Peacock bass fishing TESTIMONIALS

Reproduced with permission of The Angling Report, the newsletter for anglers who travel, www.anglingreport.com

ANGLING REPORT ARTICLE

Geographic Focus of Article: South America | Peru | by Larry Larsen
Issue: November, 1997 | Article ID: 1055

Angling Report: Larry, exactly what is a peacock bass?
Larry Larsen: The peacock bass is not really a bass at all. It is a member of the chiclid family of fishes, which also includes the guapote (rainbow bass), oscar and tilapia, among many others. The peacock bass derives its name from the conspicuous, ocellated (ringed in gold) black mark on its tail, which resembles the vivid "eye" on the beautiful plume of a peacock's tail.
Angling Report: And where are they found?
Larry Larsen: The countries where they are found are Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Panama and the United States. They are found in the US in Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Florida, where they have been transplanted. All of these countries have fishing programs of some sort, but the traveling angler who wants to give these fish a try for the first time should really focus his attention on Brazil, Peru and Venezuela.
Angling Report: Is there something about these fish people should wake up to?
Larry Larsen: Well, one thing to commend them is the fact that 95 percent of the time you can catch them on the surface. They jump an awful lot. And, in some areas, it's not unusual to catch fish that weigh in the upper teens. In Brazil and in some places in Venezuela you can actually catch specimens that weigh 20, 21 and even 22 pounds. They are just a super-exciting fish. They school. They are attracted to noise and commotion on the surface. And, it's worth noting, the bigger fish are males, which means they don't lose any energy to the spawning process. These fish just don't give up until they are completely exhausted.
Angling Report: So, why haven't they caught on more strongly among fly anglers?
Larry Larsen: Well, these are a fish that get excited when you make noise on the surface. That's particularly true of the bigger fish. Obviously, it's hard to make a big commotion with a fly rod. Another factor here is the large-size rod you need on larger peacocks. A 10 or 11-weight is essential and many anglers find it hard to blind-cast all day with a rod this heavy.
Angling Report: So, most of the fishing is blind-casting...?
Larry Larsen: It is until you get a school stirred up. At that point, the individual fish light up like billfish and hit anything in the area that is making a commotion on the surface. Some fly anglers have learned to use this behavior to their advantage. What they do is fish with a noisy topwater lure with no hooks, or have their guide or buddy throw one out, until there is an explosion.
At that point, they throw a fly in that general area. Almost invariably, they either catch the fish that hit the topwater lure or one of his compadres.
Angling Report: This sounds like a variant on the "teaser" theme that has made bluewater fly fishing viable.
Larry Larsen: It is, but I don't want to overstate the need to "tease" these fish to the fly. If you locate some general pockets where fish are, you can blind-cast to them and do fairly well. Another thing you can do is bring a number of small rocks on board with you every day and have your guide, or buddy, toss one out occasionally. The splash will attract and excite peacocks so they take your fly....
Angling Report: All right - let's get specific. Which peacock trips are "hot" right now, Larry? What's Hot In Peacock Bass Fishing?

(Editor Note: Peacock bass are one of those vastly underrated sportfish you rarely read about except in over-hyped adventure "stories." Here are some hard facts about the fish and where you can go in pursuit of them, thanks to Larry Larsen who has written two books about the critters and spent something like 130 days fishing for them in six different countries. Angling Report President/Publisher Don Causey conducted the interview.)

