• BAITCASTING (Fishing Tactics)

Casting & Spinning rods/reels
Everyone has their favorite tackle. We suggest you use our courtesy XPS Rods with Pro Qualifier Low Profile Bait Cast reels; however, if you wish to bring your own, we highly recommend bringing three or four-piece spin, casting, and fly rods that you can carry on the plane. The cumbersome one-piece models often get lost or broken in transport no matter how well they are packed. Bait-casting and spinning rods should be LONG-HANDLED/medium-heavy action models designed with plenty of backbone for hook setting/pressuring big fish (recommended for 1-3 ounce lures). Bait-casting reels should have a high-speed retrieve ratio, as lures are normally worked at an extremely fast rate. Bring at least two rods and reels, because you might break a rod or strip the gears in one of your reels. Because of this, most anglers prefer to use casting rods instead of spinning models. The precise, direct presentation of the level-wind casting reel is generally much more accurate than the high-arching lob of a spinning reel. Other than our courtesy tackle, here are a few examples of the most popular tackle combinations:

BAITCASTING: G. Loomis, G3, three piece IM6 6'6" Casting + Abu Garcia's 5500 C3-Two Speed level wind reel.
SPINNING: G. Loomis, G3, three piece IM6 Spinning + Diawa's '4500 Regal-Z' spinning reel.

Lines (Spin / Cast)
We supply free of charge: 50 LB. Berkley 'Gorilla Braid' (green color). (Kevlar sinks and is therefore not suitable for top-water fishing).

Lure Selection Chart
Make sure to bring AT LEAST the minimum number of recommended lures listed in front of each lure type -- in mixture of BOTH light and dark colors/shades (i.e. 10 of the 'propeller-type' top water, 8 of the minnow/jerk bait, etc...) Angling conditions will have you going through a lot of tackle. In many cases, there are several brands of lures listed under each classification. Those listed first are the most popular, although the order could be a topic of serious dispute among peacock 'veterans'.

Quantity: 10
Classification: PROPELLER TYPE (topwater)
Company: Luhr-Jensen
Model: 'Big Game Wood Chopper'
Size: 6-3/4 "
Color: Perch

Quantity: 8
Classification: MINNOW/JERK BAITS (surface)
Company: Cotton 'Redfin' Cordell
Size: 7"-1oz
Color: Chrome/black

Compay: Bomber
Model: 'Long A Minnow'
Size: 6" hvy. dty. hointed 1oz.
Color: Silver Flash

Quantity: 8
Classification: Spoons
Company: Tony Aceta
Model: # 17 Pet Spoon'
Size: 1 oz.
Color: Chrome

• FLY FISHING *Patterns (Fishing Tactics)

Streamers fished on sinking lines seem to be most productive (not only in terms of overall numbers of peacocks, but for larger-sized fish as well). Popular streamers include 6-inch (5/0) bi-colored, heavily-dressed bucktails in red/yellow, olive/white, black/white, and orange/black. Big Deceivers, Bunnies, Saltwater Zonkers, Clousser Minnows, and other flashy bait-fish imitations all take fish. All patterns should have generous amounts of matching Flashabou or Crystal Flash. Big saltwater poppers are exciting to fish, but can be extremely exhausting to cast and retrieve for a prolonged period. Gaines saltwater popper in red/yellow and pearl/olive hold up well and are hard to beat in terms of their 'action' in water. 'Sliders' are productive in clear water situations. Popovic's 'Silicone Mullet' in olive and white is hard to beat.
Fly SHADE seems more important than COLOR depending upon light conditions. For this reason have an adequate selection of light and dark patterns. We recommend that you bring at least two dozen streamers (half light and half dark) and eight or ten poppers. Hooks should be razor sharp - dull hooks SIGNIFICANTLY reduce hookup rate.

* Fly Rods

They should be fast action models, because they load sinking lines more efficiently and generally have more 'backbone' than softer models. Bring at least two fly rods, because they often break under the 'jungle stress'. Reels don't need to hold a lot of backing because peacocks don't make long runs, but a smooth strong drag is essential. Recommended 'hevy' fly rod & reel combination: A stiff/fast action, 9-foot, nine or ten-weight rod (Sage 990-3RPLX) + Scientific Anglers 'System 2- 89' reel.
Recommended 'med-heavy' fly rod & reel combination (for smaller fish): A stiff/fast action, 9-foot, seven-weight rod (Sage 790 - 3RPLX) + Sicentific Anglers 'System 2-78' reel.

* Sinking Lines

They are undoubtedly much more effective than floating lines. A Teeny '300 T-Series/Sink Tip' (this line can be fished on anything from a seven to ten weight rod) is our number one choice, followed by a Scientific 'Uniform Sink V' full sinker. Also bring a floating line for poppers and sliders. A line with drastic weight-forward taper (like Scientific Anglers 'Mastery Saltwater Tarpon') matched to your rod weight will handle the wind-resistant poppers most effectively. A Small Cotton Minnow Seine is a must to keep your fly line from tangling in the boat's seats, floorbaords, rods etc.
Peacocks are not the least bit leader shy. Most fly anglers use a straight shot (approximately six feet) of 40-50 pound monofilament leader material. Anything lighter will be snapped off like sewing thread when that fifteen 'pounder' runs you into a tree or rock pile. You will go through a lot of leader material, because of the peacock's extremely abrasive teeth. We recommend buying a 1/2-pound spool of Ande 'Tournament' monofilament. If you're trying for a IGFA record, you'll have to follow their leader specifications.