BAIT AND TACKLE

Rods:

The most effective rod length and action for targeting fish in excess of 12-lbs on large topwater plugs is a baitcasting rod that is between 6’3” and 7’0” and be considered of medium/heavy to heavy action. This particular length and action allows you to more efficiently use the wrists and arms to retrieve large topwater plugs across the surface. A stout rod, combined with minimal-stretch braided line (more on that later), will allow better action and response as you aggressively retrieve these large plugs across the surface. Although a rod with a flexible tip may be suitable for a host of lures, do not use a flexible tipped rod when working large propeller baits. Longer rods are also a hindrance in tight casting spaces, when faced with overhanging trees and branches.

 

When casting lighter or smaller topwater plugs, such as walking baits and poppers, or medium sized jerkbaits, consider a casting rod 6’0” and 6’6” in length and of medium heavy action. When casting or trolling long, heavy (1-ounce or more) jerkbaits, a medium heavy casting rod of 6-1/2 in length is the tools of choice.

Some anglers have a preference for spinning gear, but believe that it is not appropriate for peacock bass. This is simply not the case. Numerous anglers have landed some of their largest peacock bass on spinning tackle. Knowing when and where to use this tackle is the key, however. During the course of a fishing day, consider alternating between spinning and casting outfits, as each calls for different casting, reeling and retrieval mechanics and will work different muscle groups of the wrists, arms, shoulders and back , thereby lessening overall fatigue and soreness while fishing. Spinning rods are very appropriate for casting 5-6” jerkbaits, 1/2 to 1 oz topwater lures and when working ¼ to 3/4 oz. bucktail jigs. A quality spinning rod will tame the toughest peacock bass. A versatile angler should be proficient with both spinning and casting outfits.

 

Don’t fret if you’ve simply given up on the idea of using baitcasting outfits for peacock bass.  Many anglers have great success using only spinning gear. The key is to balance the tackle properly. If you are going to cast large propeller baits on spinning gear, secure a  medium/ heavy to heavy action spinning rod and pair it with a smooth reel that can cast 65 lb braided line. If given the choice, however, a casting outfit will allow you more retrieval action, better leverage and power to fight trophy fish (especially if you have large hands and palm your casting reels) and offer less fatigue than spinning gear when fishing large propeller baits. 

Reels:

Major factors to consider when selecting a quality baitcast reel for peacock bass are: well machined, durable gears (I recommend novice anglers use a ratio of 6:1 or greater, especially when using topwater plugs) at least 4 stainless steel ball bearings and an extremely smooth drag system. Although many believe that it is the shear power of the peacock bass that will exploit lesser-built reels, I believe it is the constant casting and retrieving of plugs that are typically much larger than the reels are designed for that can destroy a quality reel. You need to select baitcasting reels that possess a minimum of 75 yard capacity to handle 20 lb mono diameter for large topwater baits. As a rule, braided line offering a break-strength of 65 to 90 lbs. possesses a line diameter that is equivalent of 17 to 25 lb monofilament. By spooling monofilament to approximately 1/5 the capacity of the reel before adding the braided line, this will lessen problems such as the braided line burying upon itself within the spool and backlashes. It also cuts down on cost, as braided line is approximately three times more expensive than monofilament. Have your reels cleaned or repaired, greased and lubricated before you make your peacock bass trip.

Spinning tackle is very effective for peacock bass. Although you can certainly use your spinning gear for every lure in your peacock tackle arsenal, this gear is most appropriate when working medium-sized topwater lures, small to medium sized jerkbaits, spoons and bucktail jigs, but is not as effective when fishing large topwater plugs. Secure spinning reels with durable, strong gears and an excellent drag system. Consider a light saltwater spinning reel (as they usually are built to handle tough gamefish) or a quality medium to large freshwater spinning reel (around 10-12 ounces).  Make sure that the line roller (the part of the spinning reel that the line glides against when your reel is engaged and a fish is taking out drag) is made of stainless steel or titanium and not plastic. A plastic line roller will develop cuts in it from braided line and eventually cause fraying and failure of your line.

Line:

One of the major breakthroughs in the tackle industry to help peacock bass anglers entice and catch more fish has been the advent of the braided “superlines.” These lines are much stronger than mono, have minimal stretch and are extremely abrasion resistant. In addition, the line will not set on the spool and are limp. These lines yield a high break strength compared to their line diameter. What this all means is quite simple – it will allow you to retrieve lures faster, longer and with increased action than you can with standard monofilament line. This is especially important when fishing with large topwater propeller lures to tempt giant peacock bass. After years of experience, it appears that the best braided line strength for large topwater propeller baits is between 65 and 100 lb break strength, depending on just who the line manufacturer is. One certainly does not require 80 lb braided line to land a trophy peacock. However, to more effectively work the large surface propeller lures, braided lines should be spooled on your reels.

