- Jackie Otto

Right smack dab in the middle of neighborhoods in bustling Miami, there are numerous canal systems that hold a gold-mine of exotic fish, all in the “Cichlid” family. After a quick four hour drive from Pinellas County, my son and I were dropping the boat in the water at a small dirt/shell boat ramp. The ramp put us in a crystal clear canal that meandered through the back yards of homes, golf courses and a few public parks. We were fishing in a canal that was no wider than two boats. The canal was right in people’s back yards. With every few houses we passed a dog would run out and bark at us or a resident would ask, “catching any”, knowing exactly what we were after; the Florida Butterfly Peacock Bass. This was all new to me, (another bucket-list fish) but my son had been here in the past and knew where and what to do. I followed his instructions and soon caught my first Peacock Bass, what a thrill it was. I can honestly say that these fish, are aggressive, angry, and voracious. They will flat put up a fight worthy of any angler’s dream. We also caught many other species of Cichlids, along with the prized Peacocks bass.

If you talk with guides in Miami, they will tell you the best time to catch these Peacock Bass is February through May, but they will bite year round. In the spring months of February through May, these fish are bedding, protecting their beds and fighting for their females, any intruding baits or lures near their women and or their beds must be destroyed. When I say destroyed, I really mean it, these fish attacked our lures with anger. We caught everything by sight fishing, other than a few Large-mouth bass that we actually tried not to catch. The fish are easily sighted like the Midas Cichlids that come in a variety of colors and are every bit as tough as the Peacocks. We caught bright yellow ones, reddish-orange ones, orange and black, blue stripes and spots, just an unbelievable rainbow of exotic fish. These Cichlids fight harder than a triple tail, as the entire back-end of their body is fin. The males grow a fatty hump on their heads, used for fighting off other males, the females of this species are smaller and the males grow larger, just the opposite of the Largemouth bass.

Getting back to the species we were after, the Peacock Bass is a beautiful fish and the madder he/she gets, the brighter the reds show up on their fins and tail. Their colors are a mixture of gold, red, orange, black, green and blue with a distinctive colorful false eye near their tail. This eye looks very similar to the Peacock bird’s eye in their tail feathers, hence the name. From South America to Florida there are about 12 sub-species of Peacock Bass. Their body is shaped very similar to the Large-mouth bass and their mouths sport a rough surface like a bass or snook so you can “thumb” them. When you do “thumb” them, you better hold on because they are not timid and you can’t hold them in any way to keep them still. If you want a picture, you had better have a tight grip, or they will be gone. The Peacock Bass is much more aggressive than a Large-mouth and will fight harder once hooked. At one point my son had one on that was actually pulling the boat down the canal until he got the fish turned towards us. They make tremendous acrobatic, above-water jumps that put a Largemouth to shame. The tackle we used is the same we would use if we were Large-mouth bass fishing. I chose a spinning outfit in the 8 to 17 pound class rod and a 2500 series of reel with 10 pound braided line and two feet of 15 pound fluorocarbon leader. Our artificial baits consisted of rattle traps or that type of lure, preferably shinny, either silver or gold or we used small jig heads and soft plastics that looked lizard-like or crawfish-like. When we would spot a Peacock on its bed, we’d cast to the bed, jiggle the bait and watch the fish explode on it. If there were a word that would be bigger than “explode” that would describe how they hit better than just “explode”. The strength of these fish is unexplainable; you’ll have to experience it to understand.

Just like everything I write about, you can do this trip expensive or you can do this trip economy style, depending upon where you want to stay, eat or be entertained. Nothing in Miami is economy minded, but I’m sure you can find a cheaper hotel than we did. Our hotel was close to the boat ramp and we were tired. Gas seemed to be comparable to our prices, yet food and lodging was quite high. Crime is big, (I’m not singling out Miami, all big cities) so be aware of what you leave in your vehicles at the boat ramp and lock your trailers by using chains either through the wheels or through your hitch. Finding boat ramps may pose a small problem, as there aren’t many. Google search Miami, Florida and find the canal systems and you can find a boat ramp by just searching the canals. Small boats will do better with smaller engines and an electric motor is a must. Polling doesn’t work, as some canals are too deep and there is no current to push you along. We used the electric trolling motor for 90% of the day. A quick tip, we brought along an extra battery for our trolling motor and we did need it towards the end of the day. Another way to find these fish or find a boat ramp, is to hire a guide, or call one and ask directions. There are many websites that will tell you about these world class game fish. Florida’s record Peacock is 10.5 pounds and our largest of the day was pushing 5.5 pounds. We didn’t weigh any and released everything we caught. This past year’s freeze hurt the population of these exotic fish and actually killed most of the Iguanas that live there too. (Oh…I didn’t mention there is usually an Iguana or snake every few yards…eeeeek!) These are exotic fish and some are considered dangerous. There are laws against removing and replacing them, so we didn’t remove anything unless we were taking a picture. Most guides use live bait as in shiners, just like Large-mouth Bass fishing. Knowing your rules and regulations before going is a plus, remember always be courteous when on the water, you’ll be fishing in someone’s backyard.