Bass Fishing – a Closer Look at the Peacock Bass
Peacock bass are the most beautiful fresh water fish that you can find in certain parts of America but they are mostly highly concentrated in South America including; Amazon, Columbia, Dominican Republic etc… It is a common misconception but peacock bass are actually not a member of the bass family. Even though they are referred to as bass, they are actually members of the Cichlid family. Peacock bass is a general name for two types of fish one being the speckled peacock bass and the other being the royal peacock bass. The speckled peacock bass is the largest out of the two and can grow to around 4 feet long which is outstanding for a fish. The royal peacock bass is the smallest, with its maximum length of around 1 foot.
Their shapes and patterns are similar with the majority displaying three wide stripes which are placed vertically across their bodies. The reason why these beautiful fish are known as peacock bass is because they all possess a spot on their tail fins that imitates the eye on a peacock’s feathers. The eye is used by both the peacock and the peacock fish, as a defense mechanism against predators. In addition, the eye can be used by the peacock fish as a lure of its own when
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hunting for prey itself. The peacock bass have differences in their physical appearances, which can help them distinguish who is male and who is female. The male peacock bass obtains a distinct lump on its foreheads. The rest of their physical characteristics greatly depend on what species they are and at what stage of their life they are at. Peacock bass can have many different colors and distinct patterns on their body. These patterns can include; shades of orange, green, blue, and gold, they can have light speckled areas on their body, they can have dark circles instead of stripes and finally, adult peacock bass tend to lose their stripes and journey through their adult life cycle. Like bass, peacock bass are a prized game fish which many fishermen flock from all over the world, just to fish these spectacular Cichlids.
Similarly to smallmouth bass, peacock bass tend to be known for fighting quality, which can provide entertainment for the anglers fishing for them. Fishing for these beauties has become so popular that even travel agencies offer organized trips to the Amazon and to Florida just so people can fish for peacock bass. There is one warning that you MUST remember when fishing for peacock bass, it is that they are extremely vicious fish and been referred to by many fishermen as ‘freshwater bullies’ so beware. It might be easy to get them hooked, but keeping them on the hook is another
problem.
Smallmouth Bass | The Fish | Icthyology. (n.d.). Flyfishing Smallmouth Bass. Retrieved February 26, 2011, from http://fly-fishing-smallmouth.com/html/the_fish.html
Of course there are many beautiful and dynamic fish that reside in the waters of Hawaii, but none are as captivating as the Humuhumumunukunukuapua'a (Rhinecanthus rectangulus ). This reef trigger-fish is the official state fish of Hawaii because of its abundance in the shallow waters of the coast. Humuhumumunukunukuapua'a means “nose like a pig” because of the shape of its nose due to the formation of its teeth and because it makes a “snorting” sound when abruptly taken from the water and when swimming away from predators. The locals of Hawaii usually call this fish humuhumu (hoo-moo-hoo-moo) in lieu of having to pronounce its full name for conversation purposes. In other parts of the world this shallow water fish is also known as the Picasso and rectangle fish because of the colors and patterns on its body. Since the humuhumu prefer waters with degrees from seventy-five to eighty degrees Fahrenheit they are found and indigenous to the “Indo-Pacific: Hawaiian islands, Red Sea south to East London, South Africa and east through Indonesia to the Marquesan Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island.”(Oceanlink.com).According to ask a Marine Scientist:Osteichthyes , they are in the class of the “Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)”,the order of the ”Tetraodontiformes (Puffers and filefishes)”,a member of the ”Balistidae” family(Oceanlink.com), and its biome of preference is the coastal strand.
When fishing on any lake, locating bass can be difficult sometimes. In order to locate these cunning fish, it helps to find schools of their favorite prey. Bass are guaranteed to be close by their food source and using this technique will help you to land that largemouth or smallmouth bass you are seeking.
There are two things that should be considered in bass fishing, which are, the bass location on the lake or river and bass catching using different techniques, presentations and baits.
What is Waterfowl hunting? Not only is it hands down the most adrenaline pumping, heart racing outdoors sports, but also one of the top most adventurous outdoor experiences. Becoming a waterfowl hunter could be a life changing experience, showing one the great outdoors is an excellent way to relax and breath in the fresh air. A few steps an individual needs to take before going out and becoming a waterfowl pro. Waterfowl hunting will always remain on the top of the hunting food chain. Waterfowl hunting is a great hobby, and it is thrilling for the hunter to enjoy what nature has to offer the hunter. The three key aspects of waterfowl hunting are, scouting, preparing, and enjoying the hunt.
Conclusively and strongly stressed to the naive freshwater fisherman, freshwater fishing can shockingly differ from saltwater fishing. Successful freshwater fishing is allowed by simpler and more practical means, including a wider range of lure selections, limp and simple line, and the lightest of gear. It has minimal demands on fishermen and equipment. Saltwater fishing, on the other hand, surely does not.
