Peacock Bass in Miami

[Lard_Bass]

I would like to try and catch some peacock bass in Miami.  Any recommendations on locations and what lures to use?

[New 2 Bass]

Xraps, rattle traps. Gold or chartruse.  Some guys like the rattletraps with the spinner thingy on the back.  If you Pee'em off enough they will bite the lure.  Sometimes they hit senkos, sometimes.  Live bait is king.  Try any canal or pond w/ a canal leading into it.  My local FMA has up and died.  The fishing is worse than bad, it sux.  I havn't seen a peacock in....well I'd have to check and thats too long.  Only LM I've caught look like bait.  Try way south by the c-111 and black creek waterways.

Good luck

[A_Glenn_2]

Ive had quite a bit of success with jigs all diffrent colors also suspending gold repalas

[Lard_Bass]

Glenn2, where do you fish for peacocks?

Anyone try these locations:

http://flyfisherman.com/florida/wjpeacockbass/index2.html

Last time I was in Miami, I tried the Maceo Park docks, the canal behind Falls shopping center, Baptist Hospital lake, and the intersection of SW 8th and SW 94th. I had luck at Maceo and Baptist, caught some LM and Tilapia. No peacocks but did see some in the canals that followed my lures but wouldn't bite.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Fisherman]

The fishing is worse than bad, it sux.  I haven't seen a peacock in....well I'd have to check and thats too long.  Only LM I've caught look like bait.  Try way south by the c-111 and black creek waterways.

I can attest to that, its tuff!  I've caught a few decent LM (1-3#) but Peacocks are just following the lure.

My luck with Peacocks are: XRaps, RatLTraps, Spro Frogs and Topwater plugs.

[bocabasser]

if you have peacocks following your lures and they aren't striking, you are reeling too slow. also try making erratic moves with your bait. i have never seen a peacock that wouldn't take. if they follow it, they will eat it.

[A_Glenn_2]

When i lived down in south florida i use to fish alot of the canals in  miramar which is on the county line of north miami and broward. when the peacocks wernt biting and i could see them i just kept messing with them with a white jig sooner or later they would strike

[New 2 Bass]

if you have peacocks following your lures and they aren't striking, you are reeling too slow. also try making erratic moves with your bait. i have never seen a peacock that wouldn't take. if they follow it, they will eat it.

bocabasser you make a great point.  When I would get hit on my soft jerkbaits it was when I'd fish them all crazy like a slash bait.  I will try to burn it a bit and see if I can get the fish of the SouthBeach Diet.  Maybe it's Miami, they all want to be thin and pretty....not like the fat green slobs that sit in the shade.  ;D

[SouthMiamiBassMan]

You might want try the Cutler Bay area. We've got plenty of lakes and canals around here that have Peacocks & LGM Bass. In my lake I saw one regularly a few months ago that I was always trying to catch with no luck. I hadn't seen him for about 4 months so I thought somebody must have caught him. But this past weekend I saw him just as I was packing up to leave and he must of grown about 6 inches, he was huge (about 25+ inches!) They can be very finicky eaters. I had a live shinner once and tossed it out in front of him and the shinner actually swam directly towards the PB's mouth. He looked at it and spit it water at it and swim away. Now that it's back I'm gonna keep an eye out for it and see if he will go for a live blue gill.

[Fisherman]

if you have peacocks following your lures and they aren't striking, you are reeling too slow. also try making erratic moves with your bait. i have never seen a peacock that wouldn't take. if they follow it, they will eat it.

I have never caught a Peacock on anything SLOW.  It must be fast and erratic.  They just didn't like the lures that day or passed by me when they were done feeding.

[Lard_Bass]

Any more recs? I am going to be in Miami in about a week. I did a search on this forum and saw some guys fish in the Cutler Bay vicinity. Can anyone enlighten me to the peacock fishing in that area?

Also, what lures work with peacock bass? Thanks.