Terrorising the Tilapia

[S4T4N]

I've just moved to Brisbane and noticed few smaller ponds and creeks around my area ( Boronia heights) they seem to only hold eels, gambusia and Tilapia. I was thinking about doing a major Tilapia clean out of the system for a bit of fun, thinking 2kg spin stick and either small surface lures or corn for bait. any tips on catching the little buggers would be helpful, and if anyone wants to join in, a little competition might be able to be arranged =Þ have to use photos and bragmats tho for proof due to the silly laws stopping most people from targetting them. damn tasty fish if you ever try them.

[rosstralia46]

dont think its illegal to target them but i live just down the road at regents park i have caught heaps of them on bread and worms under a float

[S4T4N]

not illegal to target them, just to take them home to eat =( but that rule makes it illegal to hold a Tilapia contest as you couldn't take the fish to a weigh in, i would have thought a contest might decimate the numbers a bit.

If your in regents park, have you ever tried fishing scrubby creek?... any ideas for areas to fish would be useful for me as im kinda lost at the mo on where to go

[rosstralia46]

yer mate thats the place i fish i will do up a google map thing showing where i fish i have a number of different spots and catch carp mullet tilapia eels and unfortunately turtles

[rosstralia46]

here we go theres a few other spots along there to there is a pond near berrinba wetlands which is pre good too

[S4T4N]

yeah found a little hole full of mullet and something about 1 - 1 1/2 feet long with a red tail, might be a monster tilapia or a carp, but it was attacking small mullet on the surface... Im gonna catch it =Þ

its in a hole near indica crescent, the only place you can get to the creek easily in that part

I was wondering about the bigger ponds down by Wayne Goss Drive, they look kinda fishy to me, and I can get to them easy by bike, bout 6 km from my place with only one hill in between

Saw about 6 tilapia over 20cm under the foot bridge near Waller park, plus theres about 5 or so in a stormwater pond behind the park ( nice clear water so they a bit spooky, and full of trolleys =P

[rosstralia46]

yer mate have fished all round these areas around regents park and have caught heaps of tilapia and carp the thing with a red tail probably a carp id say maybe dunno about hitting mullet though might be a tilapia the biggest tilapia iv caught was a 40 odd one near the athletics park good luck and we will hav to catch up fo a fish one time.

[S4T4N]

I tried targetting carp at the waller street bike bridge yesterday, hooked and lost one, but found a heap of good spots

need to learn how to carp fish properly, if your keen for a mission along the bikeway here gimme a time and i'll see what i can do. carp up to 50cm down under the bridge, a couple with 6lb line and hooks stuck in them.

[rosstralia46]

alright mate no problem if u look at one of my other reports beats work ill see if i can find it ill show you some of the carp i found in my other spots

[rosstralia46]

http://www.australianfishing.com.au/component/kunena/10-all-brisbane-rivers-and-creeks-reports/296859-beats-work#296928

[S4T4N]

might have a pop tonite, hopefully get sum pics for you

[crazywalrus]

hi - I found an un weighted worm the best to catch Tilapia. I let them run with for a metre or 2 and then strike. If i can see them I will slowly drag the worm past them and when the run with it I let them have it for a bit. good luck - and I agree they are good to eat.

[51MPL]

I've used bread to catch all my tillies

[rosstralia46]

hi - I found an un weighted worm the best to catch Tilapia. I let them run with for a metre or 2 and then strike. If i can see them I will slowly drag the worm past them and when the run with it I let them have it for a bit. good luck - and I agree they are good to eat.

yer i use that tactic alot and/or bread also works well

[waldo]

Never ever fished for them myself but good on you guys for thinning them out. Read a while back they are apparently they are the 6 th most eaten fish in the USA so can't be too bad on the chew. I'm sure if fisheries were asked they wouldn't mind about a tilapia comp so long as the fish were eventually destroyed one way or the other.

[S4T4N]

damn flat tyres, cant go tonite, will try in morning tho, if anyone keen to do a bit 4 the environment im going to be under the foot bridge near waller park around 9am ish

by the way, saw a couple of fishy looking puddles behind heritage park today when i woz on the bus, does anyone know about them?

[rosstralia46]

yer mate will hopefully see you down there if i wake up in time umm those puddles if there near browns plains road they are a bit shallow it think and what are u using for bait

[thriller]

Managed my first ever Tilapia. Both went around 40cm. They were caught on atomic hards in the 38 chubby. Great little lures! Tight lines.

[rosstralia46]

yer i catch mine on bread and worms they go hard to but my 40cm+ one didnt seem to go so hard :S

[S4T4N]

gonna have to make it after 11am, gotta drop the missus off

woz just gonna steal a few slices of bread, haven't had chance to start worm farm yet,

was meaning the ponds off green rd, near blue wren place, google earth shows a bigger pond a bit back from the rd, might be worth asking land owners about it.

[rosstralia46]

might not be able to make it what about an afternoon session?

[S4T4N]

kewl, how about sumtime between 3 and 6pm?

[rosstralia46]

yep sounds good mate be there around 3 30 4

[S4T4N]

see ya there,

gonna go buy a telescopic tilapia rod for $8 at dollars and sense =P

will look kinda funny with a $150 reel on it, but my good spinning rod lost a couple of eyes when i moved =(

at least a telescopic will fit in my backpack

[rosstralia46]

yer mate i take a telescopic and another rod and ride my bike have been doing it for years so am use to it now

[S4T4N]

as promised, here are some pictures

yes, thats where the Tilapia were breeding, it was full of babies

A little too hasty trying to get from spotting point to ground to net fish