Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Tilapia expiration has started

Water temps in my East Texas ponds have hit 54 degrees and the Tilapia have started dieing. It isn't a massive die off yet just a very few fish. I've seen a couple of them come to the top and kind of swim around in a crazy death march and then expire.

Interestingly no floaters yet. I'm thinking that what I'm seeing is just the beginning. I know I have hundreds of these fish. I guess it could be that many will just sink to the bottom and never be seen. My fears of a huge fish kill don't seem to be materializing but the temperatures are supposed to continue down this week.

An interesting observation to this is that my LMB and maybe HSB (George please note) are having a blast stuffing themselves on what I presume to be dazed Tilapia in deep water. You can see huge boils and thrashing going on. Looks like a Merry Christmas for the LMB and HSB thanks to the Tilapia.

I wish I could have netted some like McDonald and could have caught more of these great eating fish...but after one magical encounter about one month ago where I caught Tilapia on every cast until I ran out of bait, catches have been few and far between.

My overall assessment of Tilapia, pending what happens next, is that they are an absolutely must have fish for the southern pond owner. I'll write up my results in a complete summary in another week or so, but guys, if you can get them, they are worth it.

Thanks very much for the update - with water temps hitting 50 degrees I was very interested in the status. Can you "dip net" them for table fare when they are "swimming around in a crazy death march"?

Also good news that the LMB and HSB are still feeding aggrssively with the colder temps.

I'll be very interested in your recommended tilapia stocking rates for next spring, based on your ongoing experience.

George,

In anticipation of doing just that, i.e. "dipping" I bought one of those really long handled landing nets that are used for piers and offshore...the thing muust be at least 15 feet...but so far the "death marches" have been out in the deep water beyond where I can reach. If its not too late, I'll try this next weekend to get out there in a boat and "dip" away.

What size were the tilapia that you stocked and how many did you put in per acre?

Dave