Need help understanding Tilapia as a big bass forage

[Lefty76]

3 years ago my dad put tilapia in a 12 acre tank b/c the aquatic vegetation made it un-fishable except in the very middle by boat.

 

Present day you can fish it from the bank and the bass are eating the tilapia.  Vegetation is still there.

Caught a 3lb bass with a tilapia down in its mouth.

 

I am trying to gain some knowledge on the behavior of tilapia as a big bass forage.

 

They seem to like the summer heat more than bass do.

 

Do they go deep in the winter?

Also, would Channel Cats eat Tilapia as well?

 

 

Location: Central Texas

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

Not sure exactly what you're asking? Tilapia are going to be a forage option for the bass for sure, they'll mostly hang around the shallower water where their food source (vegetation), is at. Bass will feed on them very similar to a bluegill, stalk and ambush. 

 

Channel cats will eat anything they can get in their mouths. I've caught them on cut tilapia, I'm sure they'd eat whole ones too. 

[Sam]

What Bluebasser wrote.

 

Remember, bass are predators. They will attack anything that they think they can eat or is aggravating them.

 

Catfish will also eat what they can garner, but mostly on the bottom. However, many of us have caught catfish on our crankbaits and spinnerbaits while fishing for bass.

[J.Vincent]

Bass and Catfish will eat any forage that swims , crawls or floats...if they can open their jaws wide enough....and sometimes even if they can't open their jaws wide enough. There are SwimBaits, plastics and CrankBait colors to imitate tilapia , and that might be a good place to start. Personally I've never been able to consistently catch bass on a tilapia bite but I know I've seen plenty in the shallows in various Florida fisheries during the Spring and Summer months. 

[BASS302]

On 6/13/2018 at 5:42 PM, Lefty76 said:

Location: Central Texas

Please check your regulations, I think Tilapia might be illegal to possess or transport in Texas.

[Lefty76]

They were stocked legally in the pond 3 yrs ago.

 

The bass are eating them.

 

Just trying to learn more about them.

 

I would imagine bass fisherman in California understand the habits of trout stocked in lakes.

[the reel ess]

On a side note, those "wild" tilapia would also be healthy to eat, unless there's something contaminating the pond. They're in a clean environment and part of the natural food chain. They'll have omega 3 acids at greater levels than farmed fish with no antibiotics.

[Raul]

11 hours ago, BASS302 said:

Please check your regulations, I think Tilapia might be illegal to possess or transport in Texas.

The Rio Grande, Falcon and Amistad lakes are choked full with tilapia, so the can’t be illegal.

 

[SPEEDBEAD.]

1 hour ago, Raul said:

The Rio Grande, Falcon and Amistad lakes are choked full with tilapia, so the can’t be illegal.

 

 

Potomac/Snakeheads can be plugged into that equation in Maryland/Virginia. Still illegal.

[Deleted account]

3 hours ago, SPEEDBEAD. said:

 

Potomac/Snakeheads can be plugged into that equation in Maryland/Virginia. Still illegal.

No officer, as you can plainly see I have a semi full of weed here, I can see if I only had a couple of joints...

[WRB]

Think of talopia as crappie for forage fish, softer spines, softer rays and longer body to width then bluegill. 

Tom