What is this?

[RollTide88]

My dad went fishing with his neighbor yesterday. They ended up reeling this in. What is it? Looks like tilapia to me but they aren't native here, right? Never seen anything like that out of Percy Priest.

 

[agelesssone]

That is a tilapia, they ate in the Cumberland river. We've caught them over 3 lbs.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[agelesssone]

That is a tilapia, they are in the Cumberland river. We've caught them over 3 lbs.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

My dad went fishing with his neighbor yesterday. They ended up reeling this in. What is it? Looks like tilapia to me but they aren't native here, right? Never seen anything like that out of Percy Priest.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Pinwheeled]

Definitely a tilapia. Never seen one in Priest.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rukiddin]

Yes, they've been stocked in lakes around the Crossville area as well. I thought introducing non-native species was an No-no?

The folks here claim they die every winter because the water gets too cold for them. So they say they can't reproduce and become a problem. I believe they are indeed living thru the winters, because if they died off every winter there wouldn't be any of that size.

Yes, they are stocked in lakes in Crossville.
Yes, they most definitely die out every year in waters without a heat source. They will not survive a water temp <58-60F
Tilapia are extremely fast growing fish. I can stock a 3" tilapia in a pond in late April, early May, and it will be 2lbs+ by September.
They make a great supplemental forage fish for bass and more importantly, they are extremely efficient at eliminating filamentous algae.

 

[Crosshairy]

Yes, they've been stocked in lakes around the Crossville area as well. I thought introducing non-native species was an No-no?

The folks here claim they die every winter because the water gets too cold for them. So they say they can't reproduce and become a problem. I believe they are indeed living thru the winters, because if they died off every winter there wouldn't be any of that size.

Yes, they are stocked in lakes in Crossville.
Yes, they most definitely die out every year in waters without a heat source. They will not survive a water temp <58-60F
Tilapia are extremely fast growing fish. I can stock a 3" tilapia in a pond in late April, early May, and it will be 2lbs+ by September.
They make a great supplemental forage fish for bass and more importantly, they are extremely efficient at eliminating filamentous algae.

AND they taste good

I know a guy who goes to public lakes in the fall where they have been stocked and dip-nets them out on the first cold snap. He says often times the are just swimming listlessly, almost like they are going to sleep.

 

[RobbyW]

Yes, they've been stocked in lakes around the Crossville area as well. I thought introducing non-native species was an No-no?

The folks here claim they die every winter because the water gets too cold for them. So they say they can't reproduce and become a problem. I believe they are indeed living thru the winters, because if they died off every winter there wouldn't be any of that size.

Yes, they are stocked in lakes in Crossville.
Yes, they most definitely die out every year in waters without a heat source. They will not survive a water temp <58-60F
Tilapia are extremely fast growing fish. I can stock a 3" tilapia in a pond in late April, early May, and it will be 2lbs+ by September.
They make a great supplemental forage fish for bass and more importantly, they are extremely efficient at eliminating filamentous algae.

Where do you get them?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FOX FIRE]

First time I ate them ot was just filthy tasting, couple years later tried them again, same thing, had to throw them out to the dogs.

 

[WTM]

Yes, they've been stocked in lakes around the Crossville area as well. I thought introducing non-native species was an No-no?

The folks here claim they die every winter because the water gets too cold for them. So they say they can't reproduce and become a problem. I believe they are indeed living thru the winters, because if they died off every winter there wouldn't be any of that size.

Yes, they are stocked in lakes in Crossville.
Yes, they most definitely die out every year in waters without a heat source. They will not survive a water temp <58-60F
Tilapia are extremely fast growing fish. I can stock a 3" tilapia in a pond in late April, early May, and it will be 2lbs+ by September.
They make a great supplemental forage fish for bass and more importantly, they are extremely efficient at eliminating filamentous algae.

yep and the chinese grow them in sewage waste ponds and sell them to walmart.

 

[7mm08]

And THAT's why I never eat that species. I'd rather eat a carp! At least they eat American poop and not Chinese poop!!

 

[RUGER]

First time I ate them ot was just filthy tasting, couple years later tried them again, same thing, had to throw them out to the dogs.

Just curious, was this store bought or caught locally?

 

[MackPC]

Cool catch

 

[FOX FIRE]

First time I ate them ot was just filthy tasting, couple years later tried them again, same thing, had to throw them out to the dogs.

Just curious, was this store bought or caught locally?

They were store bought, seen an episode of dirty job after we tried them an got a good idea why the tilapia tasted so bad, seems they feed off of the ain: left (from the previous fish before them) in the bottom of the concrete pond they were raise in, the poor ole Mike Rowe ate some from a plate at the end of the show and mentioning how good it tasted, guess thats why he makes the big bucks.

 

[RUGER]

Lol heard that!

Sent from my LGL52VL using Tapatalk

 

[rukiddin]

And THAT's why I never eat that species. I'd rather eat a carp! At least they eat American poop and not Chinese poop!!

C'mon Phil!!!! I'll trade you some tilapia from MY source for some drum and you'll be singing a different tune!!!! It all depends on where they came from. Ones I eat are local and if you don't like them, then you just simply don't like fish! Thought I raised you better'n that!!!!!!! Hahaha

 

[airborneru]

I grew up in Hawaii and tilapia were stocked in many of the irrigation reservoirs. Game fish (peacock bass and largemouth) will eat the small ones quite readily. Yes, they eat a lot of algae and given the option they will eat treated sewage. I think like many fish, diet and water quality determine taste. I can't bring myself to eat them, I grew up regarding them as a trash fish.

 

[Pic IN the Casa]

What was he fishing with (lure, live bait) to catch it?

Also, if you've seen the way they are farm raised you wouldn't want to even cook it.

 

[Crosshairy]

The only ones I've ever caught were with a red worm on a small hook. A friend of mine stocked them in his pond, and I went fishing for them in the early fall before they die off from the cold. The ones he had (stocked as forage fish for bass, and for aquatic vegetation control), were very tasty. They seemed to be finicky biters though...I would get a lot more bites than actual hook-ups. I think maybe they nibble at everything.

 

[GRIT]

The water stays warm at the steam plants Galatin steam plant and Cumberland city they could move into them waters for the winter

 

[agelesssone]

The tilapia here in the Cumberland taste very good.
And they don't all die off in the winter. We just had one caught that weighed 6 lbs 8 oz.
We've found them to be voracious feeders.
Early in the winter, it was nothing to catch 100+ in a couple hours.
Most of the eater size have been caught out of the steam plant.
They'll replenish next year. AND they survive water 50 degrees, meaning anywhere they can find an underwater spring (ground water is 56 degrees) they will survive.
We lost a few year class big fish when they shut the steam plant down to make the tie in to the new scrubbers. Let the cold river water inundate the discharge channel and the sub 50 degree water killed a lot of the big ones. Not all, but a lot.
Nightcrawler piece, #6 gold long shank hook, #3-4-5 split shot, drag along the bottom. Seems to be more of a morning bite.
Good luck!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk