Tilapia anyone?

[N Florida Mike]

Fished a new pond today and got a nice bass just under 4 pounds.While I was bass fishing I kept seeing big talapia in the area.I didn't know how to catch them.They wouldn't bite bass baits.The ponds full of them.Any ideas?I read where they bite live worms

[Bluebasser86]

There was a lake here that tried to stock them but they all died because of the cold. For the year they were in there, I caught 2 big ones on tiny crappie jigs. 

[Frise]

Down here in South Florida I catch tilapia all the time. I have so far caught spotted and blue tilapia. I usually catch them on bread or something I would usually use to catch bluegills or baitfish, but if you're looking to catch them on lures i have caught them on some small Mepps rooster tails.

[N Florida Mike]

Thanks..

[William Billy Mcconneaughey]

If you fish in certain canals talapia will bite anything except lures. in bigger lakes is where i wont catch them only bass, blue gills, and crappies also something they call reds

[RoLo]

Tilapia are common in a few lakes in central Florida. Though I've never personally caught one

with an artificial lure, those I've seen taken were caught on bread, and to a much lesser extent

on redworms.

 

A few years ago, central Florida got walloped by subfreezing temperatures that resulted in

a serious tilapia fishkill (that same year the snook got clobbered). For about a month afterward

I would see feral hogs and vultures dining on dead tilapia along the shoreline. For some reason

the "match-the-hatchers" never talk about tilapia, but in lakes where they occur

tiiapia are at the top of the bass's menu.

 

Roger