I started an experiment with Tilapia this past spring by adding them to my ponds. I was after their forage and their "cleaning" properties, but did not expect the catch bonanza I experienced this past weekend.

I have tried with very limited success all summer to catch the Tilapia to see how they were doing. The only way I could catch one was by "bonefishing" shallow water...but as the die-off temperatures have approached, my efforts have been more urgent because I wanted to use as many of the fish as possible before they die. Well, I believe I have found the technique for catching the Tilapia.

As the water temperature falls, they will move into very shallow water which is warmed by the afternoon sun. It is there you can catch them without interference from the bluegill. I threw out some fish food in the shallows, waited a couple of minutes and then cast a worm into the 18 inch water. I then caught Tilapia on almost every cast until the worms ran out. I caught well over 30 Tilapia many of which were 1 to 2 pounds with one monster that broke my line. These are tremendous fighters on light tackle. If I had the worms, I have no idea how many I could have caught, but I will find out next weekend.

This is a good news and possibly bad news story. The good news, of course, is that the Tilapia have done their job as well as furnished a resource for harvesting. The bad news may be that there are so many of them, the die-off will cause a significant problem. I remember Bob Lusk warning about this and I may well see it happen. First, I'm going to get more worms...a lot more worms...and get some help to catch all of these that I can before the next cold front.

As an aside, these fish are tremendous fighters on light tackle. Great sport. They are also excellent table fare, but somewhat difficult to clean. They do not fillet easily.

What a fish! My thanks go to Todd Overton who provided these wonderful fish to me...and as the temperatures drop further, we will see the rest of the story. Thanks.