In all seasons, the Speckled Peacock Bass are more active shallow water during late morning and early afternoon when the sun is high in the sky.

Reversed Seasons

Summer for South America starts at the end of December, the opposite of North America. While we have four seasons in much of the northern Hemisphere, South America essentially has two: the dry season and the wet season. And, their summer, which starts at the end of December, is in the middle of the wet season. However, depending on the location of your fishing trip, understand that the rainy season starts as early as October or as late as December.

At the end of spring and into Summer the rains really come down, adding as much as 225mm a month. Water levels in the Amazon basin rise significantly, flooding many areas, which has the effect of rapidly expanding the habitat of the Speckled Peacock Bass and as a consequence, it is much harder to find and catch the Speckled Peacock Bass.

As the water levels rise, lagoons and rivers blend together forming a large flood plain and this produces a much larger volume of water and getting snags is so much easier. Fishing expeditions during this time are often fruitless and with the colder weather, Speckled Peacock Bass are also much harder to entice.

The rainy season varies from region to region. The start and stop time of the rainy season is best gathered from tourism boards and fishing lodges.

Trolling, Casting, Fly Fishing

Catching the Speckled Peacock Bass in the summer wet season can be very difficult with heavy rain and rising water conditions. However, if you are going to fish this season, the recommended methods of catching the Speckled Peacock Bass in the summer is trolling and casting. Fly Fishing works better in the dry season.

Focus on lures that replicate the sound of a wounded bait fish. This includes shallow running surface plugs, poppers and divers. A selection of walking, popping and bussing models are all recommended.

Setting the Hook

The Speckled Peacock Bass will strike with significant force, so be quick to set the hook and prepared for a long fight as it dives deep into the river amongst sunken trees and rocks outcrops.

The Speckled Peacock Bass put up a strong fight, making repeated short jumps and they do not give up when they are close to the boat. A minimum recommended line test should be 40 pounds, though 50 pounds is a better choice. The Amazon is the home of the record sized peacocks. Fishing with anything less than 40 pounds will likely see you lose a lunker should it strike your hook.

In all seasons, the Speckled Peacock Bass are more active shallow water during late morning and early afternoon when the sun is high in the sky. The sun essentially wakes them up and they are more active and hungry at this time. During the rain season, when the clouds persist, the Speckled Peacock Bass can become quite lethargic and you may go home empty.

Wait for sunny periods and head out between the hours of 11h00 and 15h00. Outside of these hours and they slow down and become dormant, though they continue to feed until the early evening.