# Where can I catch tilapia?



## BullyARed

of courses in the lake. What lure or baits one should use? Just want to take my wife to fish this week since I am out for whole week. She is very good at catching crappies and sun fish. Thanks.


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## Sunbeam

PM Meadowlark. He is the tilapia guru on here.


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## GoneFish'n

*Sometime Last Summer*

I remember a series of threads on here about this very subject. I've been thinking about this too, but since the crappie and soon the WB bite, I've been preoccupied with that instead. Maybe we can get Meadowlark and others who know about such stuff to put some information out about the tilapia bite on Lake Conroe. 
GoneFish'n:rybka:
Charlie


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## Jeff G

Me and a few buds have been trying to learn more about them and how to catch them on rod with a bait . I have caught hundreds on rod and reel using worms but only small ones 4-8" long in shallow narrow creeks . 

In the winter , they must be in water warmer than 50 or they will die . So in the winter , you can catch them easier because they bunch up together in the Warmer areas to stay warm . This area could be in a warm water discharge area like on a powerplant lake like fayette or Fairfield . I have seen them bunched up in shallow narrow creeks with a soft mud bottom before when the water in the main lake gets in the low 50's . They bunch up thick and they burry down in the mud . You can cast net them or cast into them ... ("unintentionally" foul hooking them) lol

John3:16 , Matt and I have booked a trip with Jackie Kennedy for the 7-8 of next month . Jackie is going to go show us several good spots and how to catch them on Lake Fairfield .

I would love to hear what Meadowlark has to say . I am sure that he has done much reading and research on them as well as learned much from his hands on knowledge from raising them in his ponds .


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## fishinganimal

Cast net Fayette.


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## yoyo3374

u should try kingwood...all u need is pole and treble hooks


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## Kevin70

Where in Kingwood? There are alot of ponds and lakes in Kingwood.


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## 9121SS

A friend of mine catches them all the time at Gibbons Creek Res. Never really ask him how he was catching them.


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## Meadowlark

Tilapia are in most of the power plant lakes in Texas...and generally they are the blue Tilapia. You can also find them in the bayous and some drainage ditches in the Houston area. Several folks have posted on here about some of those in the Kingwood area that have Tilapia in them.

Also, a lot of fishing ponds have Mozambique Tilapia which are legally stocked in Texas farm ponds. I still have a few surviving in my own ponds in the Livingston area....as well as about 60 to 70 pounds in an indoor facility waiting on the return of spring.

This time of year, I can normally catch them on bright sunny afternoons in shallow water which is close to deep water. The shallow water warms relatively quickly and the Tilapia will seek out the warmest water available. Sometimes it helps to add a little sweetner to induce them, e.g. range cubes which they are very fond of. By getting them in shallow water, you also generally get them away from the bluegills which are much faster to a bait. Worms work great and often you can catch them until you just don't want to catch any more. 

I've had very good success catching Mozambique Tilapia on R&R but haven't had much success catching blue Tilapia...except when fishing with Jackie Kennedy and he can load you down with them using a cast net. 

They can also be caught on jigs, spinners and flies, but not so much so this time of year. The trick in using artificials for them is to get the lure right in front of them, right on their nose....they will not chase it down but will often readily take small jigs(and spinners and flies) vertically presented to them. Again, by chumming an area you can entice them in and then present the jigs or whatever properly to them. 

Great fish, IMO. Fun to catch, and better to eat.


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## CoastalOutfitters

fayette co lake is full of em

about imposs to catch on r&r


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