After stocking Tilapia for forage for over 15 years in my ponds, I've experienced the very first time survival of stocked Tilapia over the winter. It has been a mild winter here in East Texas and this proves it...the mildest it has been in many years.

This 3 pounder was caught today...amazing,
I can't determine yet how many survived but there are going to be some big Tilapia after this growing season.

Has anyone else experienced Tilapia survival this year?

Where in east Texas are you located?

Between Livingston and Lufkin.

I was fishing near Henderson last spring and saw a big one that survived at least last year's winter.

Do you have a spring that feeds in to your place? I'm told they can hunker down and survive on warmer water coming out of the earth.

Hi , Could you share where you get your Tilapia for stocking . Message me if you would rather not say publicly , Thanks .

I got tilapia from Overton Fisheries for my pond last year. They did a good job of keeping the algae cleaned up and the Bass fed

No such luck....water temps below 55 deg kill 'em all every year...but amazingly some survived this year.

Sure, the best price around and best to deal with I've found :

www.easttexastilapia.net

Same here. I know of a country club in Dallas that had tilapia survive the winter. I have several customers in the Athens area that had them make it this year to. First time I have seen it in 9 years. I've always said no way. Well, never say never.

I was fairly certain some lived thru the previous winter, haven't been around there much to be sure. Did not stock last year but have seen some cruising that look like tilapia. Never any signs of fish die off. Pond is a little less than an acre and about 16 foot deep, overall pond is quite deep and suspect it is spring fed because during the drought years it only dropped a couple feet when all of the other ponds around dried up or were shallow mud holes. I always felt that some could survive down deep in a fairly constant temperature hole...

Thank you .

It doesn’t surprise me. They have started showing up in cold water lakes like Whitney. Given enough time nature will always find a way to survive.

Usually a long cold winter will kill off a lot of Tilapia. For the little I know about them they are an extreme warm water fish.