5 Surprising Facts About Peacock Bass

I was standing in the middle of the crankbait aisle at Bass Pro Shops when I first tuned into talk of peacock bass being spotted in Southwest Florida. Since this freshwater game fish was first introduced into the Southeast Florida canal systems by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission in the 1980’s to help control the populations of non-native species such as the oscar, I was eager to find out if the rumors about these fish being caught in the Southwestern part of the state could be confirmed.

Indeed it has. The butterfly peacock bass earned a prominent place on my “fishing bucket list,” not to be scratched off until the time (and place) was right. Although, after researching and catching a few of these hard-fighting fish, I learned some interesting facts about this particular species.

What To Know About Peacock Bass

1. Peacock bass are actually members of the cichlid family that are native to the Amazon River Basin of South America.
2. Peacocks are very sensitive to low water temperatures and cannot survive in water temperatures that dip below about 65 degrees. Low water temperatures will cause peacock bass to stop feeding and turn darker in color because of slowed blood flow. This is the perfect species to pursue during South Florida’s hot and humid summer months.
3. These fish prefer to hang out near seawalls, shorelines, and in the weeds along canal edges where they can easily ambush their prey.
4. This species can be targeted with both live bait and artificial lures. If using artificial lures, try a gold Rapala F7 floating minnow or a top water torpedo. If using live bait, peacocks prefer shiners (try a 2/0 or 3/0 circle hook depending on size of the bait).
5. Peacock bass are a fairly sturdy fish, so catch and release survival rates are quite high if the fish are handled correctly. They have sandpaper-like mouths similar to that of a largemouth bass, so they can be handled by the lower jaw, using the same thumb-and-finger grip.

Maybe a few of you are thinking, “big deal, it’s a cichlid!” Hey, that’s just fine, go ahead and turn your nose up at the peacock bass. These feisty fighters love to take long, strong runs and are a total blast to fight. Florida peacocks have become one of my favorite freshwater targets.

If you love freshwater fishing and want to learn more about other non-native species, don’t forget to “LIKE” the SheFishes2 Facebook Page and follow @shefishes2 on Twitter.