Hey,

 

The lake behind my house is stocked with tilapia for some reason. I am not sure of the benefits, I never looked into it. I know people eat tilapia, but I strictly catch and release fish. When I fish, the tilapia never go after my lures. They seem uninterested, but sometimes when i reel it in i can feel my lure bounce off the fish, like they just let it hit them lol. Well today I decided to toss out a rooster tail (yellow and black) with a red siwash hook. The tilapia went after it like crazy! I have never seen them react to a lure like this before, and i always use inline spinners. Could the red hook color have set them off? I really can't explain the sudden interest but I like the fight they put up. 

 

Also, if I want to target fish for them, what bait or lures do tilapia go for? 

 

Thanks

Steve ??

I fished for them in Mexico and the locals used shrimp. I’d just keep using those inline spinners. 

They loved my 78 Bluegill pattern a lot.

On 5/24/2021 at 10:13 PM, BassSteve said:

I am not sure of the benefits, I never looked into it.

They breed like crazy and make the bass extra-fat.

I have caught tilapia on jigs, crank baits, and other lures while fishing for other species. They give a good fight for their size.

Tilapia are very durable bread of fish, They can survive in very high concentrations of salt water and do great in fresh. They dominate the Salton Sea where little can adapt. They bread at a high rate and are a very clean tasting fish. I like to make fish tacos with them. Feel free to keep them, you wont put a dent in the population and they aren't fishy tasting.