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Amazon - Brazil / The Fishing |
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This particular section on
tactics was written primarily for the first time peacock
bass angler. Veteran peacock bass anglers, however, should
review this information as well, as Amazon Fishing!
strives to reveal new methods, techniques and tactics that
are gleaned on just about every fishing excursion to South
America. Even the most seasoned peacock bass angler will
learn something from the following information.
 NATURE
OF THE BEAST
Peacock bass are highly aggressive, with males being
especially territorial. Large “machos” can usually be
triggered into striking when they see other peacocks
feeding on baitfish or another fish frantically trying to
shake off a lure.
A key to catching trophy peacock bass is to be alert for
the actively feeding fish attacking bait near the surface.
Be prepared to respond quickly with accurate casts. If you
lure reaches the scene of the melee in time, you’ll likely
be rewarded with an instant strike.
Peacock bass angling can be arduous, as you must cast
large lures or flies, long distances for hours on end. In
some instances, you’ll need to cast to a point, island,
rockpile or other likely looking target many times to
trigger a strike. You must be alert at all times, reading
the water and assessing the conditions before you. The
bottom line, however, is quite simple - the more
well-placed casts and retrieves you can make in a day, the
more you’ll be rewarded for your efforts.
HARD WORK PAYS OFF
Peacock bass angling is an extremely arduous task, as
anglers must be prepared to accurately cast large baits,
long distances for hours on end. In some instances you
might need to cast to a point or other likely looking
target several times to get a fish to strike. You must be
alert at all times, reading the water and assessing the
conditions before you. The bottom line, however, is quite
basic - the more casts you can make in a day, the more
you'll be rewarded for your efforts.
THINK FAST FOR DOUBLE HOOKUPS
When your partner gets a strike or hooks a fish, the
natural tendency is to stand back and enjoy the battle as
a spectator. But having the presence of mind to quickly
cast into the same vicinity (without hindering your
partner’s chances of landing his fish), could earn you
another peacock, possibly even bigger than the first. When
your partner’s fish is brought near boat-side, you might
see will two or three other fish swimming alongside the
hooked one. A short cast with a jerkbait or jig might
catch you one of these aroused fish.
WITH YOUR BAIT - DON'T HESITATE
When a peacock blows up on your surface bait, don’t
hesitate or halt the retrieve, but keep working the bait
across the surface. This can be a difficult lesson for
first-time peacock anglers, who often are so startled by
topwater fury that they simply gawk at the plug floating
haplessly on the water. Or, they set the hook so hard that
it comes flying back to the boat. A “hot” peacock,
triggered into frenzy, is more apt to assault the lure a
second or third time if you maintain a rapid, fleeing-type
retrieve. If a fish repeatedly strikes but misses on top,
grab another rod rigged with a jerkbait or bucktail jig
and cast to the last place you saw the fish. Don’t give up
too easily on a “hot” fish; work the area at least five
minutes with a variety of baits before moving on.
 FIGURE
OF EIGHT FOR AGGRESIVE PEACOCKS
In some instances, you’ll be stunned to see a peacock bass
following your lure right to the boat. If the fish fails
to take the bait, quickly thrust about two feet of the rod
tip into the water, with about 12 -18 inches of line, and
execute a figure eight maneuver in the same way anglers
attempt to entice aggressive muskies. An aroused peacock
bass is looking to attack anything that appears as a tasty
morsel and may readily attack your lure -- even inches
from the boat. This is more apt to happen where there are
lots of competing fish. If the fish does not succumb to
the figure eight, try working a jerkbait or jig near the
boat to get the strike.
FISH AS A TEAM
Paired anglers should work in harmony and not against each
other. While working a typical Amazon river or lagoon bank,
the angler in the front of the boat should cast his lure
ahead of the boat at likely looking cover. The partner in
back also casts forward, but not over the line of the lead
angler. To work properly as a team, the lead angler should
cast to one part of potential fish-holding cover, allowing
his partner enough of a target to cast to that cover.
Unless the fish are really slamming a specific lure,
partners should fish different baits.
LET THE FISH DICTATE WHAT THEY WANT
Some anglers stubbornly stick with a favorite bait, even
after going hours without a strike. They’ve had past
success with a lure and, by golly, they’re going to stay
with it until they get a fish, even though conditions may
be totally different from their last trip.
Savvy peacock anglers are not afraid to experiment, and
will let the mood of the fish dictate their lure selection.
Historically, the largest peacocks have come on big
topwater plugs, so, start saturating the water with a
these. If you generate surface strikes, but the fish fail
to take the bait, try switching to a smaller propeller
plug or different topwater lure, such as a popper or
walking “spook” bait.
Sometimes, peacocks just won’t strike on top and you’ll
need to go to a subsurface approach. If repeated casts to
a promising area fails to get a topwater strike, switch to
a jerk bait, such as the Peacock Minnow, Crystal Minnow or
Red Fin.
RUN AND GUN
Because the Amazon basin is so immense, there’s lots of
water for peacock bass habitat, even during the dry season.
The more productive water you effectively cover, the
better your chances of success. The “run-and-gun”
technique works well for eliminating unproductive water.
