fishing planet florida unique peacock bass tournament

Pate’s sliding glass door opens to a patio full of fishing equipment. Rodriguez, who guides canal charters for peacock bass and Everglades charters for largemouth, said his clients love the goldfish-like midas cichlids. Pate also said clients have seen “giant Amazon catfish” that they described as “sharks” in the lakes near MIA.Īside from these fairly uncommon non-natives, there are plenty of established varieties: Oscars, orange-and-black aquarium cichlids which some consider game fish but most consider bait-hoarding pests snakeheads, slender-bodied, toothy predators that were first reported in northern Broward County in 2000 and have thrived there since, gradually expanding their range and eating everything in sight, including fishing lures clown knifefish, a silver fish with a long, feather-like anal fin that gives it its name and a tendency to jump when hooked that gives it a reputation mayan cichlids, “atomic sunfish” that can live almost anywhere, eat almost anything and wear green and orange stripes, like an aquatic UM mascot and midas cichlids, bright orange fish that, if you didn’t know better, might look like large goldfish among others. South Florida, any local angler will tell you, is a place where you truly never know what’s on the end of your line. These are just a handful of the non-native fish species documented by Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and there are plenty more that aren’t officially documented. Monster Mike has boasted on Instagram about catching Amazonian peacock bass, Asian grass carp, South American oscars and African jewel fish. Monster Mike, meanwhile, has built his empire as the self-proclaimed “DIY King,” using Dunkin Donuts or McDonald’s burgers to fish for anything and everything in South Florida’s canals. He took clients deep into the Everglades in search of the revered largemouth bass. His gimmicks and enthusiasm have gained a sizable following on Instagram (over 150,000 followers) and YouTube (over 600,000 subscribers) thanks in part to his cameraman and producer, who calls himself “Bryan the CEO.” He didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.īefore he retired, Pate grew his customer base almost exclusively by word of mouth.

Fishing planet florida unique peacock bass tournament