CITY FISHER INSERT #3

September 6 marked a new milestone in Florida fishing history last year when Mark Krizner of Weston landed an 11.5-pound butterfly peacock. This fish was recognized in December by the IGFA (International Game Fish Association) as the new all-tackle world record for this species. The trophy, 29 inches huge with a girth of 20 inches, was landed in Country Isles Lake in Broward County on 20-pound line. And the fish is still out there--it was released after being weighed and photographed. Krizner's new peacock record beat the old one of 10.5 pounds (caught in Brazil back in 1994) by a full pound. Interestingly enough, the record fish was fooled by a plastic worm. Veteran peacock anglers often advise newcomers to the sport to forget a lot of what they know about largemouth bass when trying for this more colorful species, and one of the first tips provided is to leave the artificial worms at home. When opportunity broke down the door, however, Krizner was actually fishing for largemouths with a plastic worm. He spotted the outsized peacock moving into deeper water and followed it with a quick cast using what he had tied to his line. His rapid, jerky retrieve may have been what garnered a strike from a species that normally ignores such offerings.

CATCH YOURSELF A RECORD!

South Florida presents some very unique opportunities for freshwater anglers. The presence of exotic fish not found anywhere else in the country affords anyone with a rod the opportunity to try for records available only to anglers who live in south Florida. The butterfly peacock has done very well in Florida since its introduction in 1984, and the new all-tackle world record provides solid evidence of this. The purpose of this introduction was two-fold: first, to control large numbers of tilapia and other exotics present in the south Florida canal system by introducing a natural predator; and second, to provide a new and very desirable sportfish for Florida anglers to pursue. Of the fifteen line-class categories for butterfly peacock that the IGFA (International Game Fish Association; contact at 954-927-2628 or online at http://www.igfa.org) keeps records on, twelve have been caught from south Florida (the remaining three were caught in Colombia and Venezuela). The south Florida urban angler has certainly cornered the market for butterfly peacock records! A number of other exotic species can also provide record opportunities (not to mention great sport and food). The IGFA currently tracks "all-tackle" records only for these additional exotic species, and seven out of eight records come from Florida. The table below lists the current records for exotic species in Florida that are recognized by the IGFA.