The peacock bass population has successfully reproduced each year and has rapidly expanded its range to many bodies of water in South Florida. Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties are ground zero for locating peacock bass, with healthy populations also occurring in some areas of Collier and Lee counties in southwest Florida. Most freshwater urban canals, ponds, and lakes in South Florida as well as the Florida Everglades have excellent populations of peacock bass.
Peacock bass can be caught all year long. However, this warmwater species is most active during warmer months. May through June are the best months as peacock bass will be at peak of aggression levels and will spawn multiple times. The annual cycle of afternoon summer rains often increases water levels throughout the region and can create a challenge for anglers locating fish during the late summer and fall months of August and September.
For visiting anglers, if time and budget permits, it’s well worth hiring a guide who specializes in peacock bass fishing. Capt. Lou Lagrange from Arti-Fish-ial Entertainment Guide Service specializes in peacock bass and largemouth bass fishing with artificial lures in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties, including the expansive Florida Everglades. He has been targeting peacock bass since the late ‘80s and enjoys teaching his clients about peacock bass and creating the fishing trip of a lifetime.
“South Florida is a very big place, and, yes, there are peacock bass all over the place; however, hiring an experienced guide will increase your chances in both quality and quantity of fish,” Capt. Lou said.
If you lack the time or budget to hire a guide, you’ll have to do some due diligence to research canal systems and bodies of water that are accessible to the public and allow fishing. Many urban areas are posted as “Closed to Fishing” or “No Trespassing” and access can be challenging without local knowledge. The Metropolitan Southeast Florida Canals section of the FWC website is an excellent starting point for research.
Peacock bass are often located in areas with rocks, drop offs, limestone ledges, canal intersections, culvert pipes, bridges, or docks. Overhanging trees adjacent to deep water can be excellent places to find peacocks. Move until fish are located and then slow down and saturate the area with multiple casts. There is often more than one peacock bass in an area.
Capt. Lou keeps it simple and recommends fast-moving lures, including topwater baits, small hard jerkbaits and small soft-plastic jerkbaits and swimbaits. He recommends experimenting with different lures, colors, retrieve speeds, and cadences as the attitude of the peacocks can change daily.
“Most of the time, fast-moving baits will get the attention of peacock bass. However, depending on the situation and their mood, don’t discount pausing your lure,” Capt. Lou said. “When a peacock bass wants to hurt your lure, it will make itself quickly known regardless of the speed of the bait.”
Topwater Lures for Peacock Bass
