The Bad Tasting Tilapia

There are many species of tilapia, but the one that is in the South Florida canals is the spotted tilapia.  Unlike the blue tilapia, which is eaten by many and considered a delicious fish, the spotted tilapia is less so.  But this fish is still a good fighter and can reach up to large sizes around 16".  These fish are good bait fish for bass at small sizes around 2"-3".  

These fish have black and yellowish stripes at a young age, but as they mature, these fish develop a darker coloration with 3 large spots across the lateral line of the fish.  The females also sometimes have red bellies while preparing to spawn or as they spawn.  The females can reach sizes of around 10" and males can reach 16", sometimes even larger.  

In order to catch this fish for bait, a bait trap or cast net can be used effectively.  Peacock and Largemouth Bass both go crazy for a small tilapia and will swallow it while trolling, free-lining, or drop-shotting.

To catch these fish at a large size, you must use bread, worms, or other small baits.  These fish are very fun and are easy to catch once a school has come to feed.  

When these fish spawn, they are extremely easy to catch and are one of the most aggressive species of fish when they protect their fry.  They can also spawn at very small sizes, sometimes only 4".  When it's mating season, these fish are everywhere because they can breed at a very large range of sizes.  

Overall, these fish are lots of fun to catch, even though they are bad tasting fish.  They are a not often sought out fish in the canals and are more often used as bait.