Rather than patiently making many casts in one location,
you encourage your guide to take you to several - what you
and he believe are - high percentage spots, making just a
few well-placed casts in hopes that aggressive fish will
show themselves early.
PERSISTENCE PATTERN
Basically the opposite of the “run and gun,” this method
espouses repeated (up to 50) casts to the same spot. The
idea is that the repeated casts and subsequent topwater
commotion will either “call” hungry fish from far away, or
sufficiently irritate a big fish until he strikes the bait.
While perhaps too painstakingly monotonous for many
anglers, this method is favored by several top Amazon
guides, and has proved effective for producing very large
fish.
TOPWATER TROLLING
This technique was made famous by peacock pioneer T.O.
McClean, who has probably landed more 20-pound peacocks
than any other angler. It involves slow-trolling a
beefed-up big propeller along the bank and through deeper
lagoons in search of giant peacocks. Drag the bait about
25-40 yards behind the boat, ripping the bait forward
every few seconds.
 PEACOCK
PATTERNS
Lagoons: As the rainy season ends and the dry season
ensues in the Amazon basin, waters recede back into the
main river or simply dry up. Deeper terrain traps pools of
water referred to as lagoons. Ranging in size from small
pools to immense lakes, these lagoons can trap hundreds or
thousands of fish, as their access to the main river or
large creek has been cut off. Accessibility of anglers to
lagoons can vary drastically. Some lagoons are very
obvious and located just off the main river channel.
Others may require your guide to machete his way through
foliage and fallen trees as he snakes the boat within a
narrow creek to toward a hidden honeyhole. Still others
may only be reached by hiking into the jungle and fishing
from shore or from a boat that has been planted in the
lagoon beforehand. Fish both visible shoreline cover as
well as the middle of the lagoons. If you’ve thoroughly
fished a lagoon for 45 minutes and have not had a strike
or have not observed baitfish schools or any surface or
feeding activity, it’s time to search for another
productive one or eliminate the lagoon as a pattern.
Rockin’ for Peacocks: Whether in a river or lake, rocks of
all sizes concentrate peacock bass. Boulders seem to
attract more fish than fist-size rocks or sheer rock
cliffs. Rocks possess tremendous surface area, harboring
many baitfish and are quite attractive to peacock bass.
Rocks will hold both butterfly and royal peacock bass in
good numbers. When approaching rock structure, first cast
a topwater plug to tempt a large territorial peacock. If
you’ve had no takers in a dozen casts, switch to a
jerkbait and fan cast the area. If fishing in current, try
casting a white ½-ounce bucktail jig to the eddy pockets,
which make perfect ambush sites for peacocks. Spinning
gear usually works best for jigs, as it allows for rapid
vertical presentation. Sharply hop the jigs in the eddy
for fast and furious action.
Sandbars: These ever-changing structures formed by river
currents are revealed during low water conditions.
Trophy-size peacock bass often use sandbars to herd bait,
and these are great spots to observe feeding frenzies. In
most cases, sandbars are not neatly formed beaches with
consistent depths. Closer inspection reveals irregular
features such as dropoffs, finger points and deeper holes,
where giant peacocks lurk. When approaching sandbars,
start off with a large topwater bait and then switch to a
subsurface approach.
Points: Visible or submerged extensions of land, rocks,
sand or gravel are prime structures to hold peacock bass.
Peacocks seek the deep-water drop-offs of points as a
typical holding area. From these drop-offs, they can
either move shallow to attack schooling baitfish, or
migrate to deeper water in the presence of changing
weather condition or danger. When fishing a lake, always
target points throughout the day to determine if the
peacock bass are relating to these structures. Sometimes
they prefer long, sloping points that gently taper into
deep water. Other times, they may prefer short, deeper
points. Intially, crisscross the point with topwater lures,
switching to a subsurface approach if topwater fails. Key
in on isolated forms of cover, such as rocks, fallen trees,
stumps or brush. On a river, cast your lure upstream and
then retrieve it across the point with the current.
Remember to fish the calm water on the down-current side
of points, as well as the points themselves. Prime points
on a river can be found at lagoon mouths, sandbars, rocky
shoals and pockets off the main river channel.
 Timber:
Flooded or fallen timber provides a prime haven for
baitfish and peacock bass. Although not as sun-shy as
largemouth bass, peacocks do often seek the sanctuary of
tree shade. Casting within the narrow open lanes within
plots of standing timber requires very accurate casting.
The deeper you get your lure within the gaps between trees,
the more success you will typically experience. A really
prime pattern is to locate trees in a lagoon that are
situated from three to 10 feet off the bank and in two to
six feet of water. Cast to the bank and then work the
lures past the trees, making an attempt to retrieve them
as close as possible to the trees.
Tiny Bubbles: One almost surefire pattern exists when
large peacock bass are guarding small fry. Your guide may
point out dimpling, or what he may refer to as “bubbles”
or “bambinos” on the surface of a quiet lagoon. These are
actually a school of fry, with the adults below herding
and protecting them. The fry scurry into the parents’
mouths when danger is present. The size of the school is a
good indicator of the size of the fish below. Cast a
topwater lure about five feet beyond the fry dimples and
then work the bait right through them. Brace yourself for
a violent strike! Please take care in releasing the fish
so it can go back to its parental duties. |
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