Peacock Bass Fishing Equipment

Fishing equipment is furnished at no additional cost as a service to our anglers. We furnish three quality rods and bait casting reels (Shimano and Curado), 80-lb. Spectra line and all the lures that are needed for the week’s fishing. Still, you may bring your favorite gear and lures if you wish. This aggressive jungle species is well suited to fly-fishing, leaving many fly-fishing world records to be set. An 8/9 or 9/10 weight fly rod is recommended. Reels should have a good drag, hold at least 150 yards of backing and be spooled with weight forward bass taper floating and intermediate sinking lines. For leader: we suggest 6-8 feet of 17-25-lb. monofilament.

Flies

Spinning or Bait Casting Tackle We use medium to medium-heavy largemouth bass tackle. For rods we suggest six to seven-foot bait casting rods rated for 25-30 lb. line. Due to the strength of the fish and the abundance of structure, we strongly suggest Spectra 80-lb. test braided Kevlar lines (really, these fish snap Spectra 50-lb. with ease); for monofilament, the “Magnum” 14/40-lb. line (14 lb. diameter), with standard reels of at least 100-yard capacity. While fishing for peacock bass, there is no need for steel leaders, in fact, they can be a disadvantage since they take some action out of the lure. Note: Always inspect your line after a strike and after fighting a fish.

Spinning or Bait Casting Lures

We mainly use the following:
1) Big-game “Rippers” or “Wood Choppers”
2) “Peacock Bass Specials”
3) “Jointed Minnows” or “Long A’s”
4) “Rattle Trap” type lures.

The rest in the above list are optional. For piranha bring several 1/2 oz “Rattle Trap” lures in silver or gold.