# tilapia flies



## WhiteDog70810

yobata said:


> Can anyone recommend a fly for tilapia? By work, there is a canal full of them, and while I have heard some spin fishers use bread balls, I have not heard of anyone catching them on fly. Is it possible? What have you had success with?


How "sporting" do you want to be? Many guys target the herbivorous fish by chumming them up with bread or dog food and tie a fly to match the hatch. The dog food flies are hilarious, but they work. I've heard of it working for carp and mullet, so tilapia isn't a huge stretch.

If you want to be sophisticated, maybe a dark wooly bugger? It has caught every other known fish, so why not a tilapia?

Good luck. I'd just stick 'em with an arrow, but I am a horrible person.

Nate


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## yobata

WhiteDog70810 said:


> How "sporting" do you want to be? Many guys target the herbivorous fish by chumming them up with bread or dog food and tie a fly to match the hatch. The dog food flies are hilarious, but they work. I've heard of it working for carp and mullet, so tilapia isn't a huge stretch.
> 
> If you want to be sophisticated, maybe a dark wooly bugger? It has caught every other known fish, so why not a tilapia?
> 
> Good luck. I'd just stick 'em with an arrow, but I am a horrible person.
> 
> Nate


I have fished with a buddy who had a bow with a reel on it - but this particular canal doesn't look very clean so I would not be interested in keeping the fish. Definitely doing it for the sport of it..


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## WhiteDog70810

Unless a paper mill or coal slurry pond discharges into that ditch, you're safe. From an aquaculture standpoint, one of the perks of tilapia is that you can grow them in pretty eutrophic water conditions, e.g. most suburban ponds and ditches, and still get a good product. Despite their reputation, catfish actually have much higher water quality requirements and are sissies compared to tilapia.

You are better off using the long rod though. It lends you more credibility in the public eye. Bowfishermen rank at about the same level as an opossum in your garbage can.

Nate


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## el9surf

From my understanding when they are on their beds they like to keep them clean of all debris. I have heard of small dark flies mimicking grass, algae or rocks placed in the bed will prompt them to pick it up and remove it. No luck yet. The one time I tried they were extremely skittish. You need good light conditions to pull this off.


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## Backwater

I use to target them. Why not? It's yet another specie on fly, right?

Tie up or buy a small freshwater shrimp fly pattern or small tan wooly buggar (size 10-6 and no more than about an inch long) and use a 4-6wt rod with about 6-8lb mono or fluorocarbon tippet about 2-3ft long. Tie the fly on with a loop knot. Get about 20-30 ft away from it and throw it just slightly beyond the bed. Work it into the bed and let it come to rest in the bottom of the fish bed. Slightly giggle the fly but don't strip it out of the bed. The tilapia will come by periodically and inspect the bed if it was spoofarmked. Anything in the bed than doesn't belong or might be eating any of it's eggs, the fish will swim over to it, pick it up (but not eat it) to remove it from the area. Once it picks it up, you strip set the hook.

If it's a very small retension pond, I wouldn't eat them because of the chemical run offs from the lawns to the retension ponds. But if it's a big lake or river, then by all means, eat them. Of course they are good to eat, are non-native to our country and have no bag limits. Way better than the farm raise fish full of chemicals, steriods, grown hormones, antibiotics and toxins .


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## Finn Maccumhail

yobata said:


> I have fished with a buddy who had a bow with a reel on it - but this particular canal doesn't look very clean so I would not be interested in keeping the fish. Definitely doing it for the sport of it..


It's effectively illegal to catch & release tilapia and Asian carp (silver, big head, grass) in Texas waters. You're supposed to cut the guts out and leave them to rot because they're considered harmful invasive species.


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## yobata

Hmm hadn't thought about that Finn. I suppose that releasing an invasive species is probably a bad deal even if it was caught in that canal/pond.... 

Thank you all for the responses. Definitely learned something today!


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## lemaymiami

Here in Florida we've got so many invasive species... where would you start?


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## Capt. Eli Whidden

Something like this...


