Round Goby caught in Irondequoit Bay

[rgfixit]

WNY, Yep...that's like the little bugger I caught....Voracious creatures for sure.
RG

[fastribs85]

i guess there is no way to get rid of them then i guess only to kill them and hope it puts a dent in the poulation when you catch them

[OTIS]

Whatever it was that I caught we killed it.

[minnow]

I was out for perch in lake erie 2 weeks ago and caught 'bout 20 gobies within an hour, between 3 of us.

Went to a new spot and kept the bait up off the bottom...seemed to help.
When i ran out of minnows and switched to worms the darn things were back again.

It was unreal....... there were so many.

[fastribs85]

hey ill come out just to catch them if there that easy and ill just start killin some of them

[missfishylicious]

wow it does look a lot like a sculpin, but sculpins are more mottled lighter browns and live in well oxygenated river waters.I caught one in the Mohawk river and brought it into the hatchery for an ID. some of the younger guys thought it was a gobbie, but the more experienced guys new what it was. there in the hatchery all the time.

[Mackdaddy21]

I really don't think their is much to worry about. For the most part, the "invasive nonnative species" thing is just another arrow in the quiver of environmentalists. Not to say that invasive species can't cause problems, they do in some instances. The zebra mussel was much feared when it first appeared and some fisheries scientists thought it would end fishing as we know it. Low and behold, they cleared up water and filtered out toxins, creating much better fish habitat in the great lakes, especially for smallmouth bass and walleye.
Invasive species can cause problems. But generally they do not. I wouldn't worry about it. The worry of invasive fish has been overblown by environmentalists seeking another reason to help hurt sport fishing.


Tyler

[rgfixit]

Mac,
 I really haven't seen anything from the environmentalists concerning Gobies. All the information I find is either from Biologists or  fisheries management people.

RG

[Mackdaddy21]

Rgfixit,

I'm not aware of what fisheries managers say about Gobies? Do they overpopulate and harm nesting gamefish or something? I have experience with white suckers taking over some lakes to the point where trout and other predators, even pike, can't control them. Suckers are probably the worst invasive species around here.
However I will say, at least around here, fisheries managers overblow the presence of non natives. Most of the fisheries managers around here ARE environmentalists. They wish to have a Colorado River devoid of all gamefish so they can foolishy attempt to bring back suckers and chubs that are basically extinct. The presence of these non native gamefish in our Colorado River basin has little or nothing to do with their demise. The flows of the Colorado River are severely low for this time of year, about 4,000 cfs compaired to the normal 8,000 cfs. The endangered fish are gone because dams block their spawning runs and make water too cold, and irrigation diversions deplete water out of the river. The Colorado River used to average 50,000 cfs at it's mouth in Mexico, second only on the North American Continent to the Columbia (200,000 cfs) and the Mississippi (237,000 cfs). Now, average flows into the ocean are 0 - 2,000 cfs due to Imperial Valley's All american Canal.
Not to mention the fact that the US Fish and Widlife poisoned nearly all the now endangered fish in the 60's to make way for trout, bass, catfish, pike, and other gamefish. The habitat loss and poisonings are the reason for the native's demise. Our gamefish are simply a scapegoat. This is the reason I am very skepical of hearing of how a non native fish can harm a fishery.
Don't get me wrong, I know they can and often do harm fisheries. I wouldn't want those little devils in my lake or river. You never know what they are capable of.

Tyler

[rgfixit]

Tyler,
 Here's a link to some info on these little devils.
http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/flora-fauna/invasive/goby.html#overview

Bob

[missfishylicious]

I don't know about the picture they have on that site for the ID of the round goby, it looks like the slimy sculpin to me what do you guys think http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/fishspecs/preytext.html the best way to tell is to look at the bottum /pelvic fin it's fused in the goby.its hard to tell but the fin in WNY fishers pic it looks fused yet his fish looks nothing like the pic on the site

[wny angler]

I really don't think their is much to worry about. For the most part, the "invasive nonnative species" thing is just another arrow in the quiver of environmentalists. Not to say that invasive species can't cause problems, they do in some instances. The zebra mussel was much feared when it first appeared and some fisheries scientists thought it would end fishing as we know it. Low and behold, they cleared up water and filtered out toxins, creating much better fish habitat in the great lakes, especially for smallmouth bass and walleye.
Invasive species can cause problems. But generally they do not. I wouldn't worry about it. The worry of invasive fish has been overblown by environmentalists seeking another reason to help hurt sport fishing.


Tyler

i dont know if theres much to worry about  like the gobys spreading toxins to the fish that feed on them or that they may feed on perch,walleye and bass fry or  outcompete young perch for forage but i do know they are a nuisance (bait thieves) and theyre everywhere

the round gobys from lake erie like the one i photoghaphed look a bit different than the one on that site posted but im positively sure thats a goby i caught

[missfishylicious]

I agree wny I think the fish on the site is wrong

[TroutFishingBear]

Hmmm. it sounds like you guys are having some potential problems. Normally, I'd say you'd be fine since the goby are small, but I heard from someone they spawn 5 times a year...talk about prolific. I know the white sucker has ruined almost all of the lakes on the grand mesa, near my home,because they are so prolific and can outcompete mountain trout which grow much slower than river ones.  besides for the brook trout lakes, nearly 100% of the lakes are ruined because the trout are not prolific like the suckers.
But I think prolific fish like smallmouth bass will always be okay because they will always be able to compete and even outcompete the goby. SO, IMO, if your a smallmouth bass fisherman you shouldn't have to much to fear. Just remember when you catch a round goby, kill it.

[Jigwiggler]

I would think that the smallmouth in Ontario would be feasting on those Gobys.