Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat catching talapia

When I put in the talapia to attack the filementous algae ,I was told that they were hard to catch since they preferred algae and pellet food. Well I am catching them big time using Berkley Power Bait. Using the power bait micros-white and pink and the brown earthworms. The talapia fight real good . I have even caught my grass carp on this stuff. This stuff sure beats keeping red wigglers in your pant pockets when fishing around the pond. And makes for a faster reload for a bare hook. And I seem to catch multiple fish per loaded hook. I debarbed the hooks, so it is a fun way to survey the fish growth of my coppernose, redears, and now talapia. Since the talapia should die off when the water gets below 60 degrees, I plan to start harvesting them in Sept-Oct. I am told that when the water temp gets below 60 then they will start laying up in the shallows and that they can be scooped up with a net. We shall see.

Now for the question, what are the thoughts taking bass from a friends apparent healthy farm pond that needs to have bass removed and transferring them to my pond? I'm thinking 8-10-12 inchers. One to work on the smaller talapia and a fairly established coppernose & fathead minnow population . And would the bass do any thing on the thriving tadpole population .This is versus buying the bass. My goal is not a bass pond but really a coppernose,redear bream pond. I thought that a few ( How many bass this size per acre ?) would help keep the bream population from over crowding and help to grow bigger bream. Since I am not talking about large numbers, am I better off buying fish from a known source if available ? Comments please.

You would probably be OK transporting the neighbors bass but it's not a sure thing. They can carry diseases that could make you start over. I PERSONALLY wouldn't but don't know of any time that problems have occured.

Bob, I'm curious, what size are your Talapia now, and how big do you think they will be upon harvest ? What month did you stock them ? I'll probably get some next spring just for fun.

As for moving bass...I have several opinions here. 1) I'm relocating bass from my fathers "healthy" pond 4 hours away on purpose. I would rather see a healthy full bodied bass with superior genetics (i.e. high RW ratio) introduced into my pond, than a generic juvenile. 2) I don't believe anyone has posted under the topic "Where did these fish come from" and referenced the hatcheries/fish trucks...but I think the odds are in your favor if it's a pond you know well. I will go post under that topic for grins. You don't always know what you're getting. 3) and maybe most important in your case. Female bass are much larger than male bass. It's possible that you could stock your pond with huge females only...limiting or eliminating the reproduction. I would like a pro to post on my 3rd opinion...what is the average size and weight of a mature male bass ?

Don't expect anything to eat tadpoles if there's an alternative food supply...they will grow into frogs that get eaten by almost everything. Must taste better with legs !