Banded Tilapia
Tilapia sparrmanii
Vlei kurper: the small, striped kurper of weedy dam edges. Often the first fish a child catches, and fun on very light tackle.
Size: Most are about 10–15 cm; the biggest reach about 23 cm and 450 g.
Where: Common across the central, eastern and northern parts of South Africa, including the Limpopo and the northern tributaries of the Orange River, and north into the Zambezi and Okavango. It has been stocked into many dams as food for bass.
How to spot it
A small, deep-bodied kurper with a narrow head and small, strong jaws. It is usually yellowish to olive with 8–9 wide dark bars down the side and red or orange edges on the fins. Mature fish turn very dark with bold black bars and a patch of red scales behind the head.
Varieties and look-alikes
-
Banded Tilapia - Small and yellowish, with 8–9 bold dark bars from back to belly.
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Redbreast Tilapia - Bigger, with fainter bars and a red or pink chest and belly.
What it eats
Eats algae, water plants and fallen leaves, plus insects, insect larvae and tiny fish such as mosquitofish. Young fish feed on small crustaceans and midge larvae.
Where it feeds
- Shallow, weedy edges of dams, vleis and slow rivers
- Among sticks, sunken branches and rocks
- Right against reeds and water plants, seldom far from cover
How to catch it
Use the lightest tackle you have: a short rod, thin line and a size 12–16 hook. A piece of worm under a small bobber, close to the weeds, is hard to beat. On fly, small nymphs on a 0–3 weight rod give great sport. Many bites near cover come to nothing, so keep the bait small and strike as soon as the bobber dips.
| Way of fishing | How well it works |
|---|---|
| Bait on the bottomA sinker holds your bait still on the bottom. | Sometimes |
| Under a bobberA bobber is a small buoy on your line: it holds the bait off the bottom and dips under when a fish bites. | Best |
| Pap, mielies, boilies and floatsSweet baits on the hook (pap, mielies, boilies or floats), with more thrown in around them. | Sometimes |
| Natural or dead baitReal food on the hook: worms, liver, sardine, chokka. | Best |
| Live baitA small live fish or other live creature on the hook. | Not used |
| LuresArtificial baits you cast and reel in: spinners, spoons, plastics. | Sometimes |
| Fly fishingLight artificial flies, cast with a fly rod. | Works well |
Baits and lures that work
- Earthworms
- Crickets, grasshoppers and other insects
- Bread
- Nymphs
- Streamers and baitfish flies
Flavours it likes
Flavour hardly matters; a fresh, wriggling bit of worm or a small insect draws them fastest.
When it bites
Time of day
| Time | Bite |
|---|---|
| Dawn | Good |
| Day | Best |
| Midday | Good |
| Dusk | Best |
| Night | Rarely |
Bites through the day, best from mid-morning to dusk. It handles cool water better than other kurper, so it keeps biting on cooler days.
Best months
- Best: January, February, March, October, November, December
- Good: April, May, September
Best in spring and summer, when males guard nests and attack anything near them. It handles cold better than any other kurper and survives 6–8 °C, but it still slows down in winter.
What affects the bite
| Condition | What it likes | Effect on the bite |
|---|---|---|
| Water temperature | Best at 19–29 °C | High |
| Time of day | Best during the day | Medium |
| Air pressure | Best when steady or falling | Medium |
| Cloud cover | Hardly matters | Low |
| Wind | Best with a light breeze | Medium |
| Rain | Best in dry weather | Medium |
| Water clarity | Hardly matters | Low |
| Moon phase | Hardly matters | Low |
| Spawning | Strikes to guard its nest | Medium |
High means it makes a big difference to whether this fish bites. Low means it hardly matters.
Tips
- Great for children: a bobber, a small hook and a tin of worms is all you need.
- Pinch off a small piece of worm; a whole worm gets nibbled away without a hookup.
- A bit of wind ruffling the water helps when you fish nymphs.
Good to know: Vlei kurper were stocked into many dams as food for bass. Both parents guard the eggs and fry; it is not a true mouthbrooder.
Are they biting today?
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