Atomic Sunfish: How to Catch Florida's Exotic Mayan Cichlid

Looking for a fish that is easy to catch, puts up a great fight, and is excellent to eat? The freshwater nonnative fish called the Mayan cichlid checks all the boxes. They are flat out fun to catch! Pack your bags and head to South or Central Florida for loads of fish-catching action.

Mayan cichlids are a nonnative freshwater fish first documented in Florida Bay during 1983. Over the years, their population has exploded, and “Mayans” can be found in almost any freshwater and brackish water body in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties as well as select bodies of water as far north as Brevard County on the east coast and Hillsborough County on the west coast of Florida. Nicknamed “the atomic sunfish” for such an aggressive and tough battle, Mayan cichlids are great fish to catch.

How they were introduced into Florida waters is hard to say. Many experts feel that Mayan cichlids may have been introduced illegally into South Florida waterways by the aquarium pet trade or by a fish farm escape. Once introduced, these cichlids have responded well to Florida’s subtropical warm climate. They have a lengthy spawning season from March throughout the summer. After just three decades, the Florida populations have taken a foothold as they have withstood a variety of conditions such as colder temperatures, higher salinity levels, droughts, and floods.

Mayan Cichlid Identification

Mayan cichlids look very similar to tilapia, another nonnative, only that Mayans are red in appearance. Everglades fishing guide Capt. Lou Lagrange said many of his clients have mistaken a Mayan cichlid for the popular peacock bass. “I’ve been in many situations where my client catches a nice Mayan cichlid, and they swear it’s a pea,” he said. A Mayan cichlid’s red coloration is often accented by 6 to 8 black vertical bars and a prominent dark spot ringed by blue coloration at the base of their caudal, or tail, fin. Their coloration can range from red to a shade of yellow or even an olive-brown body. Peacock bass have a shape similar to largemouth bass and are more slender than Mayan cichlids. Peacocks will have a black spot with a yellowish to gold halo on their caudal fin.

Habitat Variety

Mayan cichlids can be found in a variety of habitats, from roadside ditches to canals and ponds. They are very adaptable, and they can tolerate high levels of salinity. Captain Lagrange targets Mayan cichlids along shoreline areas of rock and sediment that are devoid of heavy weed growth. “They like very shallow water and the warm sun,” he said. “When it’s warm, you’ll see them all over the place.” Often, anglers can spot Mayan cichlids sunning in warm water just inches away from shore. Look for structure such as rocks, culvert pipes, limestone dropoffs, bridge pilings, fallen trees and even submerged shopping carts in urban canals. Southwest Florida guide Capt. Debbie Hanson likes to look for concrete seawalls and rock piles along residential canals, as these will retain heat from sunlight and will be warmer. She also focuses on limestone ledges in the Everglades canal systems.

Where to Go

Many freshwater and brackish canals in South and Central Florida will have an excellent population of Mayan cichlids. Ground zero for Mayan cichlids is Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Collier, and Lee counties. Just about any waterway in this region may hold excellent populations. The Everglades and connecting canal systems and most urban canals in South Florida can offer excellent fishing. Sporadic populations can be found farther north. When searching for Mayans, look for bodies of water that are connected to others by culvert pipes, canals, ditches or drains, as fish will easily migrate to and from different bodies of water.

How to Catch Mayans

Just about any bait or technique aimed at bluegill or bass will work on Mayan cichlids. Since they have small mouths, smaller baits tend to work better than large ones. Slow-moving finesse jerkbaits, small crankbaits, crappie jigs, jighead-minnow combinations, small topwater lures, along with Beetle Spins, and small spinnerbaits can be excellent. Captain Hanson prefers small Blakemore crappie jigs and Road Runner lures in chartreuse, pink, and orange colors fished on ultralight tackle. “Those Blakemore marabou jigs are the best for targeting Mayan cichlids,” she said.

Captain Lou Lagrange feels that if you want to target the big Mayan cichlids, a spinnerbait is hard to beat. “Throw a spinnerbait and you’ll be surprised. They’ll yank the rod out of your hand,” he explained. “There’s something about those blades and skirt that they go crazy over a spinnerbait.” Any color can be effective, but Lagrange prefers natural bait colors that will replicate a shiner, bluegill, or minnows. Whites, silvers, and chromes get the nod. Live and natural baits can be highly effective for Mayans. Minnows, crickets, live worms, and grass shrimp fished either under a cork or freelined with a small splitshot are excellent baits to use.

Once water temperatures reach the mid 70s Mayan cichlids really get active and turn on. The warmer the water, the better. The warmest part of the day is generally in the afternoon with the best time to catch Mayans usually between 11 a.m. and sunset. Since Mayan cichlids like to inhabit extremely shallow water and will spook easily, it is recommended to take a stealthy approach when walking along the bank. “They’ll see you from a mile away,” explains Lagrange. “As soon as they see you, they dart and disappear.” Make long parallel casts along the bank and fish as shallow as possible. Polarized glasses are a big help when spotting fish in shallow water.