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## Backwater

el9surf, it's not the alge or plant life that they are concerned with but rather something like a grass shrimp that will threaten to eat any eggs that they may have in their nest. Hence the real reason they'll remove it quickly.

Finn, here in Florida, tilapia was a dumb decision done by the State of Florida. Basically, they were brought in to help control some of the plant life invasive species like hydrilla. So tilapia in Florida are "non-native" but not considered "invasive" like asian carp. Btw, I hear asian carp are actually good to eat.

yobata, I agree with the WhiteDog in that, is it doesn't look like an industrial drainage canal or a small residential retention pond (where there is lots of yard water run-off, then it's probably ok and please, take all you can catch. If you don't want to eat them, clean them first and give the fresh meat to someone who you know will enjoy it or a family who is needy.

As Capt LeMay, south Florida is getting over run with invasive exotics. Most of those fish will hit a fly faster than just about any native specie. There aggressive and therefore, competes too much with our natural native specie we have. Most are also very good to eat. So keep all you can.

I'm going to use this spot to put ALL on *notice* and give out a well needed *public announcement*.

The worst of the invasive specie we have that is spreading all over Florida is the Plecostomus a.k.a. sucker mouth catfish or armored catfish. This is the small armored or sucker catfish you see in the bottom of people's aquariums. Everyone buys them to help keep their aquariums clean right? Then it either get's too big or you move and can't take it with you. So people are letting them go my the millions and they grow and grow and populate themselves several times a year. They change genders to match up with other plecostomus they come across. What they do is *raid all the other native fish beds to eat their eggs* for several reasons. *1st*, to supplement their protein intake. *2nd*, they are an opportunistic feeder but don't do a good job at running down other fish to eat. So eggs are an easy target for them and there's not much other fish can do to stop them. They're like a bulldozer when they get big, reaching lengths of 2ft and weighing in at over 10lbs with armor plating. I've seen them do this. The *3rd* reason is somewhat un-nerving, they do this to systematically whip out any threats that will feed on their young, over time. *Finally*, to ensure that they will increase in numbers, they hold their eggs and fry in their mouths to protect them and to ensure that they'll have a better chance of survival, ironically. *They can systematically and completely wipe out an entire body of water or it's native species *(i.e., bass, bluegills, etc.) over time. They are doing a pretty good job on the Hillsborough River in Tampa, where I remember years ago, was a great river for largemouth bass. But nowadays, you can't even catch one hardly. If you see them, like lion fish, kill it! toss it up on the bank.

Pics of juvis.

















Adults









What's sad to say, is Tilapia does the same things to our native species as Plecostomus does, only they are not quite as aggressive and at least you can eat them. Plecostomus are not even good for a tire stop! 

This is the best kind of Plecostomus.... DEAD ONES!!!!










Sorry yobata, didn't mean to invade your thread. I'll get down off of my soap box! 

Ted Haas


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## Backwater

Oh, before I forget... Freshwater grass shrimp is what I'm talking about.

BTW, none of this pics I've used on this thread are my pictures, just some examples I've found.




























I'm not expecting you to tie something up like this









or this...










or even this...










But tied on a # 8-10 freshwater bronze or black chrome hook (not a saltwater hook), you could get close to this






























Or a little povovich grass shrimp, but use GO2 Glue or soft UV resin for a soft body instead of epoxy.









Or something like this, but small.


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## yobata

Thanks Ted! And don't worry about the soap box - I'd rather have more soap boxes than invasive species that decimate the native fish. I can't wait to f up some tilapia - I have a friend that eats it twice a week (bought from store) - the canal tilapia have to be better than the dog food raised ones that the news said were worse for you than bacon


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## Backwater

No problem and thanks yobata!

Don't get me started on how they raise the tilapia that come from china that you buy in Wal-Mart. How the FDA let's that toxic cesspool raised crap into our country is beyond me! 

Btw and FYI Finn, Texas is starting to have the same problems with the sucker/armored catfish (Plecostomus).


