There is no more exiting
quarry for the fly fisherman than the wild and brutish peacock bass.
This is where subtlety and finesse meet sheer physical power - a true test
of tackle and techniques.
The peacock bass is the ultimate flyrod adversary.
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Here are some general guidelines;
Patterns -- Extra-large
streamers fished on a sinking line are generally most productive (not only
in terms of overall numbers of peacocks, but for larger-sized fish as well).
We highly recommend Sidewinder's Peacock Rattle Fly. Other popular
streamers include 6-inch (5/0) bicolored, heavily-dressed bucktails in
red/yellow, olive/white and red/white. Big Deceivers, Bunnies, Saltwater
Zonkers, Clousser Minnows and other flashy baitfish imitations all take
fish. All patterns should have generous amounts of matching Flashabou
or Crystal Flash. Big saltwater poppers are exciting to fish, but
can be extremely exhausting to cast and retrieve for a prolonged period.
Also, fish over 10-pounds are difficult to coax to the surface with fly
rod poppers. Only extremely-large (6-inches or larger) sliders and
poppers will bring up trophy fish. Gaines saltwater poppers in red/yellow
and pearl/olive hold up well and are hard to beat in terms of their 'action'
in the water. 'Sliders' are productive in clear water situations.
Popovic's 'Siliclone Mullet' in olive and white is effective. Fly
shade is just as important as color, depending upon light conditions.
For this reason have an adequate selection of ight and dark patterns.
We recommend that you bring at least two dozen streamers (half light, half
dark) and several poppers. Hooks should be razor sharp -- dull hooks significantly
reduce hookup rate. Flies can be obtained from www.Tackle-Box.net
Fly rods should be fast action models, because
they load sinking lines more efficiently and generally have more 'backbone'
than softer models. Bring at least two fly rods, because rods can
break under the 'jungle stress.' Reels don't need to hold a lot of
backing because peacocks don't make long runs, but a smooth, strong drag
is essential. Recommended 'heavy' fly rod & reel combinations:
A stiff/fast action, 9-foot, eight, nine or ten - weight rod (Sage 990-3RPLX
or G. Loomis FR1088-4) with Scientific Anglers 'System 2 -89' or G. Loomis
reel. Recommended 'medium' fly rod & reel combination (for floating
lines): A stiff/fast action, 9-foot, seven or eight-weight rod (G.
Loomis GL3 or GLX) + matched reel.
Sink tip lines are much more effective for
streamers than floating lines. Don't bring just any old sink tip
line. A Teeny '300 T-Series/Sinking line or a Rio 24-foot 300-grain
Density Compensated line (these lines can be fished on anything from an
8 to 10 weight rod) are our top choices. If you like, bring a floating
line for poppers and sliders but be aware that big fish are more readily
caught on sinking lines. A line with a drastic weight-forward taper
(like Scientific Anglers' 'Mastery Saltwater Tarpon') matched to your rod
weight will help handle wind-resistant poppers.
Leaders: Peacocks are not the least bit leader
shy. If you are not pursuing line class records, most fly anglers
use a straight shot (approximately six feet) of 35-pound monofilament leader
material. Anything lighter can be snapped off like sewing thread
if that fifteen 'pounder' runs you into a tree or rock pile. You
will go through a lot of leader material, because of the peacock's extremely
abrasive teeth. We recommend buying a spool of soft monofilament
leader material. If you're trying for an IGFA record, you'll have
to follow their leader specifications.
A Suggestion - Fly fishing for peacocks is extremely productive,
but can be tiring if you're not used to blind casting (and then rapidly
stripping) a heavy-weight fly rod all day long. If you don't think
you have this type of endurance, we strongly recommend that you also bring
along casting or spinning tackle to give yourself a break.
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