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Re: Tilapia...love 'em or hate 'em?
[Re: Meadowlark]
#12474104
10/21/17 11:56 PM
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Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,078
karstopo
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,078 |
The only ones I've seen dead are big. Bigger than any large mouth bass could swallow.
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Re: Tilapia...love 'em or hate 'em?
[Re: Meadowlark]
#12474382
10/22/17 02:57 AM
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,766
bronco71
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,766 |
Do they eat all the vegetation in the pond?
1987 Nitro MX185/Mercury Black Max 150 1999 Triton TX21/225 Mercury Optimax
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Re: Tilapia...love 'em or hate 'em?
[Re: bronco71]
#12474456
10/22/17 04:06 AM
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Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,078
karstopo
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,078 |
Do they eat all the vegetation in the pond? I don't know, but that was the idea behind putting them in the lake. The particular lake I live on way back when used to be sprayed with cuperous ammonium Acetate and I think it was copper sulfate to control coontail moss and other native vegetation that would end up choking parts of the lake with unnavigable matts of greens. Then Grass Carp were introduced to do the job of the chemical. Then tilapia were stocked. There is no visible submerged vegetation so something is eating it up. The only tilapia I normally see are smaller ones, very small, tight to the bank and a lot of the time with their mouths at the surface sipping something. If we dump a handful of range cubes off the dock, some bigger ones will come and gobble up that. Mostly I see the big grass carp. They like Spanish moss to eat because any that falls in gets worked over by them. The grass carp also like water oak acorns. They do not like whatever fly I present to them. The tilapia really doesn't either, but I never see one to cast to. I think some extended cold weather will be good to thin out the herd of tilapia. If they get wiped out, we can always stock more. But I can't look anywhere up shallow against the bank and not see tiny tilapia.
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Re: Tilapia...love 'em or hate 'em?
[Re: Meadowlark]
#12475321
10/23/17 02:42 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 451
Tom Baty
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 451 |
Yes, Karstopo, when the State decided, years ago, to allow private stocking of the Mozambique Tilapia, they had concluded that the Tilapia would all die out every winter except in the "extreme" southern parts of Texas or where the water was otherwise warmed.
Recent winters have seen several locations just south of Houston that had survival over the mild winters.
Landowners should carefully consider this factor. Studies have shown that in Mexico where the Tilapia all survive every winter, bass lakes with heavy netting of Tilapia performed better than bass lakes without netting. The implication is that the larger Tilapia, those generally over 5 pounds, may become predatory on bass fry. Something to consider in making stocking decisions.
At my location, there has not been any winter survival for decades. A few years back I caught some tilapia out of a local DFW lake (very well known) in the middle of winter. I called the game warden about it and he asked that I freeze it. He couldn't get by the house, so he asked that I send a picture. He said "yep, that's a tilapia" and that was the end of it. He never did anything with the information to my knowledge.
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Re: Tilapia...love 'em or hate 'em?
[Re: bronco71]
#12475385
10/23/17 03:52 AM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 3,327
Meadowlark
OP
TFF Team Angler
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OP
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 3,327 |
Do they eat all the vegetation in the pond? They are algae eaters...don't actually eat plants, but they will sometimes kill plants while sucking the algae off them. Working together with grass carp (which do eat certain plants), the vegetation in a pond can be controlled nicely.
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Re: Tilapia...love 'em or hate 'em?
[Re: Meadowlark]
#12475412
10/23/17 04:36 AM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 75,712
banker-always fishing
Pumpkin Head
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Pumpkin Head
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 75,712 |
Nice fish.
IGFA World Record Rio Grande Cichlid. Lake Dunlap. John 3:16 Sinner's Prayer. God forgive me a sinner. I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior !
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Re: Tilapia...love 'em or hate 'em?
[Re: Meadowlark]
#12475709
10/23/17 03:09 PM
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Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,078
karstopo
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,078 |
It will be interesting this winter to see what happens with the tilapia in relation to the water temperatures. I think I want to get a thermometer that can take temperature readings at different depths. Anyone have a good thermometer to recommend?
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Re: Tilapia...love 'em or hate 'em?
[Re: Meadowlark]
#12475720
10/23/17 03:17 PM
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,766
bronco71
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,766 |
I think I will get some this spring for my bass/bluegill pond and my catfish/bluegill pond!
1987 Nitro MX185/Mercury Black Max 150 1999 Triton TX21/225 Mercury Optimax
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Re: Tilapia...love 'em or hate 'em?
[Re: Meadowlark]
#12475856
10/23/17 04:50 PM
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 676
Hawkpuppy 1
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 676 |
See a lot of really big fish but anything I've seen or got over 4lbs have come out of power plant lakes where they live year round.
Strip, strip....set
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Re: Tilapia...love 'em or hate 'em?
[Re: Hawkpuppy 1]
#12476004
10/23/17 06:56 PM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 3,327
Meadowlark
OP
TFF Team Angler
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OP
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 3,327 |
See a lot of really big fish but anything I've seen or got over 4lbs have come out of power plant lakes where they live year round. Several years ago, I overwintered several in a heated indoor environment,just for fun. Those grew to easily over 5 pounds the next summer. ...but the fastest growing fish I've ever encountered is the red belly pacu. Pet Smart sells them as cute little 2-3 inch fish...soon those cute guys outgrow everything and become monsters. I raised one to 17 pounds one year in a pond by overwintering it two winters. It got too large to handle. Amazing, stunning growth.
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