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## Finn Maccumhail

Yeah, unfortunately the pleicos are pretty thick in a lot of the bayous around Houston.


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## acesover

Finn Maccumhail said:


> Yeah, unfortunately the pleicos are pretty thick in a lot of the bayous around Houston.


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## acesover

Second pic is the fly I use, don't get them often but have had the best luck with this fly


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## jsnipes

Yea, seems guys in Houston catching hte tilapia are getting them on dries.

Also, those plecos are truly gross looking. All over the bayous here.


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## Backwater

jsnipes said:


> those plecos are truly gross looking. All over the bayous here.


I feel sad for your fishery.


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## Finn Maccumhail

Backwater said:


> I feel sad for your fishery.


Need to start an urban bowfishing league or something to thin out the invasives.


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## el9surf

Back in 2010 when we had the freeze the St johns had plekos and tilapia dead by the thousands lining the shores. It was hard to find sand on the banks because they were covering ever square inch of the shoreline. I am going to have to go and give them another shot on the 5wt.


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## Backwater

Finn Maccumhail said:


> Need to start an urban bowfishing league or something to thin out the invasives.



Maybe setting up a few of those boats with the electric shocking rigs to weed out the Plecostomus'.


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## Backwater

acesover said:


>



Kinda looks like a lil grass shrimp to me!


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## Backwater

So what's the report yobata?


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## yobata

Backwater said:


> So what's the report yobata?


I have been out of commission - on the way to work a car lost control, hit my rear quarter panel and spun my truck into the median rail of i95 causing my truck to roll into the southbound lane. An off duty firefighter helped me after I extracated myself from the rolled Silverado, and got medical help for me. 

I am truly blessed in that I made it out alive with no broken bones or internal bleeding (a point re-iterated by FHP and the insurance auditor upon examining my truck) but I suffered a pretty serious concussion which has rendered me with terrible headaches. I have not worked on my boat, fished, or even been back to work. I have received an outpouring of support from friends and family for which I am truly thankful for. I would post images of my truck but they are almost too graphic to see - my wife kept them hidden from me as best she could until I saw them on a friend's online post...


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## mingo gringo

Backwater,plecos are edible,Have eaten them in south America. Though they did taste like mud and wouldn't recommend it. Tilapia ain't much better on the palate. I've caught tilapia with a San Juan worm,that's what's worked the best for me. Throw it in front of them,let it sink and wait till they suck it in.


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## Backwater

yobata said:


> I have been out of commission - on the way to work a car lost control, hit my rear quarter panel and spun my truck into the median rail of i95 causing my truck to roll into the southbound lane. An off duty firefighter helped me after I extracated myself from the rolled Silverado, and got medical help for me.
> 
> I am truly blessed in that I made it out alive with no broken bones or internal bleeding (a point re-iterated by FHP and the insurance auditor upon examining my truck) but I suffered a pretty serious concussion which has rendered me with terrible headaches. I have not worked on my boat, fished, or even been back to work. I have received an outpouring of support from friends and family for which I am truly thankful for. I would post images of my truck but they are almost too graphic to see - my wife kept them hidden from me as best she could until I saw them on a friend's online post...


OMG, sorry to here that! That sounds terrible! Yes, it's a miracle you are alive. I hope you manage to get through this and get better from the head aches! We wish you all the best and hope the insurance company takes it easy on you. We'll pray for your headaches. Maybe getting out there on the water will be a little therapeutic.


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## Backwater

mingo ****** said:


> Backwater,plecos are edible,Have eaten them in south America. Though they did taste like mud and wouldn't recommend it. Tilapia ain't much better on the palate. I've caught tilapia with a San Juan worm,that's what's worked the best for me. Throw it in front of them,let it sink and wait till they suck it in.


I didn't know plecos are edible! They look too ugly to eat! lol But then again, I found out that gar (especially alligator gar) are quite tasty (hard to get the meat out of them tho). They call their back straps "poor man's lobster!" lol

Tilapia (nile perch) are good if caught in a large body of clean and clear water. But in small retention ponds or ditches, they are muddy tasting. But so are bass.

