Peacock Bass vs Smallmouth Bass

Cichla temensis comparé à Micropterus dolomieu

Taxonomy & Classification

Attribut	Peacock Bass	Smallmouth Bass
Nom scientifique	Cichla temensis	Micropterus dolomieu
Ordre	Cichliformes	Centrarchiformes
Famille	Cichlidae	Centrarchidae
Conservation Status	Least Concern	Least Concern

Physical Traits

Attribut	Peacock Bass	Smallmouth Bass
Longueur maximale	100,0 cm	69,0 cm
Poids maximum	12,7 kg	5,4 kg
Couleur	Golden-yellow to olive-green body with three bold dark vertical bars on the flanks; a striking black ocellus edged in gold at the tail base; breeding males develop a prominent nuchal hump.	Bronze-green to golden-brown body with 13–15 irregular dark brown vertical bars or blotches on the flanks; red-orange eyes; belly pale cream; dark brown radiating lines from eye to snout.

Habitat & Environment

Attribut	Peacock Bass	Smallmouth Bass
Type d'eau	Freshwater	Freshwater
Plage de profondeur	—	1-7m
Aire de répartition	Native to the Amazon River basin and Orinoco River system in South America, including Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil. Inhabits blackwater rivers, flooded forests, and large …	Native to the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes drainage south through the Ohio River system and upper Mississippi basin. Prefers clear, cool, rocky streams …
Habitat	Native to Southeast Asian rivers including the Mekong basin. Warm, slow-moving freshwater with soft substrates. Introduced to tropical aquaculture systems globally. Tolerates wide temperature range …	Clear, cool rivers and streams of eastern North America from the Great Lakes to Tennessee. Prefers rocky and gravelly substrate in moderate to fast current. …

Informations sur la pêche

Attribut	Peacock Bass	Smallmouth Bass
Poisson de pêche sportive	Oui	Oui
Cote de combativité	9/10	8/10
Record du monde	—	—
Teneur en mercure	—	—

Cuisine & Edibility

Peacock Bass

Firm, white flesh with a clean, mild flavor and low fat content. Prized table fish throughout Amazonian cuisines; excellent grilled, pan-fried, or steamed with citrus.

Smallmouth Bass

Clean, white, mildly flavored flesh with low fat; considered slightly firmer and more flavorful than largemouth bass. Excellent pan-fried or baked; a respected table fish in the Great Lakes region.

Species Overview

Peacock Bass

The peacock bass is the crown jewel of Amazon basin sport fishing. Despite its name, it is actually a large cichlid. Known for explosive topwater strikes and powerful, drag-screaming runs in tropical rivers and lagoons.

Smallmouth Bass

The smallmouth bass is widely considered the best-fighting freshwater fish pound-for-pound. Found in clear, rocky streams and lakes, it is more athletic and acrobatic than its larger cousin, the largemouth bass.