Biology: The average length of a Skipjack Tuna is 32 inches long (80cm) and weigh anywhere between 7-22 pounds (8-10kg). The current record for the biggest Skipjack Tuna weighs in at 76 pounds (34.5kg) and was 43 inches long (108cm). The colour of the top region is either dark blue or purple, and the lower region including the belly are primarily a silver colour with anywhere from 4-6 dark, broken lines that run across the body (FLMNH). The body shape is elongated and possesses a fusiform shape, meaning it is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends; it also possesses a bilateral symmetry. There are two dorsal fins present, the first consisting of around 14-16 spines. There is a small gap in between the two fins, and the second fin is spineless (ADW) (FLMNH). Behind the second dorsal fin, are between 7-9 finlets, which aid the fish in “reducing turbulence and maintaining directional control when swimming at high speeds” (Gardieff, Susie). On the underlying side of the Tuna, the anal fin is present and it is in about the same location below the second dorsal fin, and following the anal fin is another 7-8 finlets. The fish has short pectoral fins consisting of between 26-27 rays. The fish also have a single row of teeth, shaped conically (cone shaped) (FLMNH).
The mudpuppy to me is one of my favorite animals that live under water. The mudpuppy is related to amphibians. One thing that makes the mudpuppy different is that their gills never go away like other amphibians gills do. There gills kind of look like bushes underwater just swaying around. According to “National Geographic” they say that, “mudpuppies are easily distinguishable by their bushy, red external gills, which they grow as larva and never lose. They have flat heads, wide tails, stubby les, and feet with four distinct toes. Their bodies are gray or brownish-gray with blue- black spots” (1). They have almost all the same characteristics as salamanders do: like toes and the patterns on their bodies. According to the book “A Natural History of Amphibians” the authors Robert C. Stebbins and Nathan W. Cohen talk about the skin of amphibians and they said,
Pheasants are one of the most popular game birds around South Dakota. A lot of people are known to have pheasant farms because they are so populated and are worth quite a bit of money. The pheasant is native to Asia and has widely introduced itself as a game bird. The ring-necked pheasant is a species that can be found anywhere in North America. It gets the ring neck name from the white ring around its neck separated a blue or black color on top and a light brown color on the bottom. Some of the other game birds that people hunt are geese, ducks, grouse, and some people hunt quail. Geese are a bigger game bird and most game birds are usually shot with a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun. All of these animals have a certain date for their season for when they can be
Since this first encounter I have caught lots of these magnificent fish and as the years go by they seem to keep getting bigger and bigger. I have developed several baits and presentations that help me to catch these fish and I would like to share them with you.
Fish were amongst the first known chordates about 500 million years ago. Therefore, they have a very elaborate and complicated evolutionary history. The first type of fish to appear during the Ordovician era were called Ostracoderms. They had their head and flanks covered with a bony armor while they had a cartilaginous back. The shield was used to keep off predators. The extinction of the Ostracoderms during the Devonian period saw the emergence of Placoderms. These types of fish were also armored, but their functional jaws distinguished them from their predecessors. They also have gills derived from their jaws that took over the specialized role of gaseous exchange. Evolution of
When you aren't fishing for Catfish, you may want to try your luck with the many Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass that inhabit this river as well.
The Emporer has a yellow tail and it's face can be sky or baby blue. This fish wears a black band over it's eyes and weaers it as if the fish were wearing a Batman mask all day and night. The Regal angelfish is a fish with lots of colors. It is orange but comes with blue,white,yellow and many black vertical stripes on it's two sides. There are other angelfish like the blue angelfish,half-moon angelfish,rock beauty and emporer angelfish. The bright colors of the marine angelfish help them camouflage with the majestic and beautiful colors of the ocean and help them stay alive for a decent ammount of
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature the Channel Catfish is neither endangered nor at risk of being endangered. The Channel Catfish is raised at fish farms and is a very popular fish in regards to food. The Channel Catfish is the third most desired fish to catch in Texas behind the bass and crappie. The Channel Catfish is the most common catfish in North America. Studies taking place in Iowa have shown that the weight of catfish per mile of streams is anywhere between five hundred and five thousand pounds.
The catfish maintains an advantage over most fish due to its ability to walk on land. This helpful adaptation comes from the pectoral spines which they flex in order to contour to their body in a walking motion. While the adaptation for land walking is impressive the ability to breathe on land is also beneficial. This ability comes from the hills of the fish which have “highly vascularized arborescent organs that act like accessory breathing structures” (Masterson 2007). Their gas bladder is also minimized to allow for stiffening so that the fish do not collapse on the land (Masterson 2007). Along with the voracious appetite of the fish they have other adaptations that make them invasive as well. The fish can survive in waters that most fish cannot such as hypoxic waters or muddy ponds. Along with being nocturnal these survival abilities allow them to invade aquaculture farms and take prey on the fish stock