Thanks for the head's up with the San Juan worm. I know they'll eat worms, but I think the grass shrimp thing is more of a thing they do to protect their nest. I have never caught them with those shrimp patterns when they are not bedding, so IDK, maybe the SJW is the ticket to catching them when they are not spawning.


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## Backwater

Yobata, any updates? How are you doing with the tilapia?


I dug up an older photo of me catchin nile perch (tilapia) on that grass shrimp fly back in the 90's in the Hillsborough River (Tampa).


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## Flatbastard

yobata said:


> Can anyone recommend a fly for tilapia? By work, there is a canal full of them, and while I have heard some spin fishers use bread balls, I have not heard of anyone catching them on fly. Is it possible? What have you had success with?


I've recently been catching them with a brown sinking crab and a reddish brown woolly booger


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## Finn Maccumhail

I didn't know tilapia were called Nile Perch, I thought this was the Nile Perch:



Flatbastard said:


> I've recently been catching them with a brown sinking crab and a reddish brown woolly booger


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## Megalops

Yobata, I never saw this post. Hope you're back in action brother.

Not sure why tilapia are also called Nile perch but they are. Back in '95, back in the day, I worked at Busch Gardens in their zoological department while going to school at USF (best job I ever had). They had a quarantine area and we'd keep all sorts of crazy stuff seized from Tampa International. We had a tank of juvenile Nile perch 4 of them like the one Finn posted. Crazy mirrored eyes, aggressive and hungry they would obliterate everything and anything put in that tank.


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## blackmagic1

I'm about to whip out my AMS Bowfishing rig.....I mean flyrod...and do my part in exterminating some. I took a little ride up a river sunday with the family and they were bedding everwhere. River is extremely low so most of the shots are high percentage. Time to get the boat bloody.


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## WhiteDog70810

Good luck! I think a semi-serious bowfisherman could put a serious hurting on a localized population of tilapia and plecos. The problem is that folks seem to prefer more "sporting" means of fishing. You aren't gonna hurt the population of an invasive with a long rod, but if you skewer them on their beds, you can actually make an impression by stressing them during their spawn. Cold snaps, gill nets, electro-boats and rotenone are obviously more effective, but they also kill the good fish. Bowfishing allows you to be very selective. Just leave the big grass carp alone. They are sterile and someone paid to put them there.

I suspect there are people who will take everything you kill, even the plecos, IF you know where to ask. 

Nate


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## Griff0302

I catch them on large dark trout nymphs regularly, esp a weighted black stonefly nymph but a big prince nymph works too. Just let let it lay in the bed, maybe shake it just a little. Also works under an indicator. They fight pretty good but IMO they taste nasty, even brined.


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## Backwater

Griff0302 said:


> I catch them on large dark trout nymphs regularly, esp a weighted black stonefly nymph but a big prince nymph works too. Just let let it lay in the bed, maybe shake it just a little. Also works under an indicator. They fight pretty good but IMO they taste nasty, even brined.


Depends on how clear the water is. Retention ponds and ditches? No, but large open natural lakes, then yes, they are good to eat from there.


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## Backwater

WhiteDog70810 said:


> Good luck! I think a semi-serious bowfisherman could put a serious hurting on a localized population of tilapia and plecos. The problem is that folks seem to prefer more "sporting" means of fishing. You aren't gonna hurt the population of an invasive with a long rod, but if you skewer them on their beds, you can actually make an impression by stressing them during their spawn. Cold snaps, gill nets, electro-boats and rotenone are obviously more effective, but they also kill the good fish. Bowfishing allows you to be very selective. Just leave the big grass carp alone. They are sterile and someone paid to put them there.
> 
> I suspect there are people who will take everything you kill, even the plecos, IF you know where to ask.
> 
> Nate


Nate, with all due respect, it's been proven in Lake Okeechobee that the sterile grass carp released there to help control the hydrilla explosion (another invasive specie which is non-native to Florida), has found that they change sex at a certain size with certain conditions. That in turn helps them to be reproductive with their other reproductive organs. The end results is.... nature has its way of moving forward.

