Freshwater species guide

Peacock Bass Fishing

The butterfly peacock is a nonnative fish that FWC introduced into the large coastal canals of southeast Florida in 1984. FWC says low water temperatures and intolerance of saltwater keep it from becoming abundant outside coastal Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

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Peacock Bass

Every charter here names peacock bass on its own website, checked on the captain's own site

Check before you keep a fish. Seasons and limits change, sometimes in the middle of a season, and a court or an agency can change them overnight. Seasons and limits are set state by state. The ones on this page are Florida's, copied from FWC in Sep 2026 and listed with their source at the foot of the page. We are not a regulatory authority. Confirm the rule for the water you will fish with your captain or with that state's wildlife agency.

Where to fish for peacock bass

49 charters name peacock bass on their own website, across 37 towns in 1 state.

State records for peacock bass

The heaviest peacock bass each state has certified, biggest first.

StateWeightWhereYearAngler
Florida 9.11 lb —Broward 10/8 Felipe Prietosource

Each from that state's own records page, linked on every row. A location links to its town only where the agency named that town — a record logged to "Gulf of Mexico" or an offshore block belongs to no city. Weights are printed as the agency prints them. Records are certified by the state and can be broken at any time.

About the fish

SizeFlorida record 9.11 pounds
Where it livesWarm, slow canals, ponds, lakes and rock pits in southeast Florida
What it eatsAlmost entirely fish

FWC put them into southeast Florida's coastal canals in 1984.

From FWC's species profile, checked Sep 2026.

Harvest rules

When can you keep one in Florida?

Statewide

Florida fresh waters. FWC says the fish does not become abundant outside coastal Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

  • All anglersNo closed seasonFWC describes Florida's freshwater fisheries as having no closed seasons.
Only one of the two may be 17 inches or longer in total length.Size limit
2 per dayDaily limit. FWC notes that special bag and length limits apply to some lakes, rivers and fish management areas.

Gear rules

A game fish, so pole and line or rod and reel only, and it may not be filleted, nor the head or tail fin removed, until you have finished fishing for the day.

Questions about peacock bass

How many peacock bass can I keep?

Two a day, only one of which may be 17 inches or longer.

Where can I catch them?

FWC introduced them into the large coastal canals of southeast Florida in 1984. Low water temperatures and intolerance of saltwater keep them from becoming abundant outside coastal Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

Does FWC want them released?

FWC encourages anglers to release them, especially fish longer than 14 inches, because of their value controlling nonnative forage fish. That is guidance, not law. The two-fish limit still applies.

Seasons, sizes and bag limits on this page were copied from FWC, statewide bag and length limits and FWC, butterfly peacock profile and FWC, methods of taking freshwater fish and FWC, freshwater fishing in Sep 2026. Rules change, sometimes mid-season. Check the current rule with your captain or FWC before you keep a fish.