 

These super-lines, however, may pose a problem for first-time users, including: knot slippage, line burying upon itself within the spool, drag failure and rod breakage. Knot slippage can be overcome by learning special knots that have been devised for braided line. Buried line within the spool and drag failure can be lessened by using monofilament backing and making sure that you’ve put the braided line on the spool in an even and tight fashion. After casting for several hours, if you notice the line spooling in an uneven manner on the reel, or are experiencing frequent backlashes, make a long cast and then carefully re-spool the line tightly on the reel. Finally, rod breakage, which is a factor of harsh hook-sets, tight drags or trying to horse fish away from cover, can be overcome by backing off on the drag, especially when you are playing a large fish in open water, away from cover.  Finally, do not try to use excessive force to yank big lures off snags.

Lures:

Topwater:

Effective topwater lures for peacock bass can be divided into several categories, including: surface walking stickbaits; large baits with massive propellers in the tail section that can be ripped across the surface and popping plugs.

Walking Stick Baits

A walking stick-bait might be the most underutilized baits in the arsenal of the peacock bass angler. These baits require the most technique (this is actually a topwater finesse bait, not a power bait) in terms of creating the optimal action, and anglers, typically novice ones, shy away from using them because of this. One such bait that is an extremely productive walking bait for peacock bass is the Excalibur Super Spook. This bait is most effective when you impart what is referred to as the “walk the dog” technique.

 

The “walk the dog” technique involves a coordinated series of wrist snaps with the reel palming hand - while at the same time retrieving line with the reel retrieving hand - that causes the bait to zigzag across the surface. The “Spook” traditionally comes with three smaller hooks and three small attached split rings. Remove all split rings and hooks and only replace the fore and aft ones with larger split rings and 1/0 or 2/0 Gamakatsu or Mustad hooks (see photo above). Other deadly walking baits are the Lucky Craft Sammy, Tsunami Walking Minnow, MirrOlure Top Dog and Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow.  The entire key to these lures is that they offer a lot of action, but stay in the strike zone for long periods of time. Consider these lures when peacock bass are not aggressively attacking the propeller baits. They seem to produce better when the water is slick and the wind is light with no chop on the surface.

Propeller Baits

The very large propeller baits that will comprise the bulk of your tackle arsenal are what many peacock bass anglers refer to as “power baits.” Veteran peacock bass anglers seem to have their best success when they work them with a medium to rapid paced, aggressive wrist snap. You want to impart an action that emits a definite ripping sound. This is best accomplished by using the wrists (not your arms) in a downward thrusting manner (after first reeling up any slack created by the previous rip). Short, aggressive rips seem to be much more productive than long, gliding rips. The rod should not be held higher then at chest level when starting a rip. The cadence should be more like rip..rip..rip, as opposed to rip……..rip…….rip. ”

Productive propeller lures that you should consider for your Amazon tackle arsenal include: High Roller’s RipRoller; Luhr Jensen’s Wood Chopper, Ripper & Peacock Special. These baits are large and noisy. Keep in mind that the all tackle peacock bass world record – a 27 pounder – was taken on a ¾ -ounce Peacock Bass Special by Luhr-Jensen, a lure that is now typically overlooked by many anglers seeking a trophy fish. There are times when giant peacock bass shun larger lures in favor of less intrusive topwater propeller baits, so you may want to consider smaller propeller baits in the ¾- to-1 oz. range.

When the fish are aggressively striking large topwater propeller plugs, the faster and more aggressively you work them, the more the peacocks seem to be attracted to the action. Each rip of the rod should move the baits from 6-to-12 inches (dependent upon the lure used, speed of the current, depth of the water and mood of the fish). “When a peacock bass strikes a propeller bait, resist the urge to set the hook until you feel the weight of the fish and see your bait submerge. If a fish strikes, but misses, your topwater propeller bait, don’t stop the retrieve and wait for the fish to come back. Instead, keep the bait moving and, in some cases, you might need to step up the retrieval cadence to entice the fish to strike again. No matter how many times the fish strikes, resist the temptation to stop the bait. Of course, if a fish keeps missing your bait during a retrieve and fails to take it on several more casts to the area, now its time to use a subsurface bait, or, use different type of topwater bait.

The propellers might need to be tweaked to insure that they bite the water and create an optimal audible and visible commotion. Our veteran guides are most adept at tuning the props on the topwater propeller baits for best action and sound, so don’t hesitate to allow them to adjust them.

