A good two weeks ago, the pond water was clear & calm enough that I could see a few males jousting to establish territory for a spawning bed. I wish I could weight & measure a couple of the big boys! It has been a mild winter, I believe most all of the adult tilapia have made it though the winter. Pond temps now are in the mid 60s. I do not think they even got down into the 40s. Quite a different winter that the rest of the country. No snow here!

The pond has changed significantly over the past 8 months. I re-established a small population of grass carp (12 in 3 acre pond) there is now much less algae & pond weeds; when compared to previous years at this time. Will the BGs return to the gravel spawning bed that I made for them? Last few years they went elsewhere. Weeds had over grown the bed. Where will the male tilapia establish their territories now that there are less massive weed beds? Will the LMB form their wolf packs again & slowly patrol the shore looking for un-alert BG? It has in recent years been isolated individual ambushes. I have seen more of the 8-12" LMB than I have in years before. Perhaps because of the tilapia population established over the last 4 years?

What type of spawning bed do the tilapia really like? Coarse gravel? Fine gravel? Sand?