Peacock Bass: Catching Nostalgia in a Kayak

Robwil Valderrey grew up catching monster peacock bass in his home country of Venezuela. After moving to the United States at age 16, he found the adjustment to a new country and language to be difficult. Once he discovered the waters of South Florida are full of his favorite species to fish, things started to click for him, and he began to feel a connection to his home in Venezuela.

“I left Venezuela when I was 16. New country, new language, and fishing was kind of like my escape, you know? I was getting out of school and going fishing pretty much every day,” says Valderrey.

Fast forward to 2018, and Robwil is thriving in his adopted country. Not only did he find respite in fishing, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy to fight for the opportunities and freedoms he found when he arrived here.

“In 2010, I decided to join the U.S. Navy and serve my country. Four great years of my life. It made me appreciate all the things that we have in this country, all the freedoms and the ability to be pretty much whoever we want. The political situation in Venezuela right now is very fragile, and it’s very hard for me to go visit and enjoy the fishing down there.”

Fortunately for Robwil, fishing for peacock bass has given him a nostalgic connection to Venezuela, even if he can’t make the trip to South America very often.

“I live in South Florida where peacock bass fishing is just around the corner. You just pull up to any canal, they’ll give you the same fight they give you down there in South America. They’re a very powerful fish, considering that they are freshwater fish. They have a very special place in my heart because they bring me back to my roots, where I was born. Every time I go fish for them I just remember when I was a kid and all the times I went fishing with my friends and my family. It makes them really special to me. ”

To get to his best fishing spots, Robwil uses the award-winning Predator PDL.

“Using the PDL to target peacocks allows me to reach more areas that are not fishable from land. And that’s a huge advantage out here.”

Special thanks to Electric, Yeti, and Rapala USA