South Florida Peacock Bass Fishing Adventures
The day started hot and muggy, as most days in sunny South Florida do.
My girlfriend and I went out fishing with Capt Dave Lauer in search of the elusive peacock bass in the urban canals of Lake Osborne.
We pulled up on a couple of spots and caught a multitude of 1 to 2-pound schooling fish in the center of the canal, where it’s the deepest.
Then, coming up to one of the final spots, Capt Dave shut off the motor, and we drifted towards what he told us were annual bedding grounds for peacocks. We slowly drifted forward and spotted a giant male and female bedding in a sandy spot a foot or two off the canal wall, just before the drop-off, with access to deeper water.
Using a white double-tailed grub, Dave and my girlfriend told me I had to agitate them without spooking them away, so I gently cast my bait just past them and reeled until it was in the center of the bed, and the male reacted by blowing it away.
I repeated the same technique persistently, and the peacock finally struck out, biting the bait. Presenting slow retrieval near the bed elicited an amazing reaction strike.
To my surprise, the fish fought and ran much harder than expected, in the end my drag was not set loose enough for the power of this fish and the line snapped. Cursing myself and my amateur move, I tried to re-tie as fast as I could. To my delight, I looked into the water to see my white grub swimming away, so I used the hook I just tied on to snag the broken-off piece of line.
I reeled it in to eventually get my hands on the line. I then wrapped it around my hand to retrieve it as quickly as I could. Yet another amateur move, I set the hook again and again, which sent the fish into a frenzy. I was amazed by the shoulders on this fish; it sent me on a ride around the lake and almost caused me to go overboard. But my Captain Dave grabbed the back of my shirt to help balance and keep me on the boat.
When we finally were able to land this fish in a net, it was a MONSTER!
Just holding this size of a fish, with this many colors, amazed me! It was undoubtedly my PERSONAL BEST peacock bass ever, and I will not soon forget what it took to catch it.
It was so fascinating to release this fish; not only was he a giant, but I was able to watch this male go back to his bed and continue to protect it and join forces with his girlfriend.
Capt. David Lauer is part of our Bass Online Pro Team and considered a top pro angler on Lake Okeechobee. Full-time Lake Okeechobee Fishing Guide that still fishes the FLW Outdoor Tour, Dave mainly guides out of Belle Glade, FL at Slims Fish Camp, also out of Clewiston at Jolly Roger Marina. When David is not fishing the famous Lake Okeechobee, he guides on Lake Osborne for monster Peacock bass.
