Blue Peacock Bass – The more affordable and hardy cousin of the Amazon Peacock Bass. Follow along with Pedro Hartmann as he takes you through his experiences of fishing for Blue Peacock Bass. This is an Angler Story that he likes to call “Chasing the Blues”
“When I think about fly fishing for peacock bass, I immediately remember the Rio Negro, in the Brazilian Amazon rain forest, all because of the powerful Cichla Temensis (scientific name), of the largest and most famous of the ”Peacock’s”. Something that many people don’t know is that Brazil has more than 14 species from this family, there are even people discussing about 16, 17 species, different colors, sizes, but as aggressive and beautiful as the big ones, which makes the fishing adventures diverse and exciting in our country. Without any doubts one of the most accessible and targeted fish here is the one known as ”Blue” peacock.”
THE SPECIES
“The Blue Peacock Bass is a popular species among fly fishing enthusiasts. Due to its good adaptation, you can find them distributed throughout the country: close to cities, rivers, reservoirs, lakes, in warm and colder waters (which can be a problem to other species of the cichla family). For example Araguaia-Tocantins basin and rivers, some parts of the Pantanal. In some reservoirs of the Upper Paraná river and on the country sides of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Goiás, to name a few.”
“The name “Blue Peacock Bass” comes from the species’ fins which are blue. Its body has about five or six gray transverse stripes. Its useful life is approximately 7 to 10 years. In size, female Blue Peacock Bass range from 12 to 16 inches, while males range from 18 to 24 inches, weighing up to 13 pounds.”
THE SPORTINESS
“For those who think that because the species is smaller they are not voracious, they are mistaken. The blue peacock bass is aggressive and feeds on fish, frogs, shrimp and insects. They are known for their speed and quick attacks on the surface. There is nothing more satisfying than catching one with good old poppers, effective 8wt, 9ft rods, reels with floating lines, making a lot of noise on the surface to annoy them. Another option for fishing these guys is fishing in deeper layers of water rather than on the surface, in this case the appropriate would be to use 6 to 8 wt rods, 9ft with sinking tips or sinking lines. Furthermore, as these fish are overprotective parents, the breeding season brings new opportunities and challenges for fly fishermen.”
THE SETTING, 3 MARIAS
“In the state of Minas Gerais, southeast of the Brazilian country, there is a town called 3 Marias, where you can go to a dam on the São Francisco River to fish. During the mating season and on sunny days, pairs of peacock bass move with their babies along the edges of these reservoirs, where the water is warmer and protected from predators. Action starts when the guide locate the fish, you see where it is and cast to it, adding excitement and dynamics as you sight fish (very similar to flats saltwater fly fishing).”
“During the 2023 season, our guide ,friend, and owner of the operation, Rodrigo Zhouri locates the fish, the heart starts to beat fast, ”2 o´clock” he says, identifying where the couple is. A quick glance at the beach and I see the blue reflection swimming as the breeze takes the boat to the left side of the shore. A perfect back-cast to the right side of the couple would be needed. The wind places the fly 1 meter after the male, who inhales the streamer and runs straight towards the bushes. This dynamic will repeat itself many times on a good fishing day during the clean skies days of the spawning season.”
“Days goes fast and our week come to an end, a cold beer, together with the crew.
We will definitely be back to hunt and ”chase the blues”. If you are interested in trying this beautiful fish, let me know, I will be happy to help you.”
Be sure to follow Pedro on Instagram, to see more of this journey targeting Blue Peacock Bass, at @pedro_hartmann_fishing !
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