|
Forums36
Topics40,964
Posts558,008
Members18,506
| |
Most Online3,612
Jan 10th, 2023
|
|
|
12 members (Drago, JoshMI, Sunil, Jason D, Boondoggle, highflyer, FishinRod, Shorthose, anthropic, canyoncreek, Dave Davidson1, esshup),
1,109
guests, and
198
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 342
Lunker
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 342 |
I know this has been asked dozens of times - I just can't seem to find the answer in search. Besides netting them, what is the best bait to use to catch Tilapia before they die from the cold? Last year I caught one on a worm and on Sunday I was surprised to catch one on a green and yellow rooster tail (right when it started sinking after hitting the water)
I sure don't want to let these giants die from the cold! I prefer them in my freezer!
"Our Life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, Simplify" -Henry David Thoreau -
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,055 Likes: 277
Moderator Lunker
|
Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,055 Likes: 277 |
It is my understanding that they are only good to eat if they are feeding on pellets. If they have been eating algae, I have been told, they taste like seaweed and aren't worth cleaning.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 417
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 417 |
I've tried many different things and nothing has come close to an earthworm.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,794
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,794 |
I know this has been asked dozens of times - I just can't seem to find the answer in search. Besides netting them, what is the best bait to use to catch Tilapia before they die from the cold? Last year I caught one on a worm and on Sunday I was surprised to catch one on a green and yellow rooster tail (right when it started sinking after hitting the water)
I sure don't want to let these giants die from the cold! I prefer them in my freezer! Hi Captain, Pondrookie and I both reported last week on sucessful tilapia catch. I caugth mine on pellet flies and pondrookie with earthworms. Mine were from our 1/4 acre pond and these fish had never seen a pellet except in Todd's hatchery, so they must just like the taste. I've never eaten any of ours - more convenient from the fish market, but pondrookie reports he doesn't care for the taste. Someone suggested "purging" them for a couple of days. Below are comments - hope this helps - good luck. Great morning on our ponds today. Air temp 62 and water perfect 75.9 degrees. Full pool with perfect 18-inch visibility. Caught 6 of these 2-3# tilapia beauties from un-aerated – no supplemental feed ¼ acre pond on Stubby flies. Three nice 3# class HSB that survived near record 100 degree temp with no aeration or supplemental feeding. Caught and culled many <8 inch female CNBG from main pond as well as several HSB and one feed trained LMB.  George1 - I totally agree and support what you have found to work for you. I have a two acre pond in NE Texas and have been stocking Tilapia for 4 years now and plan on the same next year. I put 30 pounds in my two acres but no GC. Works great for me and the past few weeks we have been catching the Tilapia like crazy on night crawlers. Just had another hatch a few weeks ago as well. Most of what we catch are in the 2-3 pound range.
What I have been buying are Mozambic Tilapia. What is a Blue Tilapia? Are they better to eat? Yes the are fun to catch. Put up a good fight on light spinning tackle. They do a great job at keeping the FA under control but not very good to eat. They are hard to fillet and not much meat on them. I heard that the tilapia farmed for commercial sales are different than the Mosambique tilapia. I found the coolest new "lures" recently. They are made by "Stubby Steve" and are an artificial fish food lure. With texture and material similar to sponge, colored similar to Aquamax 600 or standard 1/4" catfish pellets, flavored, and biodegradable. They are perfect for pondmeisters who feed their fish, but will likely work even without feeding program. I tried them out a week ago on fly rod and caught 5 different species of fish within an hour: feedtrained LMB, HSB, CNBG, Catfish, and Grass Carp. They stay on a hook surprisingly well! Each package comes with 20 pellets. Can fish them floating with a #10 fly fishing hook, or can sink them with heavier hook. I caught all my fish on a slow sink. George Glazener recently had his wife Nicky try some while he used his conventional pellet fly and she whipped him 10 fish to 3. I will be offering these to pond boss folks at a special price, just to be nice, and offering them to all of my customers as a great new way to catch fish. PM me if you are interested. Here are some pics: Sorry for the poor pictures.  Stubby Steve's Left -- Aquamax 600 Right  Stubby Steve with hook ready to use 
N.E. Texas 2 acre and 1/4 acre ponds
Original george #173 (22 June 2002)
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 23
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame  Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 23 |
Several people catch them on Stuuby Steve's pellet lures like george said.
