Search the Community

I had a scheduled Peacock trip South with a buddy for a previous day last week but as that day got closer, the weather forecast began to deteriorate rapidly with 60% chance of thunderstorms and winds nearing 20. Not ideal for fly fishing, especially after traveling 4 hours to fish for a single day. So I waited. My wife agreed to a trip that weekend after, Independence Day weekend which turned out better as I could maximize the extra day and stay overnight, so I set it up (without a second thought about weather). Driving down Sunday morning through Naples we entered from the West so I could get a look at the Everglades area for Oscars and Mayans. The water was high and the fish were scarce. I frog hopped through all my favorite areas but the fishing was going to be difficult here so I moved on to the Miami area to hit up the big-boys. We arrived at one of my favorite spots for Peacocks JUST as the winds began to pick up and the skies grew dark. A light rain fell as we arrived at my destination and before long, it began to pour. CRAP!! I pulled the local weather map up on my phone to see if I was an idiot for NOT checking the weather before we left (which the answer to is always a resounding YES). BLEAK! Going to be off and on for the rest of the day. We waited patiently for a while to see if I was going to get a shot at the water. 20 minutes later, the sun came out but it appeared the next deluge wasn’t far behind. We hit the water. I didn’t see ANY bedding fish and knew everything was going to be deep. I threaded on a 3′ - 9″/per second sink head and my biggest, nastiest Russ Hampton designed Chartreuse Bass Spider I had in my box and heaved it to the water. I had several half-hearted rises but wasn’t getting the kind of enthusiasm I was hoping for so I moved. At my new location, I was working my fly up a rocky rise when it caught fast…then shot off toward deeper water. Now we’re talking! 5 more minutes and I had my first Peacock to hand. A nice fish but not the size I was prospecting for. I threw at this location for another 10 minutes, then moved again. I spotted a great break in the edge I was working and a deep hole that plunged below that break and put a loop out to sink my fly deep into that hole. First cast got s solid bump so I recast into the depths. The strike was like a car wreck! Instant and violent. Then the weight came to bear on the rod and I knew I had found what I came for. That peacock didn’t come to hand so easily but once landed, I was able to admire this great fish. I was able to take one more fish before the thunderstorms chased us back to the car, and although disappointed that I was only able to get an hour of fishing in after taking the long ride, I was NOT disappointed in my prize. Made plans for my return trip before I even left from this one!