[oucorry]

Has anyone ever fished for these monsters? They have always intrigued me with their ferocity. Here is a little bit of info I found on these dudes:

Though its basic anatomy closely resembles that of the largemouth bass, the peacock bass is actually not a member of the bass family. It belongs to a family of fish known as cichlids. Like largemouths, the peacock prefers to ambush unsuspecting prey from a stealthy vantagepoint and demonstrates a gluttonous appetite.

The similarity ends there, however. The peacock bass is much more eye-appealing than its North American counterpart, colorfully adorned in varying shades of green, blue, orange and gold.

“Don’t let this Fancy Dan appearance fool you, though” says Hall of Fame angler Spence Petros. “Peacocks are far more aggressive than largemouths, often pursuing lures or prey larger than themselves. They routinely break lines, shatter rods and destroy tackle that would subdue the toughest largemouth. The peacock has evolved as a world-class gamefish, flourishing in an environment filled vicious piranhas, Volkswagen-size catfish, 12-foot long armor scaled piraracus, alligators and an assortment of other unsavory characters possessing fangs, stingers, toxins and never-ending appetites.”

Peacock bass are bass are known as pavon in Venezuela and Colombia or tucunare in Brazil and Peru. While four distinct species are generally recognized, some fish biologists suggest that a dozen or more varieties might actually exist throughout South America.

A common characteristic shared by all peacocks is the black circular “eye spot” - dramatically rimmed in gold - on the base of the caudal fin. This spot closely resembles the tail plume of a peacock fowl. Hence, the name peacock bass became the perfect moniker.

Actively breeding male peacocks bear a prominent hump on their head. This is used as a battering ram in battles with other males and to protect fry and territory. Some speculate it might be a fat deposit that the male uses to nourish himself when guarding fry and not feeding.

[oucorry]

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[Marvin]

I saw some pros fishing on TV for them one time and one of the pros had brought five rods that day I think and he broke four of them, it was nuts. Been wanting to go ever since that show.

[flytiethis]

Originally Posted by oucorry

Has anyone ever fished for these monsters? They have always intrigued me with their ferocity. Here is a little bit of info I found on these dudes:

Though its basic anatomy closely resembles that of the largemouth bass, the peacock bass is actually not a member of the bass family. It belongs to a family of fish known as cichlids. Like largemouths, the peacock prefers to ambush unsuspecting prey from a stealthy vantagepoint and demonstrates a gluttonous appetite.

The similarity ends there, however. The peacock bass is much more eye-appealing than its North American counterpart, colorfully adorned in varying shades of green, blue, orange and gold.

“Don’t let this Fancy Dan appearance fool you, though” says Hall of Fame angler Spence Petros. “Peacocks are far more aggressive than largemouths, often pursuing lures or prey larger than themselves. They routinely break lines, shatter rods and destroy tackle that would subdue the toughest largemouth. The peacock has evolved as a world-class gamefish, flourishing in an environment filled vicious piranhas, Volkswagen-size catfish, 12-foot long armor scaled piraracus, alligators and an assortment of other unsavory characters possessing fangs, stingers, toxins and never-ending appetites.”

Peacock bass are bass are known as pavon in Venezuela and Colombia or tucunare in Brazil and Peru. While four distinct species are generally recognized, some fish biologists suggest that a dozen or more varieties might actually exist throughout South America.

A common characteristic shared by all peacocks is the black circular “eye spot” - dramatically rimmed in gold - on the base of the caudal fin. This spot closely resembles the tail plume of a peacock fowl. Hence, the name peacock bass became the perfect moniker.

Actively breeding male peacocks bear a prominent hump on their head. This is used as a battering ram in battles with other males and to protect fry and territory. Some speculate it might be a fat deposit that the male uses to nourish himself when guarding fry and not feeding.

Peacock bass were put in Florida waters as an experiment to get rid of non resident fish that were dumped in the canals by folks wanting to get rid of them,and clean out their fish tanks.What they didnt plan on is the Peacock eating largemouth fry too.The Peacocks were started in Miami,and now have worked their way north into north Broward county.Seems like we have more Peacocks than Largemouths now,and I'm loving every minute of it.

[oucorry]

Being a bass fisherman, I hate to hear that. But I guess if you had to have a species taking over I would want it to be the peacocks