Peacock Party
South Florida is the land of juxtaposition; multi-million dollar yachts are docked beside double-wides, jon boats are fishing the same water as Hell’s Bay skiffs, and introduced exotic species swim beside native fish as if they had for all time. Florida, the home of Disney World and Universal, plays host to fantasies for the outdoorsman too. Peacock bass, myriad cichlids, clown knife fish and seemingly a thousand other species make South Florida their new home. For the interested angler, this region represents almost completely unparalleled opportunities for catching novel and unique species close to home. Domestic fishermen don’t need to travel to South and Central America or even East Asia to catch some of the famous fish there, instead they can look to the southernmost point in the lower 48 to pursue some of these incredible catches.
In what has become an annual trip for Tall Tails, we traveled to the greater Fort Lauderdale area to hunt some new targets and escape the cold of the southern Appalachians. In 2021 we made this trip around the pretext of a wedding present that I provided to my business partner Collin. The deal was that I would pay for a guided trip anywhere we could reasonably afford to travel and then we would build a whole fishing trip around it while splitting the costs on everything else. When Collin got married I told him “i’ve seen your registry and didn’t see anything that I thought you would enjoy more than fishing with your best friend.” Unsurprisingly, he played along and we managed to put together an incredible fishing weekend where we also got to invite along our friend and private photographer, Chad. Year 1 was “Collin’s wedding present”. Fittingly, Year 2 was my wedding present! We recreated our favorite aspects from our first year but also met up with old friends and fished some new places. As our fishing network grows we are so lucky to have a solid foundation of friends across the country that we can fish with. Assuming all goes well, we should be back in South Florida next year celebrating Chad’s wedding and the third annual “wedding present trip” among our trio!
Last year when we fished the canals of Cooper City we were blown away by the oddity of the fishery. If you were looking down you would be staring at slightly tannic, weedy water filled with fish and wildlife everywhere. Cranes stalked along the banks, tilapia dug beds, peacocks and cichlid swirled on bait and a thousand other little bits of life were evident for someone paying attention. If you looked up just slightly though, you would find yourselves practically in people’s backyards where chain link fences, swimming pools and barking dogs were easily within casting distance! Again, the land of juxtaposition where wild meets mundane. When we pulled into the now familiar driveway, Spencer’s enthusiasm was evident in his eyes and we could feel the excitement palpably rising. He explained that more than a score of 1 to 2 pound peacocks were schooling below the retaining wall from which the plastic bass boat and jon boat were moored. Chad had the first shot at these fish as they had unfortunately evaded him last year. With rod in hand, Chad peered over the grassy bank and down at the shallow water right below him. Peacocks darted left and right but immediately circled back returning to their pre-spawn positions. Moments later, Chad stuck his first beautiful little peacock bass! All thanks to Spencer’s good scouting and graciousness with not pressuring these fish, our group had our first catch just seconds into our fishing day!
Starting with some success was imperative as our group had endured a stressful and frustrating morning in route to Spencer’s. After multiple days of long hours on the water followed by dock light fishing at night, our exhaustion was starting to make itself evident. This was no relaxing fishing trip of sitting back while letting captains and mates do all of the real work for you. No, when we travel we are putting our energy and efforts into accomplishing something in the short time that we are there. We fish hard and recuperate when we are home. Fishing the freshwater canals was our final day’s venture before heading home after a great week’s worth of adventures. However, mere minutes from our rendezvous we were rear-ended in our rental car. “Welcome to South Florida” was the common refrain we came to hear as in turn we told the police, Spencer and the rental car agency. The minor accident (of which we were the innocent party) held us up for nearly two hours and risked costing us some of the best fishing of the day. During the interminable wait, I watched the nearby canal as peacocks boiled on the surface, mullet jumped and snakehead tails waved from the reeds along the grassy edges. With the Seminole Hard Rock practically reflected in the canal we were parked beside, Florida’s absurd fecundity was evident. When we were finally on our way again, our desperation to catch some fish had increased immeasurably. We forewent necessary food and water to instead get to the fishing as quickly as we possibly could. Soon, we were standing behind Spencer’s parents house looking into the water with our quarry so close by. Chad eventually made his cast and we all collectively released our held breaths induced from our morning’s stress. Anxiety coupled again with a sudden catharsis, Florida in a nutshell.
