Originally Posted By: fishm_n
Originally Posted By: anthropic
Originally Posted By: Rainman
TGW1, I agree with what was said about the HBCP being a competitor, but ONLY the F1 stocked. Almost all offspring will become snacks, but there may be a low number recruited. Rainbow trout in winter with Tilapia in the warmer months is proving to be an awesome combo in creating double digit bass, fast.

I think you could stock 300 HBCP without adversely affecting your CBLMB growth.


I have a question re Tilapia. Are they really much of a forage fish for bass?

I get where they eat unwanted vegetation and generally don't compete with LMB for forage. And maybe LMB will eat some smaller tilapia from time to time, and even some larger ones when temps cool. But is it really true that tilapia, where fairly common, constitute a major part of a LMB diet throughout the summer?


From my under standing in the fall all tilapia slow down and or die, before they die they are easy slow forage making predators lose less energy to consume them. Even if they are don't cost as much energy as a minnow of the same size.


For LMB, they not only expend less energy, but if the Tilapia are pure blues dying around 42-48*, the LMB metabolism has slowed and the LMB put on high energy lipids to avoid winter weight loss. Hybridized Tilapia or any other species that dies from 52-58* will help LMB gain weight, but not produce the same amount of lipids, because the LMB metabolism has not quite slowed enough at the higher water temps. Tilapia lethargy and immune system shutdown begin about 5-10 degrees warmer than the lethal temps.