Peacock bass are more active in shallow water late in the morning and early in the afternoon when the sun is high.

Who’s Summer are We Referring To?

Winter for South America starts at the end of June, 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 winter, which starts at the end of June, is in the middle of the dry season. However, depending on the location of your fishing trip, understand that the rainy season starts as early as March or as late as May.

Dry Season

The dry season starts in May, but really gets underway by June, which is the beginning of their Winter. However, the beginning of the dry season varies from region to region so check with your local tour guide or lodge before booking a trip. Also, the length and duration of the dry and rainy seasons and commencement of the dry and rainy seasons are different from region to region.

In most regions, the rainy season starts in December and lasts until March/April. However, as can be seen in the image above, the rainy season can begin as early as October. As the water recedes, the bass concentrate in lagoons and pools making locating them much easy.

For those angler visiting South America, make sure to understand that the seasons are reversed. Though there are really only two seasons as the temperatures don’t change too much in the rain forest. The two seasons are the rainy and the dry season. You may also need to get caught up on your shots before booking a trip by as much as six months.

Casting and Trolling

The preferred method of catching the Speckled Peacock Bass is by casting and trolling, though casting is preferred over trolling. Lures are the preferred bait as live bait is difficult to maintain and obtain. When hooked, Speckled Peacock Bass put up a strong fight, making repeated short jumps.

When you have them close to the boat, don’t give up as they may make one last fight to get away. Line strength should be at least 40 pounds, though 30 pounds may be sufficient in other countires, it not sufficient in South America. We also recommend the use of 20 to 30 pound wire leaders with these fish.

Peacock bass are more active in shallow water late in the morning and early in the afternoon when the sun is high. Unlike North American Bass, the peacocks enjoy the sun and it governs so much of their life. They are slow early in the morning and in the evening.

Lures

The same techniques use in the spring work well in the summer. They prefer live bait, but will strike at a lure just as easily. Speckled Peacock Bass prefer and strike a variety of flashy diving, shallow running, surface plugs, jigs and large streamer flies. When they strike, they strike hard. When they strike on surface plugs, it is aggressive and savage. Remember that the water is very cloudy and it can be difficult to see any further than a few feet. The best lures create vibrations that mimic wounded fish.

When fishing lagoons, try the use of diving plugs and running floats. Blue chartreuse and green and white plugs work best for lagoon fishing for Speckled Peacocks. Lipless rattling crank baits are another favoured lure, especially in open water fishing. Blue and silver work best.

Surface lures include large walking, popping and buzzing models. For big fish, large plugs with fore and aft propellers create a lot of commotion and best for catching large fish. spinners baits produce some strikes but are greatly outfished by plugs. Unless you don’t have any other lures, leave these ones at home when it comes to peacock.