Another situation calling for slightly different tactics occurs when Moser takes out anglers in the spring and fall for spawning fish. Vanquishing a large male peacock sporting an aggressive-looking humped head is a special type of thrill. These kinds of charters feature Capt. Moser searching out likely areas for bedding peacocks -- which he generally finds around structure. Such areas are often around dock pilings, PVC pipes, submerged logs and shoreline rocks, near floodgates or at canal intersections.

Capt. Moser feels that live chumming to aggravate bedding peacocks can be less harassing than repeatedly casting lures and flies at the same fish. With live bait, there's generally a quick response, hookup and release. A

AN OBLIGING ADVERSARY
The peacock bass has several traits that make it a pleasure for Butch Moser to target. To begin with, unlike the largemouth bass that also inhabit these waters, peacocks often feed all day long. These fish are a hearty breed that are active and can be caught in calm, downright hot weather or when the wind is up and it's raining.

About the only thing that turns them off is cold weather -- which is not the norm this far south on the peninsula. That comes as no surprise, inasmuch as peacock bass are native to rain forests of South America. But if you're using live bait, it is possible to fish deep and catch some peacocks even during many cooler spells.

During the extreme heat of summertime, Butch is less concerned about peacocks going "deep" to survive. They're rather more likely to just look for some shade to hide in, but remain in the shallows. Then you should be fishing under bridges, docks or along tree-shaded shores.

Obviously, Moser's favorite times of year for peacocks are the spring and fall when moderate weather conditions and spawning fish make the action dependable.

And for that kind of fishing, April is a hard month to beat.