I understand that Tilapia have wiped out bass fishing in Florida phosphate pits where they have been introduced and where they survive year-round. However, I have a related question for which I would appreciate opinions.
My 45 year-old 13 acre pond in north-central Alabama is stocked with LMB, BG, and shellcrackers. The forage population is not quite able to bring the bass to optimum size because my friends just can't make themselves throw out every bass they catch when I am not looking. This is not a problem for me, for my grandchildren and I are primarily bluegill fishermen, but I would like for guests who don't know any better than to bass fish to catch good sized bass.
If I put in Tilapia at 5 lb/acre in May, just after the first BG spawn, would such a population be likely to help the bass gain weight without doing much harm to the BG? I suppose that my hope is that with a larger forage population, reduced predation pressure on the BG and shellcrackers might compensate for the increased competition for food. The Tilapia should be gone by late October or early November, I would think. I am also hoping that the Tilapia would eat the clumps of filamentous algae which float up in summer.
Thanks in advance,
Lou
