A native of the Amazon River basin, peacock bass were introduced to South Florida waters in 1984. Over twenty thousand were released into lakes and canals to help control the burgeoning population of exotic fishes such as the spotted tilapia. Because of their sensitivity to cold, South Florida is the only place in the contiguous United States that they have been successfully stocked. In fact, they cannot survive any further north than Broward County.
Though called bass, peacocks are actually cichlids. They grow at a fast rate, reaching a pound in size in their first year. To fuel this growth, they must eat a tremendous amount. This makes them eager to attack all manner of baits and lures, the livelier the better. It is not uncommon to catch fifty fish in a day. And there is no need to rise at the crack of dawn to catch peacocks, as they feed the most during the middle of the day.
Since the addition of butterfly peacock bass to the IGFA world record listings in 1996, nearly every butterfly peacock bass world record has come from South Florida. As they continue to grow, the records will continue to fall. You will notice that nearly all the records are the same size, paralleling the growth of the first generations of fish.
Get in on the action! For sheer excitement, pound for pound peacocks may be the hardest fighting freshwater fish around.
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