South Florida trip ... Midas cichlid

[AndrewP]

I made a trip to South Florida a few weeks ago -- Miami to be exact -- to try and fish Biscayne Bay for bonefish. As you might expect, the weather decided it was not going to cooperate and decided to blow like snot. Luckily, there's some nice, semi-protected freshwater fishing in the canals for exotics. I caught my fill of smaller peacocks, but also got a few nicer-sized ones .... but what I was most excited about was getting this one on fly:



It's called a Midas Cichlid ...... the color is so unbelievably bright! Here's another shot, closeup ....




A first for me ............. now, I need to move further north and see if I can get a snakehead on fly ....


AP

[Pirogue]

Beautiful fish.

Do you think these are released from [peoples aquariums?

[GILs_GONE_WILD]

They could've been dumped but I've also heard that when Hurricane Andrew blew through it not only destroyed houses, it took out everyone's aquarium as well.

By the way ... nice catch.

[DaveR]

Very cool!

[krash]

Andrew did take its toll, and there is some science that says the Lion Fish explosion somehow links to an fish tank destroyed by the storm..

But long before Andrew, don't remember the storm but was many many years a go, a couple fish farms that imported and raised tropical fish along with some reptiles, in the '60's, was destroyed by a hurricane which allowed all kinds of tropicals get dumped into the waterways and e-glades, back then the world pretty much ended (maybe a mile or 2 west) here at what is now the Turnpike extension.

[Rik]

Are they that color at birth? Hard to imagine they can live long enough to get that big. They're like a neon sign.

[krash]

Are they that color at birth? Hard to imagine they can live long enough to get that big. They're like a neon sign.

Pretty much yes.. born that way, hence the name "Midas", and yes its surprising thy can make it in the wild, but in S. Florida most of the freshwater fish are tropicals.. I've caught Peacock bass nearly the same color, at first sighting I thought the Peacock was a Coy.

[John]

I fish those canals occasionally when I'm working down in Miami, and have seen the Midas but never tried for them on fly.
What pattern were you using?

Nice job

[AndrewP]

I fish those canals occasionally when I'm working down in Miami, and have seen the Midas but never tried for them on fly.
What pattern were you using?

Nice job

John, I used a small (#8), bright minnow pattern called a Mickey Finn. But I don't think it was the pattern, per se. The Midas was hovering right in one area, and the fly slowly settled right in front of the fish. He moved over and sucked it in ..... so anyway, think it was a combination of small fly and right sink rate (very slow).