Just wondering if you can catch tilapia with bait and hook.

Probably , as long as they're present in the lake you're fishing.

yes you can but its much easier with a cast net

try corn on a small hook like size 8 or a very small bit of night crawler like just enough to cover a size 8 hook with a pencil float the bite really lite

I've caught them on a small yellow fly... I cheated by thowing in some corn then tossing a fly in

I caught one today on a _small_ jig tipped with a piece of Gulp earthworm. It was only about 6 in. long, too. Caught it out of a small stream near the house; I would imagine they were illegally introduced this year as I've not seen them there before, and they will probably die off this winter (can't take cold water).

Thanks for the info.

We used to catch them all the time with Quick oats and strawberry Jell-O. Use pond water and mix until it stay around a hook and weight.

Tilapia are actually the only fish where I approve of using that evil method which must not be mentioned on this forum. As long as you keep them to eat, of course, and you should because they taste great.

I've never been able to get them to bite anything. I have heard that green peas work on a small hook.

Where did you catch them Justin? They are good eating; I'd catch them on purpose if they were big enough!

Are they easy to identify visually? I wouldn't think their size/profile would be distinctive enough.

"Are they easy to identify visually?"

I guess it depends on the water. In lake Amistad where I used to do that it was pretty easy.

yeah they stick out like a sore thumb on fair field...

I guess I should clarify my earlier statement a little. It is the big ones that I can't get to bite anything I put in front of them.

I have caught smaller ones on typical bluegill type setups.

http://www.talkflyfishing.com/lofiversion/index.php/t9579.html

http://www.primalfly.com/blog/poaching-tilapia-future-roughfish-are-here-now/

The Primal Fly guys crack me up, but no doubt they know what's up when it comes to urban flyfishing.

there's a pond where I fished for them, and the main way I found was to aggitate a spawner. They are pretty much spawning ALL the time in the warmer months.

I used either bright colored small flies or a panfish assassin on a 1/32 oz jighead fished under a bobber.