21 March - scouting the freshwater 'glades

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Still doing a bit of freshwater scouting whenever I'm able since I'm wanting to find a good population of peacock bass in my local canals... Funny thing - in the canals behind all the houses down here in south Florida the peacock population is doing just fine - but none of those canals allow access with a boat.... and back in December the bigger canals that I can launch my skiff into - got a bad cold spell that killed off many of my local peacocks...   Finally found a few peas the other day along with a host of other small fish species... The following pics show my first few - all on the same small popper... using a 7wt rod...

a small spotted gar was my first fish that morning _ and came on my first or second cast that day, working around bonnet heads

this baby largemouth came on the next cast

this oscar was next - for those who've never encountered them - they're typically two to three times as thick as a bluegill - and can really pull - once again that same popping bug

followed by this small bluegill

with no peacocks hitting my flies... I finally resorted to a lure on a light spinning rod and found my first peacock that morning - followed by three or four more from the same spot... 

 

I only used two fly rods that day - an old Sage 7wt that I'd just made a new cork handle for - and a lighter 5wt.. Didn't find many peacocks yet (but that should change as local waters warm up in spring -then summer) -and only used two fly patterns all morning.. 

the SpeedBug - a saltwater popper using a soft foam head on a #1 hook... 

my version of Norm's Crystal Schminnow on a #4 hook for the 5wt rod... Note the wire weedguard... 

I only used my camera that first hour - the pics shown were typical of what I encountered up and down several different canals during the morning - just nothing like the 'glades - alligators everywhere I went as well... 

[niveker 0]

Looks like you had a good morning there, good variety of fish.     

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

All of it very close to home… Most days I’m out of Flamingo or Chokoloskee and towing my skiff 93 miles one way just to get to the ramps…

[Mark Knapp 0]

4 hours ago, Capt Bob LeMay said:

Still doing a bit of freshwater scouting whenever I'm able since I'm wanting to find a good population of peacock bass in my local canals... Funny thing - in the canals behind all the houses down here in south Florida the peacock population is doing just fine - but none of those canals allow access with a boat.... and back in December the bigger canals that I can launch my skiff into - got a bad cold spell that killed off many of my local peacocks...   Finally found a few peas the other day along with a host of other small fish species... The following pics show my first few - all on the same small popper... using a 7wt rod...

 

a small spotted gar was my first fish that morning _ and came on my first or second cast that day, working around bonnet heads

 

this baby largemouth came on the next cast

 

this oscar was next - for those who've never encountered them - they're typically two to three times as thick as a bluegill - and can really pull - once again that same popping bug

 

followed by this small bluegill

 

with no peacocks hitting my flies... I finally resorted to a lure on a light spinning rod and found my first peacock that morning - followed by three or four more from the same spot... 

 

I only used two fly rods that day - an old Sage 7wt that I'd just made a new cork handle for - and a lighter 5wt.. Didn't find many peacocks yet (but that should change as local waters warm up in spring -then summer) -and only used two fly patterns all morning.. 

 

the SpeedBug - a saltwater popper using a soft foam head on a #1 hook... 

 

my version of Norm's Crystal Schminnow on a #4 hook for the 5wt rod... Note the wire weedguard... 

I only used my camera that first hour - the pics shown were typical of what I encountered up and down several different canals during the morning - just nothing like the 'glades - alligators everywhere I went as well... 

Very cool.