# Strange fish on Fish River



## Mercmaha (Jun 1, 2013)

This is my first my post so I hope I am doing this right, but I actually caught a tilapia on Fish river earlier this week.


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## missplaced_idahoan (Feb 2, 2013)

one of the best tasting fish in my opinion. good sized too


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## Mercmaha (Jun 1, 2013)

Ya, I took him home that night and fried em up with the gills I caught that day.


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## Collard (Oct 23, 2007)

Wirelessly posted (Not the droid youre lookin for)

Great. Another non indigenous species that will thrive and compete with the locals. From the size of him I'd say they may be doing pretty well already.
I won't mind catching them at all. I just hate when exotics are introduced anywhere. Now gotta figure out when where and how to target them. 
I wonder if flatheads likem?


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

I thought they would only survive in warmer climate like south FL, but they are thick in a lake near San Antonio that I have fished. In that lake people bow fish them they are so plentiful. Hope they don't get over here in the Choctawhatchee, but if flatheads like them maybe that would help feed those brutes so they would not eat so many bream. 

I saw a report where Americans eat 450 millions pound of the things every year. I don't knowingly eat them but you never know what you are getting in fast food joints and some restaurants. All the fish I eat at home I catch myself.


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## CatCrusher (Jan 18, 2009)

Collard said:


> Wirelessly posted (Not the droid youre lookin for)
> 
> Great. Another non indigenous species that will thrive and compete with the locals. From the size of him I'd say they may be doing pretty well already.
> I won't mind catching them at all. I just hate when exotics are introduced anywhere. Now gotta figure out when where and how to target them.
> I wonder if flatheads likem?


I catch em in FT Lauderdale when I go down there on red worms and small jigs. They want thrive in numbers around here because of the climate, but a few might make it.


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## missplaced_idahoan (Feb 2, 2013)

are there multiple kinds of tilapia? you guys are talking about them not surviving in the climate but we have several ponds in Idaho that are full of tilapia and they survive every winter some the the ponds actually freeze completely over


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

*?*

Sure did not know there were kinds that would live in the far north. Interesting!


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## missplaced_idahoan (Feb 2, 2013)

googled it and most types of tilapia die in water less then 70°


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## missplaced_idahoan (Feb 2, 2013)

but one site actually talked about Idaho tilapia, somehow they adapted to cold water when they "escaped" the farms and got into the river up there


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## N!cky (Jul 28, 2009)

They've been introduced to Lake Seminole within the past few years too.


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## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

N!cky said:


> They've been introduced to Lake Seminole within the past few years too.


Yeah I was about to say the same thing. I came across a photo of a fairly large one a boy shot with his bow on Lake Seminole.


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## auguy7777 (Feb 23, 2009)

They are doing extremely well at Seminole. They were bedding like crazy 1st week of May over there.....tons of em


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

*seminole*

Man O Man.....I sure did not know this. I'm not sure if this is good or bad for our native fish. Obviously it's too late to do much about this except catch and remove as many as possible. I guess the best thing to do now is become educated on the issue and try to be as aware as possible what could happen at Seminole. It's one thing after another with these invasive species!

Has anyone caught one of these things? If so tell us a little about the experience.

Here is what FWC has on the fish:

http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/fish/freshwater/nonnatives/blue-tilapia/


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## auguy7777 (Feb 23, 2009)

Guys, I grew up in south central florida and talapia are very abundant down there in the phosphate pits and all the lakes, especially Okechobee. Those lakes have been doing fine for a very long time. Talapia is just another bream for the other predators to feed on. Nothing to worry about.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

*snag em*

Thanks auguy7777. After reading the FWC info on what they eat I wonder if they can be trained like mullet by baiting a hole so that gather up in bunches. Then we could snag them like mullet. Just wondering? That would be an interesting new way to fill a box with edible fish


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## Collard (Oct 23, 2007)

Wirelessly posted (Not the droid youre lookin for)

Man....they get big. I had no idea. They definitely are not just another bream.


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## auguy7777 (Feb 23, 2009)

My late grandfather used to go get them when they were spawning with grass freshwater shrimp.


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## redfishreaper (Apr 23, 2012)

Collard said:


> Wirelessly posted (Not the droid youre lookin for)
> 
> Great. Another non indigenous species that will thrive and compete with the locals. From the size of him I'd say they may be doing pretty well already.
> I won't mind catching them at all. I just hate when exotics are introduced anywhere. Now gotta figure out when where and how to target them.
> I wonder if flatheads likem?


apperently in lousiana those things invaded the mssissippi river they ended up poisning a large section of the river they got so bad


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## samiams (Feb 3, 2008)

I have been on the wire about introducing them into my 10ac pond. i have a healthy fishery with some nice bass and i don't want to jack up they dynamics....but they sure do taste good and the wife is pushing to put em in


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## marmidor (Mar 15, 2008)

samiams said:


> I have been on the wire about introducing them into my 10ac pond. i have a healthy fishery with some nice bass and i don't want to jack up they dynamics....but they sure do taste good and the wife is pushing to put em in


I THINK if I had a pond I would do it. Heck if anything they would make good feeders for you and your other fish. More reserch would be required first.


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## delta dooler (Mar 6, 2008)

I have heard that they has been quite a few caught over here in Ms the past couple years also, supposedly around the gator farm on hwy 90 there are quite a few of them ...


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