Clear sky, 79°F water, and 9 mph ENE wind make this the kind of bright, calm day peacock want. Work the seawalls, dock pilings, and bank edges with fast, erratic retrieves once the sun is high, and skip the early morning since peacock don't feed before the light is up. Check the water before you commit: the overnight rain could leave the shoreline stained, and peacock will refuse baits in dirty water.
A dry front clears through Thursday, and high pressure holds through the weekend with rain chances in single digits and water near 79-80°F, which keeps peacock fishing solid all week. Pressure rises Sunday and Monday, which favors a steady, sunny bite for peacock but leaves largemouth sluggish. Tuesday brings falling pressure and a small rain chance, which is the best setup for bass later in the week.
Quiet Waters Park is a large Broward County park in Deerfield Beach built around a chain of lakes. It's better known for its cable ski and camping, but the lakes hold both peacock bass and largemouth, and it's one of the easiest places in north Broward to fish with a family.
401 S Powerline Road, Deerfield Beach, just south of Hillsboro Boulevard and a few minutes west of I-95.
It's a public county park. Expect a park entrance fee on weekends and holidays; check Broward County Parks for current rates and hours. You can fish from the bank, and the marina rents paddleboats, canoes, kayaks and paddleboards if you want to reach water the bank anglers can't.
For peacock, cover water with small jerkbaits, inline spinners and walking topwaters along the edges and any hard structure. They chase, so keep the retrieve quick. For largemouth, soft plastics worked slowly along grass lines and drop-offs are hard to beat, with a topwater early and late.
Peacocks feed by sight and fish best mid-morning through afternoon once the sun is on the water. Largemouth are best at first light and in the evening. Both slow sharply in winter cold snaps, peacock first.
A Florida freshwater fishing licence is required for anglers 16 and over. One source describes fishing on the marina lake as catch-and-release, so check the park's posted rules when you arrive. Peacock bass are limited to 2 per day, only one over 17 inches; confirm current limits with FWC.
Several tackle and bait shops are within a short drive along Hillsboro Boulevard and in Pompano Beach.