Larry Larsen: In my opinion, the top trip right now for the angler in search of very large peacocks is the one based aboard the Amazon Queen in Brazil, an 85-foot floating hotel that provides access to fishing this time of year in the general area of Barcelos, a town on the Rio Negro. At other times of the year, it plies other waterways in the general vicinity of Manaus. Your arrival point for this trip is Manaus, where you board a charter flight to Barcelos. The fishing takes place from 17-foot Nitro Tracker bass boats with 75-horsepower engines. These are towed behind the motherboat. The best time for this fishing is September through March. A typical daily catch here can be as low as five fish a day and as high as 20 fish a day.
Angling Report: And how large are the fish?
Larry Larsen: The Amazon Queen regularly accounts for some of the largest peacocks in South America. The last time I was there we caught seven peacocks that weighed over 20 pounds. Two weeks ago, they caught 13 over 20 pounds. That was their best week ever in terms of the number of peacocks over 20 pounds. Their average is about four over 20 pounds per week. This trip is handled by Rod and Gun Resources and costs $3,500 for 5 1/2 days of fishing from Manaus.
Angling Report: What about a place with a bit more action on big fish? Where do you go for that?
Larry Larsen: The Roraima Peacock Reserve on the Agua Boa River gets my nod for that kind of fishing. The typical catch here is 15 to 30 fish, with five to six of those weighing over 10 pounds. This is a fixed-camp operation run by a Brazilian doctor out of the town of Boa Vista. You get to this area by catching a charter flight out of Manaus, which lands right at the camp. Anglers here fish some 30 lagoons in the general vicinity of the camp. Fishing in the lagoons is rotated so no area gets too much pressure. Also, no two boats are ever assigned to the same lagoon at the same time. The fishing craft here are small aluminum jonboats with 25-horsepower engines on them. They are adequate to the task at hand, as the river connecting the lagoons is tiny.
Importantly, there are no villages or even any residents in the entire area. The doctor who owns the camp has the only permits available to fish it.
Angling Report: So this reserve is a government-run refuge...?
Larry Larsen: Not really. It's a reserve only in the sense that the owner controls all the permits to fish in the area and, with the exception of table fare, practices catch and release. The best time to fish this area is December through April. This trip is booked in the US by Fishing Adventures. It costs $3,350 from arrival in Manaus for five full days of fishing.
Angling Report: What about the angler who wants to catch peacocks but have a shot at lots of other fish, too?
Larry Larsen: The best place for that, in my estimation, is a placed called Pousada Salto Thaimacu on the Rio Sao Benedito south of Manaus. You get to this fixed camp by flying into Belem and then catching a commercial flight on to the town of Alta Floresta. This flight makes three stops along the way. Once there, you still have to catch a 25-minute charter flight, which takes you to a runway immediately adjacent to the camp. The peacocks you catch in this area are not a recognized sub-species but they are clearly different. The locals call them "fogo" (or fire) peacocks because the lower half of these fish is blood-red. The color starts with the lower jaw and runs through the gill plate and down along the side, including half the tail. "Fogos" are found only in the local waters around this camp. The fishing here is in some eight to 10 lagoons and in several local rivers. The camp's aluminum boats with 25-horsepower engines are more than adequate.
Angling Report: So, what fish other than peacocks can you catch?
Larry Larsen: There are lots of payara here. These are the fish that have long canine teeth that project upward through the snout.
Then there are corvina, a drum-type fish. You can also catch bicuda, which is the big fish with a beak. It's long and fairly thin and grows to some six to eight pounds. They are great leapers. Additionally, they have one of the greatest matrinxa runs in the Amazon. These are fish that look like an American shad but they have teeth and run about three to seven pounds. You can catch them easily on spinners or flies. As for best times, you have to come here in late June through about late September if you want to catch peacocks. At other times, the water is just too high. Unfortunately, that is not the best time to catch all of the other
exotics that are available. The interested angler should get the literature on this trip and note what bites when, then decide which time is most appealing to him. This trip is also booked in the US by Fishing Adventures (see above). It costs $2,995 for five full days of fishing.
Angling Report: What about the best place to simply catch a lot of peacock bass?
Larry Larsen: The place that gets my nod for that is Camp on the Rio Cajocuma in Peru. The typical angler here will catch 30 to 40 peacocks a day that run between three and seven pounds. This place has a terrific fishery. It's cheaper than other peacock places too. The all-in price, including airfare from Miami, is just over $2,000. That compares with something like $4,000 for most of the Brazilian trips when you figure in the cost of airfare. There's no question that Camp Peacock is an all around good place for the beginning peacock bass angler to visit. A trip here starts with a flight into the Peruvian town of Iquitos, which has the distinction of being the largest Indian village in the world. You then either catch a sea plane or fixedwheel plane that takes you near the anchored barge that serves as camp headquarters.
Angling Report: A barge...?
Larry Larsen: Yes, but don't worry. The facilities are very comfortable. There are 16 rooms in all and there is a big restauranttype kitchen to prepare meals. You actually fish out of aluminum boats with 25-horsepower engines. The barge itself is moved seasonally, depending on water level. Moving it requires a tug so it isn't moved daily or anything like that. The operator is an American who has worked down there for years. This trip is also booked by Fishing Adventures and costs $2,495 for five full days of fishing.
(Editor Note: Larry Larsen's two books on peacock bass are entitled Peacock Bass Explosions! and Peacock Bass and Other Fierce Exotics. They are available in paperback for $15.95 and $16.95 post-paid respectively from Larsen's Outdoor Publishing.)

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