Tilapia

[chizzle]

Found this washed up by the shore in Boulder Harbor a couple weeks back. Forgot to share.
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[chizzle]

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[WalePescado]

I've never fished Mead. Wait...I haven't fished at all since moving to Nevada 2 years ago. I WILL get back into the game soon though as it was my passion until leaving CA. I love crappie fishing and while I've read about black crappie being in Lake Mead, I've yet to see a picture/read a report of one caught in the last 5+ years. Maybe these tilapia would suffice until I venture further north in the state or into UT/AZ.

The only tilapia I've seen are whole, fresh frozen in the grocery store but that appears to be a nice size model.
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[gnelson651]

Crappie fishing is best at Overton Arm. You can't get to it by car anymore since they closed the road to the beach/boat docks. The boat docks have been long none for about 10 yrs.

Now that the water is rising, Overton Arm would be a good area to fish. If you have a boat, you'd probably launch at Calville Bay then go up through the Overton Arm.

If you want to find white crappie, Echo Canyon Reservoir near Pioche is good. The crappie hang out by the rock dam and can be caught on jigs. There are also reservoirs in Northern Nevada that have crappie. Check the NDOW website for more information.
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[WalePescado]

Thanks for the info. I don't have a boat (that would be a loooong kick in the float tube to Overton) but I'm glad to hear about Echo Canyon crappie from a source other than the NDOW website.
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[Paulpro]

Hey there, its the Blue Tilapia species,they are really spooky,only way to get them I hear is live worm on the bottom,moving it slowly?I've got them well over 3lb,and one just under.Record is around 10,I've seen albinos of them at one lake around here.Thats the good thing about my boat,I can explore.One time I threw the castnet and got a big one,it was a surprise catch,and two gar![inline "blue tilapia.JPG"]Took all day to just catch two,live worm on bottom,near the bank just sitting.If you see them in an area,just wait for them to come back,leave your bait there and hide out till they come back,they will take the worm,buddy caught one on a plastic worm once,seen it "stick worm 6"" forgot the color,Fish are strong like you can't believe.
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[lvfishingdude]

why launch at Caville when you can launch out of Echo Bay?
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[TheWhizzle]

7 or 8 years ago I was in Govt Wash in an inflatable kayak with a hawaiian sling spearing tilapia up to 4lbs in the shallows. They were spawning and, I think, it's the males that turn red during the spawn. Easy to spot, and like Paulpro said, very spooky, but they come back to the area after a minute. I see lots of schools of small hand-sized tilapia when I'm bass fishing now, and I've seen bigger 2+ pounders bedding up for the spawn in Boulder Harbor before. Lake Mead's got quite a population of em now.

I read that you can catch them on frozen peas on tiny hooks. Never tried it myself.
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[gnelson651]

[quote lvfishingdude]why launch at Caville when you can launch out of Echo Bay?[/quote]


True, I mixed up boat lanuches and thought Calville was closer.

My bad [:p]

Even better would be Stewart's Point with the water rising there may be a boat launch point now. But I don't trust the roads without a 4-wheel drive...too easy to get stuck in the sandy soil there.
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[wolfs4evr]

I am thining they are debating about opening the Overton ramp/facility. The water is high enough. I was up there 3-4 weekends ago and a dock has been placed on the ramp just like all the other ramps on Mead. I figured in preparation of it opening. Haven't heard anything though.
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[lvfishingdude]

there is a lot of speculation about them opening it up again... the big issue is them having to open the water treatment facility up there again which costs some money.
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[Undurtow]

I've caught some small ones in my cast net in the wash before.
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[pmunson]

Just curious has anyone ever tried to catch them useing bread?
We used to catch them back home in Hawaii useing bread off the bottom with a bamboo pole or under a bobber if they were out farther. we used to have a lot of fun. Maybe I'll givet a shot.
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[Paulpro]

Hi,I guess its what they are accustomed to.Tilapia here are wild not in any conservancies,but if they like bread ,go for it!,just make sure you share with us,I've never seen one take bread here,and the small ones I've caught with a net accidentally,raised them too,"very agressive in fishtanks" Go get them! They keep their babies in their mouth like cichlids,I got a big one with a castnet and she spit out the babies in the bucket.I raised them to an inch,let them go again[],ate the parents[sly] [#ff0000]P.S[/#ff0000].here are a couple of fish from S.Fl I've caught with my net and had as pets,also they make huge beds in the shallows but spook off easilly.
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[pmunson]

Thats pretty cool about the mama Tilapia I've never seen that my self but then Ive only caught the adults on hook and line.Be pretty hard for a mama to hold her babies and eat at the same time[]. I agree that they are fun to raise in tanks and the plus side is they are easier to raise than gold fish.
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[BaySport]

Seems like anyone who tosses a net for shad ends up with a few Tilapia[inline 100_3326.jpg]

Tilapia in the bait tank!

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Tilapia in the hand! This represents about the average size that seems to end up in the net.
BaySport
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[TheWhizzle]

Have you ever caught anything using them as bait?
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[BaySport]

The only thing I've ever done with tilapia is put them in a pan.
BaySport
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