For the last few years Peacock Bass have been on my fishing bucket list. This obsession was further amplified after watching the web series GEOBASS. In this series the boys from GEOFISH tangle with some massive peacocks in the jungles of Columbia while chasing bass all over the globe. Their hard fighting and surface busting nature makes them the perfect sports fish for any freshwater angler.
When I locked in a family trip to Hawaii I quickly found out that this was one of the few places you could actually chase Peacock Bass. After some nifty work on the keys I quickly came across the Hawaii Bass Fishing Facebook page and made contact. Stan Wright, well known for 11-years of presenting on the long-running fishing program Let’s Go Fishing Hawaii, was quick to respond. Stan the man instantly filled me in with all the information I would need to know and his son, Chris, who was recently runner up of reality fishing show Top Hooker was locked in as my guide for the day.
As the day drew closer my excitement was becoming hard to contain. I kept a close eye of the Hawaii Bass Fishing Facebook page where Chris would post pictures of recent captures with clients with titles like ‘Crazy Topwater Action’ and ‘Fish Still Schooling’.
It’s go time!
Arriving in Hawaii to picture perfect conditions, it wasn’t long before my family vacation would turn into a peacock paradise.
On our way to Lake Wilson, Chris told me there were two main techniques we would use. Firstly, the peacocks had been busting bait on the surface when there was cloud cover. It would simply be a case of looking for fish busting the surface and casting our lures. In this case we were using a tiny little gold spoon with a single G-stinger style hook hanging off the back, and winding it quickly in along the surface to imitate a scurrying bait fish. This sounded too fun to actually work.
Once the sun came up we would work the edges trying to provoke a reaction strike, teasing the peacocks out of their cover, similar to our Aussie Bass. The one thing Chris told me was to keep the lure moving at all times, and fast. This was not something I was used to as with many of our native species respond to a slower cadence on the retrieve.
As we arrived at our first spot I couldn’t believe my eyes, large patches of calm water and ever 10 – 20 seconds the surface would be broken by an almighty boof, as the Peacock Bass would smash the baitfish before disappearing back to the depths.
Game on
It wasn’t long before an eruption took place in casting distance of the boat. Game on! I quickly cast into the middle of the swirls and boils and started retrieving my hybrid lure. Within half a turn of the handle two peacocks were surging towards the lure but before i had time to process what was happening I had instinctively slowed down my retrieve, the lure dipped beneath the surface and the fish disappeared. This happened a few times before I finally got used to maintaining a high speed retrieve, even when a fish was in pursuit.
Finally after about 15-minutes and a bit of cloud cover everything fell into place as a school of bass started busting up near the boat. I quickly flicked my lure in the middle of the school and after three swift cranks a feisty little Peacock Bass smashed my spoon and took off to the depths. This action lasted for another hour-and-a-half as the sun had risen high in the sky and the passing cloud had all but disappeared. It was a surface session I will not forget any time soon.
With the sun shinning in our eyes, it was time to massage the bank side structure – a technique I was more familiar with. Chris let me try a few lures I used back home but in the back of his mind he must have been laughing, as I quickly dropped a small largemouth bass and a Red Devil on a TN60 Norbs Jackall.
Local knowledge opens my eyes
After about an hour of casting Chris politely suggested I try his method and rigged up my spin stick with a weedless presentation that included a 5cm white soft plastic tube and a necklace bead from Walmart. This bait could be cast right up onto the grassy banks or hard up into timber. The idea was to cast as close to the bank as possible and commence retrieving the plastic immediately, using the rod to impart the action.
Second cast of the new lure and from hard up on the bank the unmistakable marking of a peacock bass emerge from the depths and start following the lure. Naturally i paniced, stopping the retrieve which, again, saw the fish disappear. However, to see this happen secondcast filled me with confidence.
The next few hours were filled with countless follows and misses on this weedless presentation. It was not uncommon to see two or three peacocks bass following your lure at the same time. This was some of the most visually explosive fishing I have ever witnessed – what an amazing rush!
As the coins on the parking meter were quickly running out we reached our last set of snags for the session. First cast, four Peacocks, including a few bigger specimens, follow the lure out and swiped a number of times with none fully committing.
We quickly move to the next snag. First cast, nothing. Second cast, two cranks of the handle and a feisty PB darts out and grabs the lure hooking himself perfectly in the side of the mouth, I was ecstatic. A few high fives, fist pumps and photos later, I was one happy visitor.
To say I had an enjoyable day is a massive understatement. I was well looked after, learnt a heap and finally had the chance to tangle with one of the most reveered freshwater fish on the planet.
All in all it was an awesome experience and I am already planning my next trip to upgrade my PB. A big thanks to Chris from Hawaii Bass Fishing for the day and if you ever head over to Hawaii be sure to look him up and book a day on the water.