Texas Tilapia

[Toseythecat]

These were wild in the Houston area. Good eating, good fighting panfish. Sort of sad they aren't up in Missouri, gets too cold. 

[jdmidwest]

Borderline cold.  There was a fishery program in IL 25 years ago that started to raise them.  First time I ever had one in a restaurant.  Came from a local pond in Gorham.  They were raising them there for sale.  The menu item was Jumbo Bluegill and it was good.  Better than the Chinard crap in the supermarkets.

Raising fish in our latitude is kinda iffy, the weather is too unpredictable.  We have record heat wave here following a weird frost 2 weeks ago.

[Quillback]

AGFC stocked them for a while in some of the lower state community ponds.  The opposite of rainbow trout that die in the warm water.  The tilapia would die when it got cold.

[tjm]

I don't understand wanting to stock invasive species. Carp are an example, brought here by the government because there were no native fish as good to eat,  and no real game fish; now few fish for them and very few will eat them. I think it's wonderful that those things die in cool weather, they belong in Africa.

[Johnsfolly]

I have eaten caught tilapia and enjoyed it. Can't stand farm raised tilapia. I would think that in terms of table fare that there are sufficient species already in MO to warrant not bringing in another one. White bass can certainly match tilapia for size and fight. Won't say that I would be opposed to catching a few of those guys down in Houston 😉

[snagged in outlet 3]

2 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

I have eaten caught tilapia and enjoyed it. Can't stand farm raised tilapia. I would think that in terms of table fare that there are sufficient species already in MO to warrant not bringing in another one. White bass can certainly match tilapia for size and fight. Won't say that I would be opposed to catching a few of those guys down in Houston 😉

Have you caught them for your life list?

[Johnsfolly]

1 hour ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

Have you caught them for your life list?

I have not caught the tilapia that @Toseythecat caught. I believe that those are most likely blue tilapia, which seems to be well populated around Houston. I have caught an unidentified tilapia species down in FL back in the 90's that we kept and ate. I don't have any photos so that must not have happened (and not on the list) 🤔. Only other tilapia species so far were the much smaller spotted tilapia that we caught in West Palm last April. Didn't try to eat those.

 

[FishnDave]

Same.  Spotted Tilapia in FL.  

And also one from Hawaii.  I thought it was a Spotted Tilapia also, but looks different...may be some other kind?  A little research just now suggests the one below is a Redbreast Tilapia (T. rendalli).

[Toseythecat]

I've caught them over 3lbs. Seen some over 5lbs caught. Usually a small red worm is all you need.