LCpointerKILLA Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 A couple days ago I was ordering a Mattlures Bluegill and was not sure which pattern to buy. I decided on the Tilapia pattern because the majority of the lakes near where I live are full of them. They tend to be right next to the shore, an a lot of them will be in one spot. If you're beating the bank and get even remotely close to them, they scatter because they are so skittish. Every once in a while if you look closely you will see a bunch of them scatter and make a big splash, because you know a bass is going after 'em. Do you guys ever see this, or are the Tilapia only down south? Do you believe it is smart to buy lures that are patterned to match Tilapia, or do bass feed on them too rarely for it to be of much help? Quote
krisjack69 Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 I dont there are any in the state of Georgia. Quote
Oscar O. Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 Do you guys ever see this, or are the Tilapia only down south?Do you believe it is smart to buy lures that are patterned to match Tilapia, or do bass feed on them too rarely for it to be of much help? I am pretty sure they are only down south. In Mexico there are plenty of tilapia and the bass feed on them a lot. If there a lot of tilapia i say its worth a shot to use a tilapia patterned lure. Quote
Super User Bassin_Fin@tic Posted January 3, 2008 Super User Posted January 3, 2008 A few of the small ponds I fish I have discovered recently that I do very well on some cranks I got that are tilapia patterned.Dont know if it matches the hatch or it is because the cranks are very dark and so is the water I am using them. I have heard several times that bass do feed on them,the smaller ones that is.They get quite large,and are quite annoying,they will take over a pond in no time. Quote
Super User Bassin_Fin@tic Posted January 3, 2008 Super User Posted January 3, 2008 I read an article recently in Bassin I believe(could be wrong) Mike Ike was crash swimming a jig through trees and brush because he said it mimics the tilapia that feed on the algae from the branches.A true pattern? Or just a one time wonder as all of us experience from time 2 time. Either way,IMO a swimbait designed like a tilapia would prob be a good idea.I have thought the same thing before.Also If your fishing a small lake, a baby bass could be the ticket because the larger fish run out of forage sometimes,especially when you notice the smaller ones are stunted, and will definately cannibalize if the opportunity arises Quote
Super User Raul Posted January 3, 2008 Super User Posted January 3, 2008 Do you guys ever see this, or are the Tilapia only down south? Do you believe it is smart to buy lures that are patterned to match Tilapia, or do bass feed on them too rarely for it to be of much help? Tilapia is a warm water species only, it can 't stand the cold. Most bass in Mexico feed on tilapia, it 's super abundant ( beacuse it 's stocked by the government ) plus it spwans anywhere from 2-5 times a year so bass have a large supply of bite size fish to chew on all year long. Now, if you are still in the "match the hatch" school of thought just to let you know, tilapia are colored from black to gray to blue all the way down to bright orange ( pretty much like a goldfish ) so "tilapia" pattern bait ....... I don 't think so. : Quote
Tokyo Tony Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 I think it was at Amistad that Ike was killing 'em on a "Tilapia" pattern swimbait (greyish/bluish with orangish belly and his patented huge treble), so if there are Tilapia, I'd say use it. I know Tilapia are great eating for humans, and the bass may feel the same way if they're able to catch one, so I think it's a good idea. Quote
LCpointerKILLA Posted January 3, 2008 Author Posted January 3, 2008 The tilapia here are Blue Tilapia. Our government also stocks them, I believe to control west nile virus. I don't think they have a stripe pattern, so the mattlures swimbait I bought is not really a good match, but I'm sure it will work well. Found a good article that answered some of my questions http://myfwc.com/fishing/fishes/non-native.html Quote
LCpointerKILLA Posted January 3, 2008 Author Posted January 3, 2008 ****O.K. just looked it up. The juvenile blue tilapia look just like the mattlures bluegill/tilapia pattern. He made the pattern match a juvenile Quote
Mattlures Posted January 4, 2008 Posted January 4, 2008 You are correct sir. Out here we have some Tilapia in the desert and they are Mozmbeik(sp) The adult males get realy dard and the adult females are colorful with greens and blues but when they are small they are silvery with light bars. My Tilapia pattern is a generic juvenile pattern Quote
Super User Raul Posted January 4, 2008 Super User Posted January 4, 2008 Regardless of what pattern you choose, the Matt 's gill is a killa bait my man, killa bait. Quote
LCpointerKILLA Posted January 4, 2008 Author Posted January 4, 2008 You are correct sir. Out here we have some Tilapia in the desert and they are Mozmbeik(sp) The adult males get realy dard and the adult females are colorful with greens and blues but when they are small they are silvery with light bars. My Tilapia pattern is a generic juvenile pattern Thanks Matt. I got an answer from the man, thats customer service! Quote
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