Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Pond Firsts

Hand threw my first Endurance 22mm. No LMB seemed interested. I think it is large BG & Tilapia that suck a nugget under. Turtles & the creepy gator enjoy the nuggets, NOT happy ! Fine trash particles on each nugget seem to be enjoyed by fry/fingerlings of some sort. I see small bubbles & circular rippples after each nugget hits the water.

While fishing for BG, I caught my first large tilapia 3.95 Lbs. 18". Would have been nice if it was >4lbs, it would have been a personal & pond record for any fish. A nice fight on a BG rod. Generally the excitement is BG tug-of-war with a LMB. The line comes off quickly till I tighten the drag.

Many times while hand throwing pellets for BG, I have seen the surface of the water erupt as a LMB takes a BG. For the first time I saw a LMB leave the water completely & fly through the air. I suspect 3-3.5 lbs & >18 inches. I was impressed! It may be a LMB that I have marked & caught 3 times before (18.5" & 2.85) & has gained a bit of weight each time she is caught. She likes to hang out in this area at feeding time .

Found a LMB floater. He was dead for >3 days, chewed on by turtles, & it was best to be up wind. I have been keeping records & I believe he was a fish I caught the first of April this year. Since he was 16.5" & 60% RW at that time, I wondered if his RW ( just off the spawing beds) would improve or if he was on a permanent down hill decline. I know now. Records are good.

60% RW might not be decline, but it is desperate.

I think you may be the only person on the forum that has a gator eating their hand-tossed pellets. If he starts eating too much, I have heard that gator tail tenderloin is pretty tasty.

Now that your tilapia are large (and presumably breeding), how is the FA in your pond? You are one of our few members that has a permanent tilapia population.

I have a choice, a Gator eating the fish food I throw or a group of Muscovy ducks doing the same. The gator was fed dog or cat kibble when he was small. Feeding, harassing, or killing a gator is illegal in FL without a permit. I will admit to none listed. He does keep the ducks away! Gator tail is good eating! It is on the menu at most all the fish restaurants in FL. Particularly enjoyed by Bull Dogs, Seminoles, & Buckeyes.

For years I have tried to establish a prosperous breeding population of tilapia with little success. I have stocked tilapia but not developed the population that I expect. Too little cover weeds for the young to hide, pond too warm during the hot months for breeding, occasional cold water inversions of the pond, heavy foraging by brooder BG & small LMB on the fry & fingerlings ? I have never seen YOY tilapia.
I have some FA at the bank but nothing to be concerned about. The pond is a wonderful olive green all year long with a clarity of 24-36" without fertilization.

Last night I got my first four pounder. It could have been the LMB that I played tug-of-war AGAIN over a 7" BG. She let go without being hooked. Unfortunately, it was just a tilapia at 4.33lbs & 18.5". Someday I will have that 4+ pound LMB.

You'll catch that 4 lber... my pond record was 4.5lbs for years, then one evening I caught a 6.5 lber, I tag my fish and she had no tag so I probably had not caught her before or a least while she was over 3lbs. In the begining my pond was like a lot, heavy on small bass and I started removing them... but I used small baits to catch them, once I started using larger baits I started catching larger bass, not near as many but larger.

Sounds like the tilapia are a blast to catch at that size!
How bigs that gator now?

Good luck!

Gator has not been minding his good manners. I caught a 7" BG, he followed it to the bank till his nose was against the bank 3' from my feet. Then swam slightly away almost got up on the bank & displayed his body & teeth to try to intimidate me. He may be just barely 6' but he now has a date with the Florida Gator Control Guy.

When I have them, the casings off of italian or bratwurst sausage cut into small pieces, make ideal BG bait. They can't steal it off your hook. Just as effective as the Berkley green fluorescent nibbles. I had another first I caught a 13" LMB & a bit over a pound with the #6 circle hook & a piece of the sausage casing. He put up a nice fight on my light rod but the best thing was his RW at 93%. He maybe an outlier or the pond has begun to turn the corner. I marked him & returned him to the pond.