Tilapia are everywhere in Florida’s fresh waters. You can find them in most every pond, river, creek, lake or canal. Most of the time, you see them on large, circular beds along the shoreline.
Although I’ve caught lots of tilapia, all were incidental. I don’t target them; I catch them while fishing for other species.
I catch most on nymphs under a strike indicator or on my Myakka Minnow.
On a recent trip, I landed the largest tilapia I’ve ever hooked. Took place on Lake Manatee near my home in Sarasota, Fla. The fish hit a No. 12 black, bead-head nymph I was casting on a 2-weight.
Wasn’t sure what it was when I hooked it. I knew it was different. We had been catching hand-sized bluegill in a protected cove. However, this fish was large and strong.
I back-paddled away from the vegetation along the shoreline to get the fish into open water. At first, I thought I’d hooked a channel cat, a species I encounter regularly on Lake Manatee. But this fish was slow and strong. Channel cats are also strong, but also quick and can make lengthy runs. After a couple of minutes, I was able to get a glimpse of the fish. It was a blue tilapia – the largest I’d ever hooked.
I played the fish carefully and was able to net it a few minutes later. Couldn’t believe the size. I estimated it at four pounds.
The tilapia hit a No. 12 black, bead-head nymph under a strike indicator.
Anyone here have much luck on tilapia. Do you target them? Technique?
None around here, but we have heard they are more vegetarian than meat eaters…? Do they get protective of those nests? Just might have to help experiment a bit when we get there.
Carp used to be a different animal too.
…lee s.
I have caught several tilapia on the ponds here. Never target them and ocassionly catch a few on a fly. I have seem them many times chase and once in a while hook them on a small spinner bait. They react to spinners more than anything else. Think it annoys them more than being a food opportunity.
In my opinion, they are OK. A lot of fast-food type restaurants that serve fish sell Tilapia. This is typically what’s in a fish taco at places like Ruby’s in the West and low budget Mexican restaurants in the East. More up-scale places will usually have more expensive species of fish. Tilapia can be farmed very densely, and so they are economical for food.
To me they are somewhat bland and usually have at least a mild fishy-taste, but are not objectionable. The texture is a little bit rubbery compared to something like cod, walleye, or flounder, which I consider more flaky. I’ve read articles that complain how they don’t have nearly the nutrients, particularly omega-3, that fish like salmon have.
I’ve never caught and eaten fresh tilapia, so my experience is chiefly the farmed mass-market variety and may be quite a bit different compared to wild fish.
omega 3 is found primarily in salt water fish, Talapia are farmed and will eat almost anything, I think Mike Rowe did a dirty jobs at a talapia farm where they were put in a tank down stream from other fish because they lived off the waste and other stuff the first fish didn’t eat making them very economical to grow. My first thought when I saw this was yum fish tacos. Wish I could fish there.
Eric
a quick link, I might have to run south and try a canal this winter.
I lived in Africa most of my life, wild Tilapia have a distinctive taste and are a wonderfull eating fish. The resturant variety do not have the taste. I used to order them in resturants but no more, you do not know what they were fed. Heard too many bad things especially those from South of the border and China.
My cardiologist in her constant attempt to get me to eat healthier, told me tilapia are one of the few fish that is actually bad for you to eat. No good omega-3’s and plenty of the bad trans fats, plus high mercury levels. I’ve only caught one, it smelled so foul it literally stunk up the boat for the whole day.
My goodness, people, this was a post about fly fishing and catching tilapia. How did it turn into a debate on the edibility of the species and the health benefits of doing so? What’s the obsession over killing and eating fish anyway? Who cares how good/bad they are to eat? The point was they fight hard and will hit a fly.
As shown by this being at least your second incarnation on this board and your pm to me. Considering your great heartfelt concern for these invasive fish I imagine you also ignore state statute and release them unharmed.
