Peacock bass

[Kevin Lin]

Important question I have a lake or pond behind my house in Florida and I seen tons of peacock bass how do I catch them? There is a lot of floating and submerged vegetation so I can't use xraps poppers or anything with exposed hook the only time I can catch them is when they are nesting

[geo g]

Over the years I have caught them on 4" senkos and flukes but you have to keep them moving.  A spinnerbait is a good choice that will draw a bite.  Inline spinners with a weed guard can be effective.  In thick cover your choices are numbered. 

[Darren.]

Welcome aboard, Kevin!

Good luck with those Peacocks.

They're on my bucket list, so no 
experience here.

[I.rar]

Zoom Super Fluke Jr's on 1/0 Ewg Texas rigged weightless.  Twitched just below the surface usually gets them worked up. If you can find any water without veg on the surface, spook Jr's are great too. 

Don't let the bait sit too long or they'll loose interest. Only if they short strike I'll let it sit for a few seconds after they miss before starting the retrieve again. They are an absolute blast to catch. Good luck! 

[Afishionado]

I.rar is definitely right about not letting it sit too long.. don't let them get a good look at it.. nice fast retrieves will elicit reaction strikes.. A buddy of mine uses chuggers and does great.. 

[Frise]

For Peacocks the best bait that catches the biggest fish is live shiners (or you can use a live lizard). If you are looking to catch them on artificial baits then a recommend the gambler big ez or a soft plastic lizard

[soflabasser]

Caught a bunch of peacock bass earlier today on rapala x raps.Try to find open spaces between the aquatic vegetation and cast this lure there.Many times the peacock bass are waiting to ambush on the outside of the weed edges,just like a largemouth bass.If the area is too weedy you can use zoom super flukes as a good alternative.