The Amazon's Most Awesome!
It was the late 1950's or early '60's that the first accounts of peacock bass were told by the late Field and Stream angling editor A.J. McClane. His text and stories described huge, hump-backed fish that had a resemblance to largemouth bass, but were much bigger and were brightly colored. McClane referred to those fish as pavon, the local Venezuelan name, which loosely translated to peacock in English. Some believe that the bass moniker was either added to peacock by Florida Fish and Game personnel that were involved in the early stocking programs, or perhaps an American fishing tour operator, believing that not many "gringo" anglers would be interested in fishing for a fish called pavon. In actuality, the peacock bass is not a member of the bass family at all. It is just one of the some 1,600 plus member of the family of fish called cichlids.
There are some striking similarities to the largemouth bass, such as basic body contour, cavernous mouth, ravenous appetite and a strong propensity to attack prey species, lures and flies with a ferocity that is more reminiscent of much larger fish. One striking difference, immediately apparent is that this fish is much more vividly colored in varying shades of green, blue, orange and gold.
"Don't let this ''Fancy Dan" appearance fool you, though" says author and National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame angler Spence Petros. "The peacock bass is much more aggressive than the largemouth, often pursuing lures or prey larger than itself. Peacocks routinely break lines, shatter rods and destroy tackle that would subdue the toughest largemouth. The peacock bass has evolved and actually flourishes in an environment that possesses vast schools of vicious piranhas, giant Amazon catfish the size of Volkswagens, 12-foot long armor scaled pirarucus, alligators and an assortment of other unsavory characters that possess fangs, stingers, toxins and never-ending appetites."
Ever-increasing numbers of anglers are trekking to South America armed with flies and lures to target the hard-fighting peacock bass. Drawing an explosive strike from an enraged or hungry peacock bass on fly or plug might be one of the most exciting and challenging experiences you'll ever encounter as a freshwater angler.
Peacock bass in the Amazon can grown in excess of 20 pounds.
While four distinct species (for record keeping purposed, the International
Gamefish Association - IGFA - recognizes 3) of peacock bass (known as pavon in Venezuela and Colombia or tucunare in Brazil and Peru) are generally recognized, some fisheries biologists suggest that perhaps as many as 12 or more species might actually exist throughout South America. A black circular "eye spot" - dramatically rimmed in a fluorescent gold - on the base of the tail fin is a common characteristic shared by all the many subspecies of peacock bass. It is said that this "eye spot" resembles that found on the tail plume of the peacock fowl and perhaps this is the reason that South American anglers called the fish pavon or peacock. It has been postulated that this eye spot is a defense mechanism to deceive prey species in search of a meal. It is much more likely to survive a bite to the false eye than it would to the regular eyes situated on its head - a targeted site by larger prey species.
Another unique difference between peacock bass and their North American counterparts is that both female and male fish can reach trophy proportions. The largest of the largemouth bass species are always female. One differentiating anatomical characteristic between large male and female peacock bass is that male peacock bass develops a prominent hump on their head during the spawn, its purpose the source of much speculation. Some suggest this hump might serve as a natural weapon, used as a battering ram when engaged in battle with other males and to protect fry and territory. Some have speculated that it is a fat and protein deposit that the male uses to nourish himself when guarding fry and not actively feeding. Others suggest that this is used to feed developing fry. Dr.Kirk Winemiller, a Texas A &M fisheries biologist, suggests that it might be a hormonal induced structure that might make the male more appealing to the females of the species such as the mane of a large male lion. Whatever the reason for this hump, it provides anglers with a most unique topic for discussion when landing a male with this characteristic.
Peacock bass demonstrate three qualities that make them an ideal angling target: they are territorial; they mouth brood and they have ravenous appetites. Because they are so territorial, it is believed that a fairly high percentage of strikes will occur just because your lure or fly has violated their territory. Because peacock bass parents take care of their young, they will assault a lure or fly because it is a threat to their offspring. The fry will actually scurry into the mouths of protective parents when a threat is present. Their ravenous appetites can best be exemplified by the vivid mental image of 12 to 14 inch long baitfish actually beaching themselves on sandbars to escape the onslaught of peacock bass on the feed. When one takes advantage of what will trigger a feeding or aggression response by peacock bass, it will increase the odds of landing more fish.
Peacock bass anglers in the 1980's and early 90's had only a limited selection of lures and flies to chose from that could hold up to the havoc that large peacocks wreaked on tackle. Very few gamefish can expose a weakness in a lure as do the peacock bass, as they routinely open split rings, straighten hooks and rip hook hangers from the bodies of lures that appear to be well-constructed. However from the mid-'90's on, tackle manufacturers realized the potential of the peacock bass tackle purchasing market and began making lures that were up to the challenge of being abused by peacock bass. As soon as you handle and observe these baits, you will note such modifications as triple-wrapped split rings, stronger hooks and long screw eyes/hook hangers anchored deeply in the body of the baits.
If you were to ask 100 veteran peacock bass anglers what it is about fishing for peacock bass that they enjoy the most, a good majority would reply with something along the lines of "It's the way they hit a topwater plug or surface fly!" First time anglers are so startled by this vicious topwater assault that they usually miss the first several fish. Unlike other aggressive gamefish species, peacock bass will readily take a topwater lure or surface fly all day long, even in bright sunlight. Of course, overcast conditions will still yield the most action, but don't ever believe that the topwater bite is over as soon as the sun comes up.
While the thought of traveling to the Amazon rainforest conjures up images of 30-foot long anacondas and schools of man-eating piranhas, in actuality the Amazon is a tranquil place, one where the animal population uses the dense jungle foliage to stay hidden and out of site. Ok, what about mosquitoes? Since the areas where most of the fishing occurs is considered a blackwater type of watershed, these conditions are generally too acidic to support the growth of mosquitoes. You are more likely to get a mosquito bite in your backyard than you are in the Amazon