On a negative note, it's been found that grass carp will also eat the eggs of native species. It's hard for a 1/2 pound bluegill to push out the head of a 30lb carp outta her bed. So the results have shown dwinding stocks of native species in lakes with stocked carp. So they are no better than tilapia or plecos! Hey, our dumb arse politicians here in Florida paid to have our lakes stocked with tilapias, years ago. So go figure that!


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## Griff0302

Sounds like we need more intervention here. Peacocks are the natural pred of Tilaps. Let's just stock it up with peacocks. 

Also a couple of weeks ago I was back home and fished the St Johns. Despite the armored cats everywhere the bass bite was solid. But I saw 4 Spaniards in 2 Jon boats cast netting the armored cats. They had easily 200 of those things between the two boats. Any idea what they are doing with them?


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## WhiteDog70810

Fair 'nuf. I just know Florida fish and game regs tell you to immediately release grass carp unharmed (I looked this up a while back because it surprised me). It is tough to convince the warden that you intend to release a grass carp unharmed when said carp is impaled on an arrow.

Nate


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## SomaliPirate

Megalops said:


> Yobata, I never saw this post. Hope you're back in action brother.
> 
> Not sure why tilapia are also called Nile perch but they are. Back in '95, back in the day, I worked at Busch Gardens in their zoological department while going to school at USF (best job I ever had). They had a quarantine area and we'd keep all sorts of crazy stuff seized from Tampa International. We had a tank of juvenile Nile perch 4 of them like the one Finn posted. Crazy mirrored eyes, aggressive and hungry they would obliterate everything and anything put in that tank.


I drove the monorail there in the mid-late 90's while also going to USF. Still one of the most fun places I've ever worked.

Has anybody actually caught a pleco on hook and line? Based on what I've seen, they're strictly a bow/cast net thing.


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## Megalops

I had to do a charity event with my daughter this past weekend at Lithia Springs park. I got bored and walked down to where the spring runs into the Alafia. I counted 17 pleco's at one time. What was strange is that they periodically rose and slurped the surface. No idea what they were doing/eating. Never seen that behavior before...


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## SomaliPirate

Megalops said:


> I had to do a charity event with my daughter this past weekend at Lithia Springs park. I got bored and walked down to where the spring runs into the Alafia. I counted 17 pleco's at one time. What was strange is that they periodically rose and slurped the surface. No idea what they were doing/eating. Never seen that behavior before...


Speak of the devil, I was a lifeguard at Lithia Springs after leaving Busch Gardens. The plecos did that same thing all the time there- I never figured it out either.


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## Backwater

Griff0302 said:


> Also a couple of weeks ago I was back home and fished the St Johns. Despite the armored cats everywhere the bass bite was solid. But I saw 4 Spaniards in 2 Jon boats cast netting the armored cats. They had easily 200 of those things between the two boats. Any idea what they are doing with them?


Hummm.... curious why they were targeting and keeping them. Were they still alive? Too bad you didn't ask them. It would be interesting to find out why, unless a.) they thought they were catfish b.) somehow they figured out a way to eat them or c.) maybe they are going to breed them for Walmart and the other dumb ass pet shops who think they are ok, even tho a lot of them are released in our waters due to people not knowing any better and don't want to take care of them any more. There maybe a d.) where the FWC is paying to have them removed. Who knows??


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## Griff0302

I tried to ask them what they were doing with them but the language barrier was too great. A few of them were still moving but most were dead.


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## Finn Maccumhail

Backwater said:


> Nate, with all due respect, it's been proven in Lake Okeechobee that the sterile grass carp released there to help control the hydrilla explosion (another invasive specie which is non-native to Florida), has found that they change sex at a certain size with certain conditions. That in turn helps them to be reproductive with their other reproductive organs. The end results is.... nature has its way of moving forward.
> 
> On a negative note, it's been found that grass carp will also eat the eggs of native species. It's hard for a 1/2 pound bluegill to push out the head of a 30lb carp outta her bed. So the results have shown dwinding stocks of native species in lakes with stocked carp. So they are no better than tilapia or plecos! Hey, our dumb arse politicians here in Florida paid to have our lakes stocked with tilapias, years ago. So go figure that!


