One of the greatest freshwater game fishes that has generated the fishing industries world wide is Bass. Popular in the USA the Bass -Bigmouth and Small-mouth Bass are icon game fish that inspire yearly Bass Fishing Tournament in the USA. Eventually Bass was also introduced into Japan and the Bass fever also spreads there and inspire the production of many rods, reels, lures and organized tournaments there too. These tackles eventually were exported to other countries that have Bass population and those that do not have any Bass at all. You know what they say the tackles are not designed just to catch fish but also anglers as the recreational fishing industry generates hundred of millions dollars annually.
But what about Malaysia? Do we have any Bass here because there are plenty of tackles meant for Bass found in our tackle shops all over the country? Did anybody smuggle Bass fry into the country undetected? The answer is yes and no.
There is a species of Bass and its variations found all over the country mostly in the West coast of the Peninsular of Malaysia, however, they are not Bigmouth or Small-mouth Bass like the ones found in Japan or the USA. Disappointed? Naaahh...you should not be because the ones that are swimming around in our ex-mining ponds, lakes, and canals are as aggressive, vicious and would give a tough fight when hooked just like their cousins in Japan and the USA. They are no other than the Peacock Bass originated from the Amazon in South America.
Peacock Bass are Chiclids not basses. They live in tropical areas from the Amazon Basin in South America up to Panama, Venezuela, Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the US Virgin Island. So how in the world they end up in Malaysian waters? Look no further than those who imported them from the South American countries to be sold in the aquarium shops scattered across the country. They are quite colorful when they are small in the aquariums but they need to be kept in large aquariums as they grow very fast in high temperature water on the tropics. When they grow too large for the aquariums some owners will discard them in the lakes, ponds and canals. Then there are aqua-cultured Peacock Bass in many ponds got released into the surrounding during flood. This is how the Peacock Bass got introduced in our country. Due to the hardy nature of the Peacock Bass, their hunting habits and vicious appetite where there are abundance of local species, their population grew very fast at the expense of the extinction of some indigenous species. They dominate mining ponds and lakes and compete with the bigger species like Toman and Haruan(both are snakeheads). They are also known to eat their own species once the supply of local fishes run out. Since these fish (which is locally known as Ikan Raja) are not popular as table fish their population growth continue upward as most fish caught were thrown back into the water to live another day. This worries the naturalists who feel that the Peacock Bass will hunt most of the local species to extinction. However, for anglers who look for the gamefish like the Bass in Japan and the USA which are not available here, the Peacock Bass are god-send! In Florida peacock bass were introduced the 80's to control other non-native species and to provide sport fishing for the recreational anglers and it is illegal to kill or possess speckled peacock bass as they are protected by law. I did not encounter peacock bass when i lived in Miami, Florida in the 80's as they were only introduced there starting 1984. Their population did not spread North as they cannot tolerate the cold temperature at the end of the year. But, in Malaysia the average temperature did not vary much from the South to the North so they have no problem spreading which is a cause for concern.
Anyway, fishing wise in Malaysia butterfly peacock bass are mostly found in ex-mining pond and lakes where the water is calm. I have never heard of them being found in flowing river the same with where Sebarau can be found. My main fishing ground for peacock bass is mainly in the state of Perak especially ex-mining ponds around Batu Gajah, Malim Nawar and Kota Baru. I know of a few places in Selangor ponds and lakes that hold this species like in Batu Yam, Rawang and Subang but the success rate is not as good as in Perak. I also heard some spots in Negeri Sembilan that have this species but i have never tried. Perak seems to have more of this species maybe to the fact that a lot of aquaculture farms for the aquarium business are in Perak, and a lot of peacock bass escaped during flooding season.
My main method of catching the peacock bass is by casting lures and sometimes fly, i only use live bait like the Seluang when everything else failed. The type of lures, colors and sizes should be close to the baitfish found in the pond that i was fishing. Using 2-3inches or 50-75mm long lures with silver color works wonders as most baitfish called Seluang by the locals found in ponds are around this size and color, match the hatch they say. Sometimes i used bright color lures with green, orange or white colors to trigger strikes. I use deep divers during a hot day as the fish stay in the deeper column of water and then i change to shallow divers, pencil baits or poppers in the late afternoon when the sun is less intense. I like to use a light rod 8-16lb with 10lb or 15lb line with a 20lb fluorocarbon leader to get more fun from this fish. Sometimes i use my converted #7 fly rod with a spinning reel as shown in the photo above to get the maximum fight from this fish. Nothing is more thrilling than seeing this fish jump in the air shaking its head in order to dislodge the hooks during the fight. Most fights last just five minutes as the average size is just around a kilogram, i have yet to catch anything approaching 2kilogram but i am sure i will one day, it is just a matter of finding a right spot and a bit of luck. I released all the peacock bass that i caught even though the naturalists in Malaysia might not agree because i think all lives are precious and are there for a reason. If i do not want to eat them why should i kill them? Nature will eventually find the right balance as it has done for so long. I do not think wiping out the peacock bass population is a good idea as it will put the native freshwater species like Sebarau, Tengas, Kelah, Toman and Haruan under intense fishing pressure as there are no other alternative for freshwater sport fishing available. Eventually the peacock bass will be accepted as one of the native species, after all how do we know the ones that are called native are truly native as they could have migrated or introduced long ago before record or studies even started, you never know?
