Is Florida an Alternative to an Amazon Trip?

Link: https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/fishing-florida-exotic-species/

Florida is...unique.  From the people that live there, to the stories that come from there, to the fish that can be caught there.  It is getting even more...unique as well.  I follow some south Florida Facebook groups and there are some non-native fish being pulled out by bait, lure, and fly fishers.  

While perusing my usual websites, which is a part of my lunchtime routine, I ran across this article by Joe Cermele.  I love his attitude and enthusiasm and will read anything he writes.  When the topic is peacock bass, pacu, snakeheads, and knifefish, then I will clear my schedule to read his article.  This is indeed a good read and it just might make you want to plan a trip to Florida to chase some exotic species.

About 4 years ago, I had the chance to do some fishing around the Ft. Lauderdale area and I was fortunate enough to catch a few of these critters.  I landed a peacock bass, a tilapia, and a Mayan cichlid on that trip.  I used tactics that were really no different than what I do here in Missouri and had an amazing experience.  

I would love to take a couple of weeks and just explore the waterways and see what I could catch and maybe someday I will.  What I will probably never be able to do is afford a trip to the Amazon.  Settling for Florida isn't a bad option that I can afford and isn't as treacherous of a journey.  If you don't know about the exotic species in Florida, this article is worth a read.  If you do know about them, there is some current information that you might not be aware of and it still might be worth a read!

Link: https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/fishing-florida-exotic-species/