Any rod and reel designed for bass, bluegill, or light inshore species will work for Mayan. For sporting quality, ultralight to medium light tackle can be a lot of fun.

“Catching Mayan cichlids on ultralight spinning tackle is a hoot,” said Hanson. Six- to 10-pound braided line connected to a monofilament or fluorocarbon leader will give an angler an excellent battle with Mayan cichlids. Lagrange upsizes to a 12-pound leader as peacock bass and other gamefish are frequent catches when targeting Mayan cichlids. When using live or natural bait, a cane pole or “Bream Buster” type of pole works well and gives an angler a sporty fight.

Hanson specializes in catching Mayan cichlids as well as bass and peacock bass on fly fishing tackle. She recommends using a 3-weight fly rod with a 5- to 6-pound tippet for Mayan cichlids. “I recommend a 3-weight all day long. You can have so much fun,” she said. Hanson uses hand-tied craft fur minnows with size 6 to 8 hooks in white/pink or white/chartreuse colors. Terrestrial patterns such as rubber spiders and ants with silicone legs will attract the attention of Mayan cichlids. Hanson uses these insect patterns in bright orange, chartreuse, or pink. Once fish get aggressive as water temps warm, small topwater poppers can cause explosive strikes and Mayan cichlids will live up to their “atomic sunfish” nickname.

Size and Bag Limits

If you like to eat fish and take home your catch, you are in luck. There are no size or bag limits for Mayan cichlids. Take home as many as you’d like. Their meat is often excellent with tasty mild, white, and flakey meat. Many anglers feel that their meat is similar in consistency and taste to a mangrove snapper. They are so good to eat that people come from all over the country to catch and keep Mayan cichlids along with other tasty nonnative fish. “During the warmer months, people drive down to South Florida from up north to fill up their coolers,” said Capt. Lagrange.

As much as Mayan cichlids are fun to catch and eat, a word of caution is in order. It is against the law to release and introduce them into waters that they did not come from. As a nonnative and highly invasive species of fish, they should not be given the opportunity to be introduced into new areas and waterways. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) takes an active role in monitoring population distributions of nonnative species in Florida and takes the illegal introduction of these species into new areas very seriously. Any person caught doing so is subject to criminal arrest and fines.

Even though Mayan cichlids are a nonnative species in Florida, the FWC recognizes outstanding catches for FWC’s Big Catch recognition program. To become eligible, a Mayan cichlid must meet the minimum of 1 pound in weight or 11 inches in length. Once a fish is qualified by the FWC, anglers are awarded with a custom certificate, decal, and discount for a photo plaque. “I’ve seen many two-pounders, and I’ve had quite a few ‘Big Catch’ Mayan Cichlids for my clients,” notes Hanson. Any interested anglers can visit myfwc.com. The state record Mayan cichlid weighed in at 2.37 pounds and was caught in the Golden Gate Canal in Collier County.

Captain Hanson sums up Mayan cichlid fishing in this way: “Don’t turn your nose up at them because they aren’t native. At this point they are well-established throughout South Florida. You might as well get out and enjoy the opportunity to catch them. Take a kid, or newcomer interested in learning how to fish, and catch fish that offers such a great fight. They are like a bream on steroids.”

Get out there and give Mayan cichlid fishing a try. Take photos, take some home for the frying pan!

Where to Go

• Dade/Boward County: Most bodies of water will contain Mayan cichlids. Try Holiday Park, Alligator Alley and connecting canals.
• Palm Beach County: The Lake Ida/Osborne system and connecting canals can be excellent.
• St. Lucie County: The North Fork of the St. Lucie River contain Mayans.
• Brevard County: The C 54 Canal, Sykes Creek, and Crane Creek have a growing population of Mayan cichlids.
• Collier County: The Golden Gate Canal system and Alligator Alley contain a good population of Mayans.
• Lee/Charlotte County: Many ponds and canals including the Cape Coral Canal system contain Mayan cichlids.
• Hillsborough/Pinellas County: Brackish water canals connected to Tampa Bay have a growing population of Mayans.
• Lake Okeechobee: The rim canal and below the Kissimmee River E Lock have a growing population of Mayans.

Great Guides

For South Florida fishing, including the Florida Everglades, contact Capt. Lou Lagrange: bassinwithcaptlou.com. Lagrange specializes in peacock bass, largemouth bass, and a variety of exotic nonnative fish.

In Southwest Florida, including the Ft. Myers, Cape Coral area, and the Florida Everglades contact Capt. Debbie Hanson: shefishes2.com or 239-233-4930. Hanson specializes in peacock bass, largemouth bass, and a variety of nonnative species with both conventional and flyfishing tackle.

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• This article was featured in the May 2025 issue of Florida Soportsman magazine. Click to subscribe

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