Standing so close to screen-enclosed pools and ranch homes, we were forced to watch our back casts and even make the occasional roll cast to avoid pulling our fly lines behind ourselves. Chain link had replaced our native rhododendron and peacock bass had taken the place of our beloved brook trout. As the morning’s steam dissipated with the rising mercury, we shoved off into the canal craft that Spencer had rigged. These canals really are a wondrous place for those who aren’t familiar with them. Tarpon and snook live beside largemouth bass and countless other species that are decidedly not typically found together. Tilapia, gar, snakehead, different cichlids, peacock bass, largemouth and many other fish all coexist here in a remarkable case study. This smorgasbord is an angler’s paradise as there are few other places in the world with such a mingling of exotic and native species.
In our two little boats we cruised the dark water looking for structure, active fish and generally anything that just ‘looked fishy’. Collin, at the bow of our plastic bass boat, chose to throw blind casts into likely areas while I more selectively engaged with fish that I saw first. Both methods were effective and before long we were again tangling with modest-sized peacocks. Our rigs were quite simple and consisted of 4/6/7 weight rods paired with floating and intermediate fly lines. Relatively short leaders of 6-7 feet tapered to Blue Line Co. swivels with 12lb fluorocarbon tippet. Peacock bass, our main targets, are known for their aggression and proclivities for targeting bright and flashy flies that effectively mirror their own flamboyant coloration. I was using white and tan hackle clousers with bright orange bead chain eyes to serve as a trigger point. My fly selection proved deadly and I never changed flies throughout the day as the peacock, and eventually cichlid, just couldn’t seem to resist it! Collin and Chad were both using flashy synthetics while Spencer was crushing big fish with an innovative new soft plastic he has been experimenting with. Together we were all catching loads of good fish and everyone was more than satisfied. As the morning waned, Spencer suggested that we make a move and go target a waterway with some larger fish. Against the old adage that “one shouldn’t leave fish to find fish”, we had already experienced enough bent rods that if our second location had proven a bust, we wouldn’t care. So, taking Spencer’s advice, we went on a trophy hunt!
We found ourselves a few miles down the road in a canal wedged between highways and car dealerships. That classic South Florida vibe was no less strong here and we watched tarpon and monstrous grass carp gulp underneath a busy four lane highway just above them. Spencer’s move was for the best and we quickly saw large peacocks and cichlids stacked right off of the bankside grass. These fish were all noticeably larger but no less eager to bite our flies! Soon, Collin, Chad and I had caught new personal best Mayan cichlids and peacocks. We hadn’t changed our methods or our flies but we were catching quality fish thanks to our move to what would otherwise seem to be just another nameless ditch in that region.
A few individual fish stood above the rest here and we all were able to end our trips with great catches. Collin at one point hooked and broke off of what would have been his largest peacock ever. About an hour after he lost the fish, he and I went back hoping to possibly see her again. Unbelievably, she was sitting right where he had hooked her the first time with Collin’s fly dangling from her upper lip. As we watched, she flared her gills and with a puff of water and dirt, spat the fly out of her mouth! Collin immediately made a quick couple of casts that eventually rewarded him this incredible fish that bulldogged through the thick grass and weeds before finally coming to hand. A couple of quick photos and she was on her way again ready to eat any other fly that came in front of her. Once we released her we waded out, grabbed the first fly and were on our way to find some more big fish on the other side of the highway. Memories like this are why we choose to fish together. That experience was unique but all the more special because it was shared among friends after a stressful morning and a hard week’s worth of fishing.