Subsurface Baits:

Jerkbaits

Jerkbaits are long, slender shaped, treble hook laden lures in which the most enticing action is obtained by jerks or snaps of the wrist during the retrieve, as opposed to a slow steady retrieve. Peacock bass appear to have an affinity for long and slender profiled forage species and this translates to a fondness for jerkbaits offering a similar profile. When you combine a long, slender lure, a flashy color pattern and an erratic action, you have the makings of an extremely productive bait. Experiment with different color patterns, but always consider chrome finished colored baits with highlights of blue and black on their back. 

When fishing a jerkbait, make a cast to actively feeding fish, fry pods, points, sandbars or other forms of cover and structure discussed elsewhere in this text. Point your rod tip towards the water and use your wrists in a downward snapping motion to work the bait. Use the reel to retrieve slack line, but use your wrists and rod to provide action to the bait. Do not simply wind the reel handle to retrieve the lure. Allow the jerkbait to dart and dance from one-to-four feet below the surface using an erratic, darting retrieve, one that works especially well when using a chrome colored lure during times of bright skies yielding maximum reflection.

Recommended jerkbaits for Brazil include: Cordell Red Fins; Bomber Long-A Minnows; 7” Peacock Minnow and our two personal favorites, the 1 oz., 5-1/4 inch Yo-Zuri Sinking Crystal Minnow and 1 oz. Yo-Zuri Tobimaru Minnow.

Banjo Minnows

Yes, I am referring to the soft plastic imitation baitfish lure of infomercial fame. I was introduced to this lure by its designer, Wayne Hockmeyer, a former Maine fishing guide, fishing educator and world traveler.  

"The Banjo Minnow perfectly duplicates the spastic action of a real live injured baitfish, and fools predator fish, triggering a genetic response that makes them bite...it's that good," Wayne Hockmeyer points out.  “It took me a few days in Brazil to figure out how the peacocks react to the Banjo.  Normally, I’ll fish the Banjo with a very short quick jerk and then I pause, creating slack line and anticipate the strike as the lure haplessly sinks for a few seconds. However, peacock bass are so aggressive; you needed increased twitching and only pausing or stopping the bait on slack line for an instant. They simply do not want to strike a “lifeless bait,” - they want movement. It took a little time for me to adjust and fish faster while still creating slack line after my jerks, but once I did, the Banjo produced just as effectively as my slower largemouth bass fishing technique does at home. I simply adjusted my timing on the jerks and pauses. I still imitated a wounded baitfish, just at a faster pace. The ability to create a perfectly realistic life like illusion is totally controlled by the angler and that is what makes it so effective. One of the other keys to the success of the Banjo Minnow is the relatively clear water you will be fishing. This lure, and the technique used to fish it, is so much more effective in clear water fisheries."

 According to Hockmeyer, the ideal rig for fishing the 5-inch Banjo Minnow is a 6’6” fast action spinning rod, spinning reel with flawless drag and stainless steel line roller and 30 lb braided line.  He feels he can cast the fairly light Banjo Minnow much more efficiently on spinning gear.

Hockmeyer keeps the rod angled towards the water as he uses his wrists to dart and dance the Banjo Minnow. His cadence is one in which gives the bait the following action: twitch.twitch.twitch.twitch……….pause, twitch.twitch.twitch.twitch ……….pause, repeated all the way back to the boat. The Kahle style hook used in the rigging of the Banjo Minnow results in almost a 100% hook-up if a peacock bass inhales the bait, so there is no need for a super aggressive hook set.

Bucktail Jigs

Five to eight inch long bucktail jigs, tied in a variety of colors and retrieved in a rather erratic fashion have now replaced the standard white bucktail jigged worked in the traditional jigging (vertical up and down retrieve) manner. These erratically retrieved jigs perform very well on actively schooling fish; as a follow up bait to a missed surface strike; post spawn fish guarding fry or when simply cast to cover and structure. When the topwater bite is slow, this is the perfect prospecting bait, when it is fished using the erratic retireval technique for covering lots of water and fishing fairly rapidly.

When fishing bucktail jigs, us a medium/ heavy action spinning tackle (6’6” rod and roughly a 10 oz. size spinning reel) and will use 30 lb braided line. Jigs are also a very effective follow-up bait to use when a peacock bass aggressively misses a topwater lure (and you’ve cast back to it on several occasions without success). First try the erratic retrieve after you cast the jig to where the fish missed the topwater lure. If this fails, cast to the remnant of the surface strike and aggressively jig it up and down.