Learn to Catch Peacock Bass

    No other sport fish in the world approaches the peacock bass' reputation for ferocious, awe inspiring strikes and sheer tackle busting power.  The peacock behaves like an overly aggressive largemouth bass on steroids with a really bad attitude.  When a peacock decides to strike a surface lure, it hits with such power, noise and impact that you have a hard time believing it's real.  It can literally startle an unsuspecting angler into reflexively flinching and trying to drag the bait away.  Subsurface strikes can be no less impressive, feeling as though your bait somehow got hooked onto an underwater freight train.  The peacock's violent behavior and amazing displays of sheer strength seem impossible for a fish twice its size.  It seems to expend more energy than it can possibly contain for the first minute or two of its encounter with an angler.  You'd think that a fish that fights this hard would tire very fast, but fishermen quickly learn that even as it comes to the boat, there's usually another hook-straightening burst of power or line-peeling run remaining.
    Peacock bass are Cichlids, members of the most highly evolved group of fishes in the world.  Hundreds of species exist in both the old and the new world and represent some of the most diverse fish in the underwater domain.  Many, such as oscars from South America and the mbuna from Africa, are among the most popular home aquarium fishes, while other species such as tilapia, are farmed to provide food for our tables.  Feeding almost entirely on other fish, peacock bass have evolved into one of the most efficient predators in the genus.  Their speed, strength, size and ferocity enable them to make a meal of almost every other species of fish in the Amazon.  Like the largemouth bass, their huge, bucket-mouth can engulf surprisingly large prey, making almost anything smaller than them a good candidate for dinner. Sixteen recognized species are found in the Amazon
   Cichla temensis, called "tucunare azul or paca" in Brazil and "pavon azul or pinta lapa" in Spanish speaking countries, are very sensitive to water temperature and are therefore essentially restricted to the equatorial tropics of Amazonia.  Specimens of this species of peacock bass, reaching as large as 27 pounds, have been caught by anglers.  Reports of commercially caught fish of over 35 pounds have come from the market in Manaus.  There are surely plenty of new records still swimming in the vast, relatively unexplored waters of the Amazon.  Tucunare coloring and appearance is widely varied through its range and specimens from the same waters can often appear to be members of different species.  All specimens have the trademark tail spot for which they are named, as well as black markings on the gill plates.  Body color can vary from a dark brownish green through deep yellow to almost silver.  Three black, vertical bars of varying size and intensity mark their sides and blood red runs along their bellies and colors their lower fins. A common color variant, called "paca" displays dotted, horizontal white lines overlaying the pattern on their sides.  This form is associated with specimens in non-reproductive mode (It is said that specimens with this color variation are even stronger and more tenacious than their brethren.)   In some clear water fisheries, peacock's fins are streaked with an unearthly electric blue.  It's hard to believe that a predatory fish as fierce as a peacock can also be so beautiful.
Cichla Orinocensis,  the Amazon butterfly peacock, is found in much of the same waters as it's larger cousin.  These peacocks (called borboleto in Brazil) are differentiated by three black rosettes marking their sides instead of the black bars of temensis.  Although rarely exceeding 7 or 8 pounds, they are terrific fighters, readily strike many of the same baits and at times can be every bit as aggressive as as their larger cousins.   A third species, Cichla Monoculus, (or papoca) is found in the southern extent of C. temensis range and rarely exceeds 4 or 5 pounds.