This colorful and aggressive freshwater gamester is an answer to any Waltonion's fervent prayer.

It's aggressive, powerful, pugnacious, unsophisticated and not choosy in its selection of artificial or live baits being presented by those employing spinning, casting or fly tackle.

Striking with the potency of a Mike Tyson uppercut, the peacock bass makes mighty runs, frequently jumps like an enraged tarpon and, seemingly, possesses a marathon runner's stamina.

Before packing your bag, purchasing an airline ticket and embarking upon that trek to South America, here's a erstwhile, closely guarded semi-secret to ponder: There's a world-class peacock bass fishery awaiting both beginner and experienced anglers in Florida's Dade and Broward County.

Instead of parting with mucho dinero for an exotic foreign safari, we of modest bank balances can lay out little more than pocket change and woo peacock bass in our own tropical backyard.

Of several peacock varieties found throughout South America, the species introduced into the urbanized, man-made canals of lower Florida in 1984 was the butterfly peacock bass. One guy cashing in on the Sunshine State's newest game fish is Allen Zaremba, a veteran guide who plies fresh, brackish and saltwater locales in the Miami area.

"As word spreads," said Zaremba, "I'm getting bookings from anglers throughout the United States."

A former largemouth bass tournament competitor, Zaremba appears to lean toward the butterfly peacock as his new personal and professional pet. "Experienced fishermen using artificial lures or flies probably make up 75 percent of my peacock guide trips," said the guide.

"For newcomers or inexperienced husband-wife clients, I'll use small golden shiners because live baits are easier for my customers to use and are always productive."

Neil Cobo, owner of the Fishing Line, a well-stocked tackle shop located at 9379 S.W. 56 Street in Miami, estimates that he sells between 70 and 80 pounds of one to two- inch golden shiners each week to butterfly peacock bass buffs.

"About 60 percent of my business comes from offshore and back country fishermen, while the remaining 40 percent is divided between largemouth and peacock anglers," he said.

Enthusiastic about the steady increase in patrons who are targeting peacocks, Cobo envisions a day when this South American import becomes the tail wagging the dog.

For the butterfly peacock, Cobo recommends smaller lures including Rapalas, Crappie Killers, Paw-Paws, Shad Raps, Rat'L Traps, Mepps Spinners and 1/8 to 1/4-ounce plastic-tailed Cotee Jigs.

Gaines poppers, sinking flies and small streamers in yellow and/or chartreuse hues are to peacocks what bananas are to monkeys.

Introduced into the canal systems of southeast Florida in 1984 to increase predation on abundant normative forage species and to enhance freshwater sportfishing opportunities in the metropolitan Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area, the butterfly peacock (Cichla ocellaris) has adapted well to its new environment.

According to Paul Shafland, director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Non-Native Fish Research Lab in Boca Raton, peacock opportunities are "hotter" today than ever before.

"Some 20,000 fingerlings imported from Brazil, Guyana and Peru, were stocked into our warm water canals between October, 1984, and August, 1987, and have successfully reproduced every year since," Shafland pointed out.

"Even more noteworthy," Shafland continued, "is that six of seven International Game Fish Association (IGFA) line class world records and four of five IGFA fly rod tippet records were set here."

Until 1996, when Larry Larsen of Lakeland, Florida, bagged a 10-pound, 8 ounce butterfly peacock in Brazil's Rio Branco, IGFA's all-tackle record was established in Dade County on March, 11, 1993, by Jerry Gomez with a 9.5 pounder caught in Kendall Lake.

Larsen, who has written numerous books on bass fishing, including two on peacocks, caught his trophy on a Woodchopper surface plug manufactured by Luhr Jensen.

That the brightly colored butterfly peacock is doing its job as a predator is borne out by a 55 percent reduction in spotted tilapia noted in recent surveys conducted by Commission biologists.

Zaremba has also observed a sharp decline in the number of oscars being caught in his home waters. FWC studies indicate that native fishes are tangibly benefitting since the peacock's arrival.

Bluegill and shellcracker biomass is greater now than before peacocks were introduced, and per-acre populations of largemouth bass are significantly above the statewide average.

Although the largemouth and peacock frequently inhabit the same type of structure, Shafland emphasized that peacock bass, as opposed to largemouth, feed only during daylight hours.

In addition, peacock bass primarily use their exceptional speed to run down forage fishes rather than relying on the typical ambush tactics of largemouth.

Because peacocks are so fast and aggressive, anglers tilling the Dade and south Broward canals often report catching six to eight peacocks for every native largemouth.

For this reason, fishermen may keep but two per day with only one measuring in excess of 17 inches.

"We're certainly encouraging people to practice catch-and-release with regard to peacocks," Shafland stressed.

"The way these fish assault baits and lures with such total abandon, it wouldn't take long to reduce their numbers to critical levels." Temperature rigidly limits the range of peacock bass. "They simply do not tolerate water temperatures dipping below 60 degrees," said the Boca Raton biologist.

Peacock fry have unusually high survival rates because both mama and papa steadfastly remain on the spawning bed and, unlike other freshwater f ish species, fixedly stay with and protect their young for the two or three months it takes them to grow sufficiently to fend for themselves. "I believe we now have a higher percentage of three- to five-pound peacock bass in our Dade and Broward County canal populations than will be found anywhere in South America," Shafland enthused.

"On top of this, I wouldn't be too surprised to see Larsen's all-tackle record fall soon to a Florida peacock bass, since we have collected and released 10- to 10.5 pound peacock bass in previous scientific surveys. Shafland gives the following Dade and Broward canals his highest marks for butterfly peacock bass: Tamiami Canal (C-4), Biscayne Canal (C-8), Cypress Creek Canal (C- 14), Cutler Drain Canal (C-100), Snake Creek Canal (C-9), and Snapper Creek Canal (C-2).

Those looking for both quality largemouth bass and butterfly peacocks might try the Cypress Creek Canal (C-14), the Cutler Drain Canal (C-100), the Airport Lakes Canal (C-4), and the Biscayne Canal (C-8).

Typically, these canals are kept weed-free, thus giving light-tackle anglers a reduced risk of hang-ups and a greater opportunity to land a wall-hanger. Phenomenal peacock and largemouth fishing activity now awaits anybody with a hankering to do battle with world-class finny adversaries.

For more information on these south Florida piscatorial prizes, contact Allen Zaremba at (954) 961-7512 or the FWC Everglades Regional office, 8535 Northlake Blvd., West Palm Beach, FL 33412, phone (561) 625-5122.