| Name | Blue Kurper,also known as: Mozambique Tilapia, Blue Tilapia, Blou Kurper |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Oreochromis Mossambicus |
| Description | The Mozambique Tilapia or Blue Kurper can be easily identified, it has medium to large sized scales and the caudal fin has a straight edge. The colour of this tilapia is greyish olive to a deep blue-grey and the edges of the dorsal and caudal fins are dark orange to red. There are also 3 - 5 rows of thin teeth in the front of the mouth. The Blue Tilapia is a freshwater fish with a high tolerance for brackish water. Blue Tilapia are mouthbrooders, and broods range from 160 to 1600 eggs per female. O. aureus is primarily herbivorous, but will occasionally consume zooplankton; the young include small invertebrates in their diet. |
| Weight | The Blue Kurper’s average weight is round about 3.5 kilograms |
| Length | The Blue Kurper can grow up to a lenght of 40 centimetres |
| Habitat | Like basically all Kurper species, they tend to move around in schools of more or less the same size. This may differ due to numbers but when there's plenty of kurper around, you'll find they have sectioned into their different peer groups so to speak. Although you might find them in the open waters as the schools travel past, your best bet is to look for them where they are a little bit more protected. Like next to reeds, for an easy accessible escape, or any vegetation that can provide a certain amount of cover. |
| Fishing Strategy | Most anglers don't try anything else than earthworms as this is most of the time more than sufficient to catch them. You can either use Kariba worms, the smaller red earthworm, or those steel worms you get in your garden, also called Springers. People also have used brown bread and curry. Artlure such as spinners are also effective and other baits include corn pips, dough type baits and other fleshy baits. They are caught with shorter rods than other fish as you'll seldom need anything longer than say, 6- 9 feet. These fish are excellent fighters. |
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