Our South Florida climate allows for some pretty spectacular
fishing opportunities. Ranking high on the coolness factor are peacock bass.
These exotic cichlids are a transplant from the Amazon River that were
introduced in the 1984 by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission in SE
Florida canals. Over the years they spread west and now reach from Miami to
Naples.
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| Cichla ocellaris |
The Golden Gate Main Canal runs through Naples at the south
end of Golden Gate City. Our point of entry was a boat ramp in the community
park on Santa Barbara Blvd. This broad canal runs east to west and has many
smaller t-canals and lakes along its length. Dave Harper, Ken Taylor, Jeff
Gabrick, Joe Corrigan, Ryan Dekeyser and I launched into a chilly morning in
hopes of catching peacock bass. For some on the trip, it would be the first
time catching them.
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| Map of Golden Gate Main Canal and surrounding areas |
I worried that the temperature would be an issue for these
tropical fish. We started catching largemouth bass right away on topwater. Ken
caught another native, a warmouth, in the cool morning water as well. We made
our way to an intersecting canal as the sun came up, warming the water. Joe
scored the first peacock on topwater. It was his first and he caught another
during the day.
As we entered a lake area, we split up and worked the edges.
Many more largemouth were caught in the clear water. Some were caught on
topwater and some on crankbaits and minnow lures. I caught a couple of very
small peacocks that were about the size of my lure. They can be very aggressive.
Jeff and Ryan caught several largemouth in their quest for a peacock bass.
The sun warmed the air and eventually the water. The
peacocks became more active and Dave scored a beautiful example. After a good
fight, he landed a very nice female. Soon after, I landed a smaller female
peacock on a mullet lure. The fish were a little deeper than usual, but we were
finding them.
After a few hours, we headed in. Jeff, Ken and Ryan were
denied the peacock bass they were seeking, but now they knew where they were
and how to fish for them. It will be a matter of time till they land them. It
was a great morning with great friends and I look forward to the next time.
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