If you put them in clear water for 2-3 days untill they no longer produce waste, any off-flavor should leave. Regular tap water (Dechlorinated) and a small aquarium bubbler in just about any size container should work fine to keep the tilapia in.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,721
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,721 |
I have good luck catching them on popcorn shrimp.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 888
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 888 |
So what do they feed the mass produced tilapia that they sell in grocery markets? Do they also "purge" all of the tilapia in fresh clean water before selling them?
If you've watched Nat. Geo. or animal planet, You can see some of the dirty conditions these fish have been raised in. Just curious.
Last edited by hang_loose; 09/29/09 08:04 PM. Reason: spelling
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 957
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 957 |
In my neighborhood they are usually fed protein pellets. They net and move to market with no purging. Water quality varies from farm to farm.
Feeding varies as well, for local sales, algae alone is available, but is the lowest priced and would not be acceptable for even the cheapest local restaurant. Pellets fed every other day is a common practice that maintains growth and a pleasant taste.
Vegetable protein pellets were tried by a manufacturer but have been rejected by the farmers for the most part.
I had a poacher hit me real hard, several years ago and stopping feeding the fish stopped him, he was unable to sell them due to the taste.
As for bait I think they will eat anything natural or artificial. If pellet feeding, Stubby Steve is perfect. If not feeding, then try bread a week of so before you intend to catch them, once they start eating the bread, they should be easy to catch.
1/4 & 3/4 acre ponds. A thousand miles from no where and there is no place I want to be...
Dwight Yoakam
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 342
Lunker
|
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 342 |
Thanks for all the input. The one I caught last year was a monster 16 incher and it tasted excellent! That one was out of a smaller and more turbid pond. The one I caught over the weekend was from a larger, clear pond. I'll cook it up tomorrow and let you know how it tasted. I know it has been in a pond with lots of muskgrass which could make the fish pretty nasty but i'll hope for the best.
This weekend I'll try the reccomendations. Thanks!
"Our Life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, Simplify" -Henry David Thoreau -
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 342
Lunker
|
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 342 |
So I ate that Tilapia that I caught last weekend. It has been in a fairly clear pond that has a lot of chara in it and previously had FA also. I expected it to taste bad as some have suggested here. It was great! Very mild. We had farm raised Tilapia also and did a side by side taste test no difference. It could be how we cook them.
While I usually fry just about all fish we catch, we always cook Tilapia differently. I put about 1/4 stick of butter in a pan with at touch of olive oil in it. I squeeze a lemons worth of juice into it and then place the skinned Tilapia in. (I also remove the bloodline from the Tilapia). I put a bit of salt and pepper and some Tony Chacheres creole seasonings on top of the fish. Saute them slow - don't fry them. After you turn them sprinkle Italian breadcrumbs covering the top of each fish. I let the breadcrumbs go into the butter mixture too, and it acts as a thickening agent that makes it like a thicker sauce. I then put a cover on it and turn it off for a couple minutes and then eat it. We eat Tilapia this way nearly every week. Good stuff!
Last edited by Captain1; 10/04/09 11:07 AM.
"Our Life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, Simplify" -Henry David Thoreau -
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 23
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 23 |
I may have to fillet some broodstock now. Thanks a LOT Captain! 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 888
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 888 |
Thanks Captain1
Last edited by hang_loose; 10/04/09 10:43 PM. Reason: I can't spell
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 342
Lunker
|
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 342 |
This weekend we tried our luck using the recommended live worms. Dreary, cold, rainy day, but we drifted night crawlers without using any weight from the row boat. Caught three very nice Tilapia in 6-8 feet of water. They are fun to catch!
"Our Life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, Simplify" -Henry David Thoreau -
|
|
|
Moderated by Bill Cody, Bruce Condello, catmandoo, Chris Steelman, Dave Davidson1, esshup, ewest, FireIsHot, Omaha, Sunil, teehjaeh57 |
|
