The Speckled and Dotted Peacocks: Behaviour in Natural Environments

The researcher`s science project is on 'what kind of lures work best on bass in Keystone Lake?'. The reason the researcher chose this, is because of their love of fishing. The researcher will target two bass species found in Keystone Lake, the largemouth bass, and the peacock bass. The researcher will be using the best kind of lures, based on the advice of an expert. The researcher and the expert have narrowed down the lure selection to the three most successful lures used in the past by the expert. The research will consist of the researcher using each lure on different days and documenting the results. Keystone Lake is a gated community located in Pembroke Pines Florida. It is a very prestigious subdivision of Broward county that is home to a 143 acres man made lake. In this lake the two primary species of predator/sport fish are the native largemouth bass, and the peacock bass. Residents are permitted to fish by land and or by a non-combustion motorized boat. The lake is completely surrounded by multiple single family homes.

The lake is also fed by two culverts connected to neighboring subdivisions, and the Broward county canal system. The fish`s habitat consists of vegetation, docks, and man made structures. Other fish found in the lake are bream, Myan cichlids, wild shiners, and minnows. The largemouth bass is the official freshwater fish of the state of Florida. 'One of America`s most-prized gamefish, the Florida largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus) seems to grow to unusually large size in Florida waters. I can reach a length of more than twenty inches and weigh more than fifteen pounds. This black bass is an elongated sunfish, whose distinguishing feature, aside form it exceptionally large mouth, is a deep notch in the dorsal fin. Large mouth bass usually live in quiet waters that contain bountiful vegetation'(Florida department of state 10-4-18). Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 'bass are opportunist feeders. So what they eat is often determined what swims in front of their mouths. In other words, they eat whatever is available were they live. He`s found eels, snakes, and baby ducks in bass stomachs.' 'Largemouth bass switch from a diet of mostly insects to a diet of fish and other larger prey when they reach about eight inches,'(Commission biologist Fred Cross August 2007 exact date not stated) ' biologists think bass (and other fish) will choose one type of food over another because it provides them with the vitamins and minerals they need to grow.'(David Hart 11/2/16) 'Native to the South America and particularly the Amazon, butterfly and speckled peacock bass were first introduced to the Miami canals in 1984. Their original intention was to restore balance to the canals ecosystem, which had been taken over by cichlids and exotic plant species. The one-time stocking took place with 3 different batches of eggs imported from Brazil to ensure genetic variation. The peacock bass took to the canals so well that there has never had to be an additional stocking, meaning there is no ongoing cost for the program. The peacocks serve their purpose well, controlling cichlid populations and eating invasive plant species. As a side benefit, they also provide a healthy economy to South Florida, with anglers spending between $5 million and $8 million dollars a year to catch peacocks.

Peacock bass can not survive low water temperatures, making them an ideal candidate for Florida’s waterways as they are unlikely to spread north and interfere with native fish populations. While both speckled and peacock bass were introduced in 1984, the speckled peacocks have not taken to the canals nearly as well as the butterfly peacocks.' (Alex Ford 7/29/16) Captain Ron Varona grew up fishing in south Florida and has vast experience fishing for largemouth and peacock bass. He has lived in Keystone Lake for 15 years, and has fished both from land and by boat. Due to his suggestions, the researcher has narrowed down the lure selection to three lures which mimic both largemouth and peacock bass` natural forage. The lures the researcher will be using are a Johnson spoon (imitates a small crippled fish), a Culprit artificial worm (grape color), and the Rapala X-rap. After using all three lures on different days, the researcher will hopefully find which lure has the best results for largemouth and peacock bass in Keystone Lake.