Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Tilapia

MRHELLO, my tilapia were caught wild in a pond in a local park. They have been living for many many years in ponds in the city. They should do fine over winter. If we get a real cold winter we do get some die off but it never seems to get them all. I am wondering if the more cold tolerant ones that survive each random cold winter we get a passing that gene one to the next generation.

I will be curious to see how many you do end up having by the end of this year when it cools off.

Plus come next year if you do have a large number of survivors you will have plenty to spawn next summer feeding your fish you have in there.

I like the variety of fish you have stocked and will be watching to see how they turn out.

Wami Tilapia were used in California and sold in some pet stores...

Bobby..You probably have Blue Tilapia (no pure strain have been caught in Fla for years)...in optimum conditions, spawning is every 21 days and more average is 4-6 wekks between spawns, especially late season...

I think the ones we have in extreme NE florida were stocked by the FWC many years ago for aquatic vegitation control. No further stocking has been done. I know south florida has infusions from lots of other sources....Just wondering if ours my be at least more pure than in south florida. Perhaps that is why they are a tad more cold tolerant...

Went to the pond at the park by my house way out to the pond yesterday after work and Tossed the cast net. I got "13" (2-3) pound tilapia and one big gizzard shad in one toss....

Filled my cooler and off to the pond I went...

The local city ponds are just loaded with big Tilapia.

Must be nice to catch some large ones like that. I think the Tilapia are one tasty fish, at least the ones I have raised and have raised and caught so far from my pond.

Did you just toss the net blind or did you see some sort of activity?

Just toss it blind....Off a little dock/pier thing at the park..

How long did you stay or cast the net? Did you just take the 2 fish quickly so they would not die?

Tossed a couple times and got some BG, third toss got 13 tilapia, dumped into my cooler with bubbler and left. In and Out....

It will be interesting to see how you pond does this winter depending on what kind of winter we have, and how it looks in the spring of next year.

You could have one crazy BOW.

Those tilapia have survived many winters in the pond I got them from, a shallow park pond. I think they will do fine in mine. I run the artesian well when its really cold to help out with the warmer well water just to be safe. I need to get some GC out to try to get more vegitation going and improve visability.