FLORIDA
Florida’s Freshwater Odd-balls
W
By Nick Carter
ith warm, nutrient-rich waters, south Florida’s system of freshwater lakes and canals makes perfect habitat for exotic species from all over the world. Regardless of how populations of these weird and sporting fish arrived, they are there to stay. Anglers might as well enjoy them. Darcie Arahill, a.k.a. Darcizzle Offshore, knows her way around these canal systems. She has a particular enthusiasm for Delray Beach, Fla.’s Lake Ida, which is a small water body in an extensive system along Florida’s southern Atlantic coast. She enjoys the excellent bass fishing, but perhaps more appealing are the exotics that happen to be fantastic gamefish. The following oddballs are some of Darcie’s favorites from a fishery unlike any other. Sunshine Bass: These hard-fighting fish are produced and stocked by the state to control shad populations. They are a hybrid cross between striped bass and white bass without the capability to reproduce. State agencies across the country stock their versions of sunshine bass, and regional variations are called hybrids, wipers, whiterock and palmetto bass. Sunshine bass offer the fight and some of the size of a striped bass, while displaying the aggressive feeding behavior and warm-water tolerance of white bass. Although the current strain being produced might not be capable of achieving the size of the more than 16-pound state record, Darcie said they catch plenty of 5 to 6 pounders. Sunshine bass will take artificials like bucktails and swimbaits, but Darcie said you’re better off fishing live American shad or shiners on a Carolina rig. Clown Knife Fish: Lake Ida, its northern sister Lake Osborne, and their canals are the only places in North America where anglers can pursue clown knife fish. These aquarium escapees have become a desired gamefish for those in the know. They are a flat, silvery fish with a snake-like tail. They can swim powerfully either forward or backward, which produces a unique fight. Darcie said these natives to tropical Asia jump like tarpon, and they have been recorded up to 10 pounds in Florida. A clown knife fish might eat a
swimbait, but Darcie said live shad or shiners are your best bet. Peacock Bass: A native to the Amazon River Basin, the butterfly peacock bass has driven many a grand adventure to South America. These gorgeous fish were introduced to Florida by the FWC in the 1980s to control invasive forage species. Anglers are glad to have them. Sensitivity to cool water keeps peacock bass in check. They thrive only in southeast Florida and grow to their largest size in the canals around Miami-Dade and Broward counties, where they’ve been documented up to 12 pounds. Darcie Arahill shows off a big clown knife fish. “They’re very aggressive, and they’re a beautiful fish to catch,” said Darcie. “They fight twice as hard as a largemouth.” Butterfly peacocks make it as far north as West Palm Beach, but cold snaps knock them back every few winters. They will hammer topwater baits and moving baits. Check out Darcie’s YouTube channel Darcizzle Offshore at www.youtube. com/user/DarcizzleOffshore.
For more canal fishing with Darcizzle, go to
FISHINGLIFE.CO
COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM
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FLORIDA
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7/18/17 11:13 AM