09-03-2010, 02:39 PM
Are these the same Tilapia that are being farm raised for table fare in restaurants these days? The ones that were stocked in our area lakes were extremely hard to catch on rod and reel, being plant eaters. They would get quite aggressive during certain seasons, protecting nests and hit just about any invading lure, perhaps even a safety pin! So that nesting was the time to catch them. They only became popular sometime later in restaurants. The meat is quite tasty, but low in omega oils compared to other species, with few heart health benefits and high in other fats. One magazine compared them to eating a jelly doughnut as far as health benefits, but I have no professional knowledge if this is accurate!
Pon
[quote TubeDude][cool][#0000ff]Tilapia are cichlids...from Africa. They are naturally plant eaters more than meat eaters, but they will munch just about anything edible. They will hit small lures...and flies. However, most California "tanglers" just use a piece of nightcrawler in the waters they have been stocked. Fish worms on the bottom or under a bobber. Small jigs...feather or plastic...tipped with crawler are also good. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Since tilapia are herbivores they will take "veggies" like corn or peas. They also hit dough balls and even salmon eggs or cheese baits being fished for other species.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In the "olden days" at Salton Sea...before it died from unnatural causes...it was a fantastic place for BIG tilapia...and lots of them. The locals just fished from shore with worms or cut bait. But in a boat or tube you could move along the shore throwing RatLTraps or other noisy crankbaits and catch both tilapia and corvina. I shed a tear everytime I remember those days and then read about that body of water in its current condition.[/#0000ff][/quote]
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Pon
[quote TubeDude][cool][#0000ff]Tilapia are cichlids...from Africa. They are naturally plant eaters more than meat eaters, but they will munch just about anything edible. They will hit small lures...and flies. However, most California "tanglers" just use a piece of nightcrawler in the waters they have been stocked. Fish worms on the bottom or under a bobber. Small jigs...feather or plastic...tipped with crawler are also good. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Since tilapia are herbivores they will take "veggies" like corn or peas. They also hit dough balls and even salmon eggs or cheese baits being fished for other species.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In the "olden days" at Salton Sea...before it died from unnatural causes...it was a fantastic place for BIG tilapia...and lots of them. The locals just fished from shore with worms or cut bait. But in a boat or tube you could move along the shore throwing RatLTraps or other noisy crankbaits and catch both tilapia and corvina. I shed a tear everytime I remember those days and then read about that body of water in its current condition.[/#0000ff][/quote]
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