Peacock Bass are Chiclids not basses. They live in tropical areas from the Amazon Basin in South America up to Panama, Venezuela, Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the US Virgin Island. So how in the world they end up in Malaysian waters? Look no further than those who imported them from the South American countries to be sold in the aquarium shops scattered across the country. They are quite colorful when they are small in the aquariums but they need to be kept in large aquariums as they grow very fast in high temperature water on the tropics. When they grow too large for the aquariums some owners will discard them in the lakes, ponds and canals. Then there are aqua-cultured Peacock Bass in many ponds got released into the surrounding during flood. This is how the Peacock Bass got introduced in our country. Due to the hardy nature of the Peacock Bass, their hunting habits and vicious appetite where there are abundance of local species, their population grew very fast at the expense of the extinction of some indigenous species. They dominate mining ponds and lakes and compete with the bigger species like Toman and Haruan(both are snakeheads). They are also known to eat their own species once the supply of local fishes run out. Since these fish (which is locally known as Ikan Raja) are not popular as table fish their population growth continue upward as most fish caught were thrown back into the water to live another day. This worries the naturalists who feel that the Peacock Bass will hunt most of the local species to extinction. However, for anglers who look for the gamefish like the Bass in Japan and the USA which are not available here, the Peacock Bass are god-send! In Florida peacock bass were introduced the 80's to control other non-native species and to provide sport fishing for the recreational anglers and it is illegal to kill or possess speckled peacock bass as they are protected by law. I did not encounter peacock bass when i lived in Miami, Florida in the 80's as they were only introduced there starting 1984. Their population did not spread North as they cannot tolerate the cold temperature at the end of the year. But, in Malaysia the average temperature did not vary much from the South to the North so they have no problem spreading which is a cause for concern.
Anyway, fishing wise in Malaysia butterfly peacock bass are mostly found in ex-mining pond and lakes where the water is calm. I have never heard of them being found in flowing river the same with where Sebarau can be found. My main fishing ground for peacock bass is mainly in the state of Perak especially ex-mining ponds around Batu Gajah, Malim Nawar and Kota Baru. I know of a few places in Selangor ponds and lakes that hold this species like in Batu Yam, Rawang and Subang but the success rate is not as good as in Perak. I also heard some spots in Negeri Sembilan that have this species but i have never tried. Perak seems to have more of this species maybe to the fact that a lot of aquaculture farms for the aquarium business are in Perak, and a lot of peacock bass escaped during flooding season.
My main method of catching the peacock bass is by casting lures and sometimes fly, i only use live bait like the Seluang when everything else failed. The type of lures, colors and sizes should be close to the baitfish found in the pond that i was fishing. Using 2-3inches or 50-75mm long lures with silver color works wonders as most baitfish called Seluang by the locals found in ponds are around this size and color, match the hatch they say. Sometimes i used bright color lures with green, orange or white colors to trigger strikes. I use deep divers during a hot day as the fish stay in the deeper column of water and then i change to shallow divers, pencil baits or poppers in the late afternoon when the sun is less intense. I like to use a light rod 8-16lb with 10lb or 15lb line with a 20lb fluorocarbon leader to get more fun from this fish. Sometimes i use my converted #7 fly rod with a spinning reel as shown in the photo above to get the maximum fight from this fish. Nothing is more thrilling than seeing this fish jump in the air shaking its head in order to dislodge the hooks during the fight. Most fights last just five minutes as the average size is just around a kilogram, i have yet to catch anything approaching 2kilogram but i am sure i will one day, it is just a matter of finding a right spot and a bit of luck. I released all the peacock bass that i caught even though the naturalists in Malaysia might not agree because i think all lives are precious and are there for a reason. If i do not want to eat them why should i kill them? Nature will eventually find the right balance as it has done for so long. I do not think wiping out the peacock bass population is a good idea as it will put the native freshwater species like Sebarau, Tengas, Kelah, Toman and Haruan under intense fishing pressure as there are no other alternative for freshwater sport fishing available. Eventually the peacock bass will be accepted as one of the native species, after all how do we know the ones that are called native are truly native as they could have migrated or introduced long ago before record or studies even started, you never know?
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| Amy and his Peacock Bass aka Ikan Raja |
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| Catch n release eventhough it is an evasive species |
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| I too released my catch, if you dont want to eat them,just let them go to fight another day |
For those of you who have not tried fishing peacock bass, it is time to give it a try as it is quite thrilling and addictive. Happy fishing.
