It was a warm and humid December morning in Miami. I drove down to the park in my Tacoma, and waited on Captain Hall to pull in. To my surprise, the slim, enthusiastic captain was waiting for me at the boat ramp. He asked, “Are you Heath?” I nodded. “Well, I got some shiners and the Peacocks love them,” he shot back. I boarded his smaller boat, and the hunt was on for Miami Peacock Bass.
As we glided through the urban jungle of Miami’s canal system. The green vegetation of a jungle engulfed me as we reached our first stop. The captain smirked and said drop it here. The baitfish on a circle hook swam at its will. The air cooler than the sweltering forecast was damp with the morning dew. The rod began to twitch with a slight bump. Then, the rod bent over with a slam. I closed my bail and the fish was hooked. The line screamed like a torture creature. I reeled with a passion of excited child. The fish was close to the boat, when I laid my eyes on its exotic colors of green, reddish orange and yellow. I landed my first Butterfly Peacock bass of Miami. It wasn’t my last.
We moved constantly through the urban jungle. Stopping at holes, we would cast and hook a peacock. The banks would alternate of vines, backyards and iguanas as swiftly moved through the canals of the metropolis. I hooked at least 10 but none of size as we reached an open lake like area of the canals. The shiner thrown out on a hook bounced in a fury. The rod bent slightly and I reeled to hook up. The Peacock bass fought with a fury of a football safety. It had shoulders in its fight. After a five minute fight, the brightly colored fish was defeated. Watch my adventure in this short video below. For more information on Peacock Bass Fishing, check out http://www.captmarkhall.com/
Peacock Bass Fishing in the Miami Canals from David Heath Yates on Vimeo.
Man Can Outdoors 