*We had a similar thing here in Texas on Lake Conroe back in the mid-80s. Hydrilla had taken over large portions of the lake so the triploid grass carp (supposedly sterile) were stocked only they started breeding and ate every scrap of vegetation in the lake before they got the carp under control. But the loss of vegetation really hurt the water quality and what had been a premier bass lake just collapsed. It's only been in the last 10 years or so that they've finally brought the lake back and it's again a strong bass fishery with lots of clear water (clear by SE Texas standards anyway) and plenty of vegetation.
*


Backwater said:


> Hummm.... curious why they were targeting and keeping them. Were they still alive? Too bad you didn't ask them. It would be interesting to find out why, unless a.) they thought they were catfish b.) somehow they figured out a way to eat them or c.) maybe they are going to breed them for Walmart and the other dumb ass pet shops who think they are ok, even tho a lot of them are released in our waters due to people not knowing any better and don't want to take care of them any more. There maybe a d.) where the FWC is paying to have them removed. Who knows??





Griff0302 said:


> I tried to ask them what they were doing with them but the language barrier was too great. A few of them were still moving but most were dead.


*I think those plecos can survive for a long damn time out of the water which is one of the reasons they're hard to eradicate even in drought conditions. Those guys may have been catching them for aquarium sales. I hear they can bring big $$$.

Need to kill every one of those nasty buggers we can in US waters. Same for grass carp.*


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## Backwater

Finn Maccumhail said:


> *Need to kill every one of those nasty buggers we can in US waters. Same for grass carp.*


Amen brotha!


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## krash

I ran across the similar activity out off the trail, near the memorial in the canal runn S. to the e-glades... 2 or 3 dudes were cast netting them by the dozens, one dude would throw the net and when he got a pile hed drop the net on the ground and grab another one while the other 2 dudes picked them out.. they just kept leap frogging down the canal filling a few coolers.
I asked what they do with them and they said it was for a church cook out.. the boil them up like crawdads and say they taste like lobster...

He said that a certain time of year they gather and spawn and thats the behaviour.... when they saw them breaking the surface thed toss that cast net...


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## Megalops

Heck, I'll give pleco a whirl if they taste like lobster. I guess crawdad style means throwing the entire fish intact into the pot or did they gut and head em? Any special seasonings besides a 1/5th of vodka? Lol.


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## WhiteDog70810

I know folks will take anything that swims for a church fish fry down south, but boiled?! I gotta admit I didn't see that coming.

If they boil them like crawfish, there is enough salt, cayenne, lemon and Chinese red pepper in the water to knock the fishiness off dang near anything. I hope they gut them first, but I think you'd need the head and skin to keep the cooked meat on the bones. 

I'd try it at least once.

Nate


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## SomaliPirate

Bumping ancient thread: I spent about 3 hours casting and cursing and finally got one to take a bead head nymph laying in the middle of the bed. Best fight on a 5wt I’ve ever had.


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## MatthewAbbott

Love the fight tilapia put up. The area a chased them flooded out and I haven’t seen to many after.


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## tx8er

SomaliPirate said:


> Bumping ancient thread: I spent about 3 hours casting and cursing and finally got one to take a bead head nymph laying in the middle of the bed. Best fight on a 5wt I’ve ever had.


Tilapia or pleco?


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## mro

In the seventies I remember some crackers telling me about Nile Perch. Don't know if i ever saw one tho.


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## SomaliPirate

tx8er said:


> Tilapia or pleco?


Tilapia.


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## tx8er

SomaliPirate said:


> Tilapia.


Thanks. They’re some pleco in the pond by my house and I can’t get them to eat anything. Trying to get them out and may have to resort to a cast net.


