishing

Ha, I often times have the reverse problem, especially in winter and spring, catching LMBs when I'm targeting the exotics! Nice catch and definitely rare on a worm!

Any tackle shop near you that sells live shiners will be able to give you some info for your area. Spend a couple bucks and I'm sure you will get something to work with. I'm not in your area, but where I'm at smallish ones are pretty easy to find. Just walk the bank of public canals or ponds with polarized glasses and you will probably see them. Look around cover like bridges, fallen trees, pipes, stuff in the canals or bends or intersections. They have bright orange pectoral fins and stick out like a sore thumb in clear water right now.

Lots of good info for you to digest. I build a lot of heavy saltwater rods, which means load testing and test casting can be a PIA. Thankfully for a light spinner like you are looking at you can tape the guides on and test to your hearts content. I would put them where you think they look good, put the reel you use with the rod on there and go and cast what you would normally use. Then hook the line onto something and give it a good bend. Things to look for: Is the line slapping on the way out in the cast? If so perhaps a different spacing or choke guide arrangement makes more sense, perhaps a different sized guide. When you pull on the rod, does the line look unnaturally squared off at the normal drag ranges you are fishing, perhaps a different guide train, or perhaps an additional guide or two may help. Many factory rods are done with general spacing and guides. They don't know what sized reel you are using, or what kind or diameter line you are using. Those things matter, sometimes a lot for a spinning rod to be high performing in both casting and feel.

Hey George, I'm a little further south than you in Coral Springs but might be interested. If you want to come down my way I have a handful of spots where I see and get blowups on the frog almost every time this time of year. I also have a handful of canals I've been eying on google earth up your way that I wouldn't mind walking, but I don't know for sure if there are worthwhile or not yet, just a hunch but wouldn't mind checking them out. Tacklewise all you need is a MH/H bass rod and 40-50lb braid, a package of buzz frogs or 4-5" swimbaits and 4/0 HD swimbait hooks - or some hollow body frogs, although I find the hookup ratio on hollow bodies is horrible for me. It does require long, accurate casting and it doesn't hurt if you know how to skip a bait at certain spots. If you want to pay for guidance, there are some really good guides who will definitely be better than me BTW. I can recommend some names if that's you preference. They will for sure have better spots than me as well as likely put you on much larger fish. My spots seem to top out around 5lbs so far.

Can confirm, have built many saltwater rods with standard Fuji graphite seats with no issue. There’s not a freshwater fish that I know of that requires aluminum.

You can also make a ramp of paste epoxy let it dry and then wrap up it over it with thread. Not my work but the best examples I could find quickly (in this case they marbled up the ramp, the other you can see them wrapping up the ramp. but the same concept)

Good dark black thread almost always looks like that when finished unless it has gaps.