I may be going to central america this winter ( ;D) and i would love, LOVE to catch a peacock bass. I dont care if it is a dink or if it is huge, i just want to catch one.

What should i use? Line? Lures? Do use fish for them the same as you fish for LM bass? I heard of a guy catching them on a jitterbug, but do cranks, plastics and spinnerbaits work as well? Can you lip them? Do they jump much? Are they hard fighters? What do they feed on? Where are the best places to find them?

Is there any other Peacock bass fishermen here? Any info will help.

Sorry for all the questions, but i know zip about them.

Thanks

Matt

Peacocks will hit almost any lure. They are territorial and will lash out out anything passing through their zone.

They fight hard. You can almost rest assured that any gear you are using right now will get busted by the Peacocks off the Amazon. I dont mean just a tip breaking off a rod but Ive seen a lot of videos where reels were busting.

In the non-rainy season you will find them in pockets under cover. The get isolated to these deeper pockets and really become aggresive for food.

Here is a link for more info:

http://www.peacockbassassociation.com/

You have NO choice but to hire a guide if you really go down there for these. You wont have a boat, the right gear, the right location, or local 'protection'. If you dont have the money to hire a guide on this one just scratch the trip right off the list.

And South America is where the big Peacocks are (off the Amazon).

Check out Record Hunters on Espn or espn2 for some good video. You'll see what kind of gear they use and how important it is to have a guide in that part of the world.

I guess you can catch 'em on fly gear too!

In Central America I believe you can only find them in the

southern most countries. They also don't run as big.

The do have other ciclids though.Rainbow Bass are

a top one for Costa Rica and Nicaragua.You can use your

bass tackle for them, spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwater.

Most ciclids are aggressive and strong fighters. Peacocks do

get the most credit and are definately one of the prettiest.

Topwater is the most fun but Rapalas are killer as well. I did

really well with the new X-rap's in 14. Bright colors do well.

If you get a chance South America is the place to go. Brazil

is the most popular. My biggest was caught in Venezuela, 23lbs.

Good luck either way.

Scott

Never fished for them, but topwater and spinnerbaits seem to be the way to go from what I have seen on the TV.

Topwater = SCARY FUN!!!!!

I've gotten them to bite a senko down here in Florida.  Caught a total of 8 so far.  Nothing to write home about.  1 was 13-14", and the rest were between 13" and 9".  My foot and hand were the ruler.

Very different fight than a LMB.  Its a head shaker.  I've never tried a prop lure or a crank, but I will eventually  :.

New 2 Bass there is a good book "South Florida's Peacock Bass" by Carlos Hidalgo if you can find

it. It will give all kinds of information on which canals are better and which have boat access. You

really need to try topwater, it is a blast. Tiny torpedos and chug bugs worked fast have been

productive for me. I also like to use #7 Rapala Shallow Shadraps and #10 Xraps in bright colors.

Scott

P.S. I also have caught canal Tarpon on them.

Brazil is definitely the way to go.  Amazon Tours is the outfit I went with, top quality and worth every penny.

That is a hell of a peacock bass Scott!  23 lbs!  What company did you go with?  What time of year?

Brazil is definitely the way to go. Amazon Tours is the outfit I went with, top quality and worth every penny.

That is a hell of a peacock bass Scott! 23 lbs! What company did you go with? What time of year?

I caught that one in April down in Venezuela. Fish was 35.5" long, 22.5" girth.

I took the measurement for a mount but don't know where I would put it

Great water for big fish. The new 20lb line class record

was caught on that trip. It was 26lbs. Beat the old record by 2lbs.

I do most of my trips with Fish Quest. Never have had a problem they are very through.

http://www.fishquest.com/

The only ones I don't do with them are the ones where I know the location personelly.

I like to fish for all types of species. I will be going to Suriname next year to fish for Wolf fish

and big catfish.

Scott

Panama has Peacocks as well. My uncle lives in Panama City and is buildning a house on Lake Tacun, I believe that is what it is called. He fishes for Peacocks and catches huge Oscars incidently.

Tony