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## acesover

Was getting them on a wolly bugger fly with a gold tinsel body, tan craft fur tail and black feather palmered over the gold body.


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## acesover

This is the fly we use. That is a .45 scp for reference.


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## msmith719

I live in Palm Bay/Melbourne area and I've seen the plecos at water contol structures on the St. Johns R. laying on the bottom by the thousands. If you ever fish the Stick Marsh run over to the structure at the NW corner. You'll have to park your boat and climb over the dike but I've seen those dang things literally paving the bottom there. I tried to catch them a couple times but no go. A large snatch hook on a baitcaster works though and sun drying them is possibly good for the local **** population. We have some commercial guys cast netting them on the SJR but I don't know what they do with them; I've heard that they're shipped to S. America where they're a delicacy. Good riddance! BTW, that same snatch hook works on tilapia too! I used to fly fish for bluegills and shellcrackers on the local canals but the tilapia have pretty much scuttled that fishery.


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## LowTideFly

Little Black/Purple Bug


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## Megalops

Just found out the retention pond around my building has some nesting. Stay tuned...


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## permitchaser

yobata said:


> I have been out of commission - on the way to work a car lost control, hit my rear quarter panel and spun my truck into the median rail of i95 causing my truck to roll into the southbound lane. An off duty firefighter helped me after I extracated myself from the rolled Silverado, and got medical help for me.
> 
> I am truly blessed in that I made it out alive with no broken bones or internal bleeding (a point re-iterated by FHP and the insurance auditor upon examining my truck) but I suffered a pretty serious concussion which has rendered me with terrible headaches. I have not worked on my boat, fished, or even been back to work. I have received an outpouring of support from friends and family for which I am truly thankful for. I would post images of my truck but they are almost too graphic to see - my wife kept them hidden from me as best she could until I saw them on a friend's online post...


dam i hate when that happens. Hope your doing better


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## Steve_Mevers

lemaymiami said:


> Here in Florida we've got so many invasive species... where would you start?


Lol


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## Steve_Mevers

msmith719 said:


> I live in Palm Bay/Melbourne area and I've seen the plecos at water contol structures on the St. Johns R. laying on the bottom by the thousands. If you ever fish the Stick Marsh run over to the structure at the NW corner. You'll have to park your boat and climb over the dike but I've seen those dang things literally paving the bottom there. I tried to catch them a couple times but no go. A large snatch hook on a baitcaster works though and sun drying them is possibly good for the local **** population. We have some commercial guys cast netting them on the SJR but I don't know what they do with them; I've heard that they're shipped to S. America where they're a delicacy. Good riddance! BTW, that same snatch hook works on tilapia too! I used to fly fish for bluegills and shellcrackers on the local canals but the tilapia have pretty much scuttled that fishery.


Commercial guys cast net them and sell them at the flea market fish booths.


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## Caddis

A few years ago I caught a bunch on a light brown wolly buggar with a small gold propeller on the front just cast and stripped in like normal. I was at a ranch and just picked a fly out of some there...haven't ever tied flies with propellers, and not sure that's what did it, but I caught a bunch.


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## Backwater

Caddis said:


> A few years ago I caught a bunch on a light brown wolly buggar with a small gold propeller on the front just cast and stripped in like normal. I was at a ranch and just picked a fly out of some there...haven't ever tied flies with propellers, and not sure that's what did it, but I caught a bunch.


You sure that was tilapia, or were they mayan cichlids and oscars? Big difference and anything that vibrates, flutters or spins will get the attention of cichlids. One of my fav mayan cichlid flies is a small gold or pearl spoon fly. With spinning gear, it's a small Beetle Spin.

























You'll notice that about 1/2 those mayan cichlids and oscars are caught on spoon flies in that pic collage. 

Ted Haas


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## Caddis

They were big Tilapia for sure. Really big. The ranch had planted them.

This was in Texas.


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## TrojanBob

The 'new normal' grand slam - a bream, a catfish and a tilapia.


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