Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Catching tilapia

It’s coming up on the time when your tilapia are reaching a nice catchable size and nearing extinction so I thought I would share my experience with them.
On March 8 I stocked 100 1 ½” to 1 ¾” tilapia advertised as 99% male. I caught 3 of these original fish yesterday, the largest of which was 2 lbs and 12 ¾”.
I fed them pellets that were 30 to 32 % protein until 3 weeks ago when I switched to 15%. I also have feed them all types of vegetables and many types of fruit, they will also eat bread and crickets. All feeding was done by hand, once a day, late afternoon. They share the pond with an equal number of pacu which eat more aggressively than they do. There are no predators, except birds and snakes, both two and no legged.
My water temps are in the high 80s and will probably be there year round.
The fish usually remain out of sight during the day, coming out between 3 and 4 and hanging around until 6 or 6:30, I feed near 5. During this time they are very catachable with bait that floats. If I let the feeding time go past 5 they start circling the pond and are catchable anywhere on the surface if they can’t see me. I can cast to a swirl or to the fish and will get a strike. Generally speaking if I can see them I can catch them. They are probably conditioned to food hitting the water. I started with the hook tied to a braided line, but they soon associated bad things with the line. I now use mono. I use a light wire hook and no weight other than the bait. The strike is a gentle slow pulling, I see the bait disappear, take up the slack until I feel the resistance then use a medium steady pull to set the hook. I use bite size bait, allowing the fish to take the baited hook entirely into it’s mouth, making setting the hook simple.
Unlike the pacu, I can catch tilapia repeatedly from the same area. Yesterday I caught 15 in an hour from within a 10’ radius.
They are also catchable on the bottom, I use a sliding sinker and the same method as above for setting the hook. I run about 15 minutes between bites, so I get distracted and often miss setting the hook. I have used a bobber, but the fish seem to like the bobber as much as the bait and push it around like a soccer ball.
I think the fish first take the bait with the intent of getting it away from the other fish and plan on eating it later. I have never had a tilapia swallow a hook and I have had them move the bait 15 or 20 feet from the spot of the cast.
Based on my experience so far, I would say that the key is surface feeding with veggies conditioning the fish to readily take a floating bait. I have caught tilapia in ponds where they are not fed and the process is very different.
Now, I would really like to see the catching experiences of others.

Rad,

That's an impressive growth rate. Three pound fish in one growing season. I can get that, but starting with about an 8 inch fish, not 1 to 2 inches. I wonder how much of that can be attributed to all males? I've observed a lot activity during mating/breeding that would tend to reduce food intake and increase calorie burning. In another month, hope to have some "catch" stories for you.

Rad,

Sounds like you have sure figured your Tilapia out, I have not been targeting them much lately, but am going to start "cabbage conditioning feeding" today! My experience with Tilapia has been that they pretty much shut down after I catch one or two in the same area its amazing that you are catching up to 15 from the same spot.

You mention that you are catching them on the bottom also, how deep is your pond and how is your water clarity? I have tried several times to catch Tilapia on the bottom with no success, my water stays somewhat stained.

By the way I did catch an 11 pound Pacu three days ago on a 4" minnow, so you are probably getting some predation from them on the smaller Tilapia that are being spawned.

Don,
The pond is 11' in the deepest part, I was fishing in 8' to 11' with cabbage. My visibility is 2 1/2 to 3" tops. I am looking forward to an 11 pounder, two days ago I caught my biggest so far at 3lbs even. 4 lb test line and one heck of a fight, a little over 5 minutes. I didn't realize this but they have a bone or spine in the top margin of their tail, might be what gives them their power. I think the pacu will eat almost anything, I had a plastic milk carton I was using as a marker, pulled it out a week later and the top had a hole chewed through it. Caught a kilo weight one on carrot.
I have a two week wait, finally, on the barramundi.
Let me know how you do.

Ok, since many of you are already closing down for winter I will again ask how was your tilapia fishing? I didn't think they were the most exciting fish on the planet at first but I have modified that thinking a little bit. Catching them the second time around brings their sense of survivability way up. Remember I started with 100 at about 1 1/2" in March, yesterday I caught a 14 1/8" 2lb 3oz and if I can keep the poachers away, somewhat, I look forward to the same steady growth through next year.

Rad,

Great to hear from you again....hadn't noticed any posts from your part of the world lately and I miss them.

I've been so busy with Hurricane clean-up that I have not had any time to "condition" my Tilapia as you have done. I do believe your technique would work if conditioning applied.

However, Saturday evening while throwing a small Mepps spinner to catch some cull LMB, I hooked and landed a Tilapia of about 3 pounds. This fish was stocked in April of this year in a pond completely without fertilizers or artificial feeding of any type. Three pounds in one growing season is remarkable, IMO, and all without any feeding whatsoever.

What a surprise to hook that fish...much stronger than a LMB of the same size. I've got a picture I will e-mail you, but can't post on Forum because of firewall problems. I'll be trying to catch Tilapia in the coming weeks and will report if any luck...keep the posts coming

take the treble hook off a 1/16 rooster tail or buy and the fish food fits snug in between one of the shanks and barbs leaving the other two exposed for easy catching of tiliapia.sight fishing.

I have caught tilapia in my pond on almost anything. I've caught them on minnows, worms, corn, green beans and dead shrimp. I have found however that if it is a sunny day it is very difficult to catch them until dusk. I think that there must be thousands of them in the pond ranging in size from minnows to two pounds. I have also found them to be excelent to eat and plan on putting them in the pond again next year. I only have good things to say about them and would reccomend them to anyone wanting to increase the productivity of their pond and at the same time remove pond algae.

James,

How do you keep the BG away from the bait long enough for the Tilapia to take it? That's my problem and haven't been able to find a solution...BG even take the corn first before the Tilapia have a chance at it, in my ponds. Green beans, haven't tried that, but I wouldn't think BG would hit corn either, but they do gobble it up.

I use a large hook that the bluegill can't swallow. The minnows and shrimp stay on the best with the bluegill and sometimes you just have to have a lot of bait.

I can't seem to keep the BG and redears away to give time for the tilapia to get to it. I haven't tried the beans or cabbage yet. Will have to try that. BG gobble up the corn.

Try peas. They seem to work well on the Tilapia in Lake Mead. I was snorkeling a few months ago and glanced upon a strange fish that looked like nothing that was supposed to be in the lake. A few minutes later I happened upon a school of about a dozen Tilapia. Some one must have dumped a few in the lake and they are doing well and multiplying to my suprise. I thought the water would get too cold for them to last but they must find a warm enough water sanctuary to winter. They varied in size from a couple of inches up to about a foot in length. Any ways sorry about the rambling, but try frozen peas on small hooks. they seem to love it! Good luck!

I don't have Tilapia, but you guys have definitely convinced me to try corn as bait for BG.

Hi,
Things that ave worked for me are: cabbage, never fails and the softer the leaves the better, green beans, carrots, any dark green leafy veggie, grapes, pineapple, banana asparragus, apple, and of course bread. I like floating bait which is why I use so much caggage.