Florida State Record Mayan Cichlid

Appears the vacant Florida state record for the (invasive) Mayan Cichlid was filled at the end of November by an angler named Jonathan Johnson.

Mr. Johnson’s 2.37-pound catch is an impressive feat. I’ve caught a few Mayan Cichlids while visiting my in-laws in Boca Raton and I’m not sure if any of them even approached a pound.

One of my palm-sized Mayan Cichlids from a few years back

More about the Mayan Cichlid from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission:

The FWC made the Mayan cichlid, a nonnative species from Central America, eligible for state record status in 2012. But, the record has remained vacant until now. The Mayan cichlid was first reported in Florida in the early 1980s. During the mid-1990s, the fish began expanding its range and has become common throughout south Florida’s freshwater lakes and canals. Both local and out-of-state anglers target the now-popular fish using methods similar to those used for sunfish. The bright red coloration and scrappy disposition of the Mayan cichlid when caught caused FWC biologists to nickname it the “atomic sunfish.”

Coincidentally, I’m back in Boca Raton for the holidays, so maybe I’ll give that cichlid record (or some of the other state freshwater marks) a challenge. On tenkara of course (ha!) – that’d be pretty cool.

Probably not gonna happen, but doesn’t mean I can’t break a few rods trying…

Sharing Some Vacation Pictures

While everyone is still chatting up “Sacred Cows“…I’m in Florida enjoying a week of vacation. (Thanks to everyone who has commented on that post to date). Clearly, with that post in the rear-view mirror, Troutrageous! has peaked and there’s no way to stop the decline. So rather than try, I figured I’d just put up some vacation pictures…

The first batch are from the in-laws’ in Boca Raton. Backyard canal fishing and goofing around with Lilly were pretty much what was in the cards.

One of a few Mayan Cichlids…little buggers fight really hard.

Detail of tail

Gill

Test driving the Tenkara USA Ito…yeah it was overkill

Lilly intently reading the latest Windknots & Tangled Lines post

Tiny frogs in a beer glass

The last batch are from our arrival in Islamorada. No tarpon fishing (like fishingpoet), just hanging out at a resort for a few days, and the eating and drinking that goes with it.

Lilly saying goodbye…as she’s staying at “Camp Mom-Mom”

Fishing pier behind the hotel

Dinner spot…was good.

Pie. Enough said.

Lots & Lots of Little Fish

Perhaps if you have kids…or have spent any amount of time over a friend or family member’s house that has kids, you may have seen the “Lots & Lots of Jets and Planes” commercial.

Perhaps annoying at first, it actually becomes quite intoxicating. I wish I had the delivery of that announcer.

Anyway, first night of the Florida family vacation visiting the in-laws, I snuck out back for about an hour to do some fishing in the backyard canal. Nothing serious…just looking to wet a line. There’s usually panfish a plenty, and they didn’t disappoint.

What struck me was their size, all on the smallish end of the spectrum. Usually get into a few largish specimens, but no dinner plate fish here. No big deal, because the action was relatively constant (when not picking out algae from my fly – damn you Florida summers).

I can just hear that commercial announcer now…”Lots & Lots of Little Fish“…heck, I’d buy that video.

A Christmas Recap

We had a good Christmas this year. Not that I’m bragging or anything…. Okay, maybe just a little.

It started with presents…of course.

Lilly made out like a bandit. Nintendo DS was atop her list, and Santa was a good listener…

And Wuggle Pets? If you have a kid that watches cartoons on cable, surely you’ve seen the commercial…

After lounging around the house for a bit, assembling and playing with toys, I went fishing out back in the canal that runs behind the house. Had to try to catch a Christmas fish, right?

Look…there’s one…

While I was fishing, K.C. was using her “new” DSLR camera to shoot great pictures, like this…

…until I became the subject…

Where was Lilly while all this was going on?

C’mon, did you expect her to be anywhere else but glued to her new DS?

Oh, caught a fish or two too.

Rounded out the night with a nice dinner, goofed around on the computer a bit (including writing this post), then off to bed. See you again in ’12 Santa Claus…we’ll be good, we promise.