Choose a high test line strength. Speckled Peacock Bass can easily reach 20 pounds and many believe that are 30 pounders waiting to be caught

Speckled Peacock Bass are native to the major watersheds of South America including the Amazon catchment. They prefer slow moving rivers, streams, canals and lakes. While they were introduced to Florida in 1950, they have since died out. The temperature is believed to have played a large role as they cannot survive below 60°F.

There are many lakes and lagoons in the Brazilian rain forest including the many lakes off the remote Baria river or the Casiquiare areas. As there are no longer any Speckled Peacocks in Florida, we will focus out techniques on those found in south American waters. If you happen to make a trip to South America, it is helpful to know that they are called pavon there.

We recommend looking into the Agua Boa region as it offers the opportunity of thirty-two lagoons and land locked lakes. Balance your equipment and tackle for a heavy fight and don’t forget to set your drag for an aggressive first strike. Fighting a peacock is not like trying to land a largemouth bass. The Speckled Peacock Bass is bigger and much more aggressive, it requires a lot of energy and you will be quite sore the next day.

Speckled Peacock Bass strike at threadfin shad, tilapia, bluegills and mosquitofish.

They also go after diving and shallow running and surface plugs. The shallow running plugs, both floating and diving are highly effective at getting the Speckled Peracock Bass to strike at a lure.

Keep in mind that the Amazon river and its tributaries are highly turbid, making it very difficult for the peacock bass to see their prey. They can, however, hear very well. Lures and baits that cause vibrations to sound like a wounded prey fish will get immediate attention and likly elicit a strike.

Line Test

Choose a high test line strength. Speckled Peacock Bass can easily reach 20 pounds and many believe that are 30 pounders waiting to be caught, though the record speckled peacock bass is 28 pounds so those thirty pounders right now are just talk.

Anything less than 40 pound test could result in a snapped line should you set the hook on one. The Speckled Peacock Bass you end up catching in Florida is likely a Striped Peacock bass as the Speckled Peacock failed to catch when it was introduced in 1984.