round gobi invades lake erie

[mellowyellow]

went smallmouth fishing yesterday on lake erie<br />near buffalo. we caught some nice smallies (16"+)<br />but we also caught about 10 round gobi. this fish<br />is not native and may have an adverse effect on<br />the lake's eco-system. we seriously considered<br />killing them, but decided not to and they were<br />released. has anyone been following the invasion<br />of this "introduced" species in the great lakes?<br />am very curiuos how this will effect future fishing here on lake erie.

 

[DaleT]

Re: round gobi invades lake erie

Those things are a menace. If you catch one kill it. In Michigan the DNR asks that no caught gobi is returned to the water. These fish destroy the bedding areas of other small fish as well as eat the eggs. Aways back there was another thread on this if I can find I'll post the link to it.

 

[DaleT]

Re: round gobi invades lake erie

Here's that link the article that is mentioned is pretty good. Gobi Thread

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: round gobi invades lake erie

have been doing some research and it looks bad!<br />they eat bass eggs, but more importantly, Bass<br />eat them. problem comes from the fact that the <br />Gobi eat a lot of Zebra mussles which are filled<br />with PCB's, this will make eating ANY fish from <br />the great lakes hazardous to your health.<br />I'll be killing those little ba$tards next time out!

 

[DaleT]

Re: round gobi invades lake erie

It's sad that these things can and are reaking so much havoc. One would think there would be more restrictions in place to stop the spread of such species. Bu then agin it probably isn't viewed as a major issue to the majority of the non-fishing community.

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: round gobi invades lake erie

turned 40 in june and started fishin the lake at<br />8 or 10 in dad's new chrysler boat. after all those years I had NEVER seen a gobi ever and we<br />catch 10 in a couple hrs? it's been 2 years since<br />I last fished this spot, so it's a big diff. in<br />that short of time. bet this effects bass season in the future! if the males leave the nest gobi's<br />will be eating his eggs fast = less bass in the future!!!!

 

[DaleT]

Re: round gobi invades lake erie

In Michigan there are several lakes where it is illegal to fish for preseason bass. Part of the reason is to protect the nests. Never liked the law much, but I think it will help to stabilize at least the bass population or at least lenghthen the time it takes the gobi to effect them.

 

[jvolpe28]

Re: round gobi invades lake erie

I to went smallie fishing at erie , at conneaut harbour, I now know how bad the goby problem is, it's terrible, we caught over 25 gobys in 1 spot, these egg raiders infested the entire lake!! bad things to come if we dont do something quick...KILL EM ALL i did ....and i took pics of the dead goby's, smallies, even zebra mussels look here http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1013619&uid=624560&members=1

 

[Fisnfool]

Re: round gobi invades lake erie

Just thought I would update this old post.

It has now been determined that about 70% of a smallmouth's diet is gobys.

Lure makers are now making soft plastic lures to imitate gobys.

From a Berkley ad:

The goby has fast become a favorite forage for bass in many lakes and rivers throughout the country. Berkley scientist have worked hard to develop a bait that will meet the demands that anglers have when gobys are a food source. The 4" Gulp Goby is the size and shape of the real thing and with the Gulp scent captured in every bait, it is simply irresistible to bass. The soft natural texture of the Berkley Goby helps insure that the fish will hold onto the baits longer when battling rough water situations. The 4" Gulp Goby can be effectively fished by nose hooking them on a dropshot rig or on a jighead. When gobys are part of the food chain you better have the 4" Gulp Goby as part of your arsenal.

 

[rolmops]

Re: round gobi invades lake erie

Gobi are a problem when you fish in water up to 20 feet deep.They do not like it any deeper.Bass nests that are in the 30 foot depth area remain untouched by gobis.
Brown trout simply love gobi.
The way to use gobi bait is by imitating them.They have no swim bladder and they are very poor swimmers.They sort of jump off the bottom and do not often go higher that a foot above the bottom.So lower your bait to the bottom and jig it to about a foot above and let it sink again.