Peacock bass: our tips for catching this fish of a lifetime

If you are an avid fisherman, you must have heard of the peacock bass (Cichla Temensis) found on the tributaries of the Amazon in several countries in South America. It is THE iconic fish par excellence. Reputation that he has forged for his fighting spirit, his explosive attacks on the surface and his particularly colorful dress.

The Rodmaps team has already gone to meet it on 3 occasions (2010,2012,2018). We had the chance to fish several species of cichlids such as Temensis, ocellaris, intermedia, pinima, orinocensis, monoculus etc. To this end, we wanted to share with you everything there is to know about this fish and about his fishing.

Peacock bass: Predator or prey?

The Peacock bass feeds on small fish but also on small mammals present in the Amazon basin. The peacock bass is a robust fish, which knows how to get out of the game thanks to its speed and its camouflage, in order to survive in this hostile environment that is the Amazon. Even if he is an outstanding hunter, he is himself subject to other predators of the Amazon basin (piranhas, catfish, caimans, anacondas, ...).

How to target the peacock bass?

Far too many fishermen make the mistake of fishing for peacock bass exclusively on the surface, with propbait type propeller lures. Our experience on this fish shows us that it works very well on large specimens but that they also hunt at the bottom of the river by "picking up" its prey. Hence the interest of fishing with rubbers jigs or bucktails jigs if the piranhas are discreet. The jerkbaits and the spinnerbaits have proven to be very effective too, bringing them erratically between two waters. It is also possible to fish it with softjerks, but you have to plan a lot of pockets!

Its positioning

Instinctively, you will look for it in visible structures like dead woods, rocks, streams etc. and you are right. However, we have noticed on several occasions that some fish, including large porpoises, roam in the middle of the river and lagoons at certain times of the day. So don't forget to fish in the open water with very noisy lures, to trigger peacock attacks. Lipless are a good way to get the attention of these fish. It is indeed a type of lure that fishes very quickly and is easily spotted by distant predators.

Don't take the peacock bass lightly ...

For the peacock bass, don't make the mistake of fishing too light. Finding this fish requires reliable equipment. We were able to test a lot of rods, reels, lures and braids through these trips, and we made a selection of products that will adapt to this fish but also to your needs.

Cannes:

• Jabbers "Beast flogger BFC705H
• Deps Huge Custom H2N64R

Reels:

• Shimano Antares DC7LV
• Abu Garcia Revo beast
• Shimano Antares 2012
• Curado 201XG

Lures:

• LUHR JENSEN Woodchopper
• DEPS Balisong 130SP
• LUHR JENSEN Devil ripper
• DEPS Pulsecod
• Rapala flashin minnow
• DEPS F-Sonic
• LuckyCraft B'freeze128SP
• DEPS B-Custom 3 / 4oz
• Luckycraft Flashminnow130MR
• Sébile flatt shad snagless
• OSP rudra 130SP
• HEDDON super spook one knocker
• OSP Typhoon
• Borboleta perversa

For the peacock bass, the split rings must all be replaced by others from 50lbs to 80lbs, except with lures from Luhr Jensen, as well as all hooks. Putting equivalents from MUSTAD or OWNER will prevent you from many disappointments.

Regarding the braid, we recommend:

• Yamatoyo Super PE 45lbs 4X
• Caperlan 33LBS 8X
• Tuff line XP 40LBS
• Tuf line XP 50LBS

The leaders will be 60LBS to 80LBS in flurocarbon or leader, for the connection, tie an FG or PR knot.