How To Catch Tilapia: Tips And Ways To Have A Successful Catch

If you love fishing, then you must be wondering about catching Tilapia for sure. But the question of how to catch Tilapia is not so easy to answer. First of all, you must understand that where can you find Tilapia. Tilapia is a pretty slow moving fish, and they are found in shallow waters.

So, if you are an angler and love to catch fishes, then Tilapia is a challenge. Like other fishes, Tilapia is not so easy to fish. They are shy, and they prefer to live in Shallow waters, and this is why its hard to catch them.

Catching Tilapia fishes during the spawning season is the best. The chances of catching them are pretty high, and you can easily get them. But apart from Spawning season, you are going to face a tough time.

Tilapia is mostly caught by fishermen using the nets as they are not easy to catch through angling. So, if you are trying to catch Tilapia through angling, then it would take patience and some real skills.

What Will You Need to Catch Tilapia

Lures and baits – If you are keen on catching Tilapia then forget the artificial lures or baits. The best thing for catching them is to use natural substances like Earthworms, Nightcrawlers or Bread. This thing will make sure that you are getting their attention.

ROD

Entsport 2-Piece Casting Rod Graphite Portable Baitcast Rod

Now, in general when you are fishing for other fishes, it's good to carry a heavy weight rod, but that's not the case with Tilapia. The rod must be light weight weighing 10-12 lbs. Fishing rods as an integral part of a fishing trip, you should choose a good fishing rod for your trip

REELS

Penn Battle II Spinning Reel

All you need is the thinnest Reel to make sure that it helps in catching the fish. Thick reels are not preferred in fishing Tilapia.

A Can of Cheese

Well, if you prefer a live bait, then you can cover it up with Cheese, and it will attract more Tilapia fished towards the hook. Even it works with Bread.

TACKLE

Colors Chatterbait

The most important things to remember is to use a tiny Tackle for catching Tilapia fish. They have good eyesight, and they are pretty shy, so using a tiny tackle will easily trap them. Learn more about technique how to tie a chatterbait.

Steps for Catching Tilapia fish

Step 1: Choosing the location

One of the most important things in catching Tilapia is the location. As we know that Tilapia is shy, so getting too close will alert them. Fishing along the shoreline is the best spot for catching them.

A slow boat trolling will also be quite useful. So, make sure that you are too close to their spawning area, or you are not going to catch even a single fish.

Step 2: Hooking the Lure

As you are going to be using a tiny tackle, and a tiny hook, make sure that you are hooking the lure in a such a way that the hook is exposed. If the hook is not exposed properly, then Tilapia will eat up the lure without getting trapped.

The best way is to insert the hook right through the middle of the lure so that it won't be easy to eat for Tilapia.

Step 3: Casting at the right place

So, now that you have hooked on the lure, it's time to cast for catching Tilapia. Casting near the shoreline where lots of rock structure or dead branches are present will yield better results. You can also use a rubber float to mark down your location.

After few casts, if that location is not producing enough results, then simply move on to others spots.

Step 4: Experiment with Baits

If you are not getting many results with Nightcrawlers, then try to use earthworms. Try to make the baits as tasty as possible. Put some Cheese around the bread and use it as bait. Tilapia fishes love delicious food so that this bait will grab their attention.

Make sure that you try not to loose the bait too often. If you think that your bait is getting eaten by Tilapia without getting trapped, then you must re-hook the bait properly.

Step 5: Using Bread Balls

Not many people know this, but if you are making bread balls, then that will hold better under water. For more durability, you can Freeze the bread ball just before the day of fishing. If you think that this will make it hard for the hook to penetrate through the ball, then you are wrong.

A hook can easily penetrate through the bread ball without many efforts. Feezed Bread balls are big and help a lot in catching Tilapia

Step 6: Using the Artificial Lures

You can also use artificial lure such as like Crankbaits that have a meta kind of lip on the front. This can be deadly for the Tilapia Fishes, and quite useful for catching them. Make sure that you are casting with safety and precision.

Step 7: Handle with Care

While making the strike, make sure that you do it gently. Tilapia have a tiny mouth, and the hook can tear off from that. So, while making the strike, make sure that you are doing it gently. Rough handling can cost you.

Conclusion

Catching Tilapia is a great deal because not many people can do it during the odd season. But during the Spawning season, you can catch them by following the steps mentioned above.

After you catch them, don't just put them back in the water. It's best that you cook it up and eat. People say that it tastes amazing, and chefs are quite crazy about making new dishes using Tilapia. So, you can also sell them if you want to, but eating them would be better.