Tilapia

Tilapia Flies by 'Graham' @ talkflyfishing

“In South Florida, USA, the spotted tilapia (at least in the eyes of some biologists) has earned the ignominious distinction of not only being a rapidly spreading pest species, but having served as a ready-made argument for the state’s existing desire to introduce an additional exotic fish to the area. The piscivorous South American peacock cichlid, Cichla ocellaris, was introduced in the mid-1980’s, ostensibly in part to control populations of the abundant spotted tilapia. To what extent the peacock cichlid has been successful at controlling spotted tilapia or to what degree it has outperformed the native largemouth bass in this capacity is a matter of some debate. Certainly there are now two exotic fishes where once there was one and an ecological equilibrium between predator and prey appears to have been established. Populations of both introduced species are stable and an additional cichlid has joined the roster of introduced fishes in South Florida.”

Of course, make sure the water source is safe and not waste water, not that seems to matter to some non-fly fishers. Interesting Florida has intro’d Peacock Bass to help manage the Tilapia. I wondered why I was watching shows re fishing for Peacock in the canal. These fish seem akin to perch or bluegills and are supposedly tasty. If they could readily take a fly (can’t be any harder than a Carp) then a 2-3 wt. would be a sporting combo. I thought the flies above by Graham may have some other applications as well.