A 16-year-old Miami angler has set a new Florida state record for jaguar guapote, a nonnative freshwater fish found primarily in urban canal systems in southeast Florida.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission fisheries biologists certified Xzavier Peon’s catch at 3.02 pounds and 16 inches long. He caught the fish using live bait in the Westwood Lakes area, according to the FWC.
Peon said he initially believed he had hooked a peacock bass before seeing the fish. The record was confirmed in September 2026, ending a previous record that had stood for nine years. Jaguar guapote became eligible for Florida state-record recognition in 2012, and the first record was certified in 2017.
Jaguar guapote are among more than 30 nonnative freshwater fish species established in Florida. The FWC encourages anglers to catch, keep and eat nonnative fish, with exceptions for legally introduced peacock bass and triploid grass carp, as a way to help control their numbers and reduce potential effects on native fish.
The agency also says it is illegal to release aquarium fish into the wild or move nonnative fish between water systems. Anglers who believe they have caught a state-record fish can contact their nearest FWC regional office; current records are listed through the agency’s freshwater fishing resources.
