Don't kill the gobbies!!

[SLIPKNOT]

If you have fished the great lakes you know there are lots of gobbies out there. Well when i caught one this weekend, i cut open its stomach, and found about 20 zebra muscles in it. i didn't know they ate zebras, and if they did i wouldn't have killed that one. So the next time you catch one, let it go!

[waterbite]

I understand your reasoning but this is not a good idea. First, the state recommends not throwing Gobies back but killing them. Keep in mind they are a invader species not native to this lake. Second, the full impact on the Walleye and Smallmouth is not fully understood. The demise of walleye fishing in the central basin may be due to thier voracious appetite for eggs and small frey. There have been studies where Gobies totally desimate a Smallmouth nest while the male is guarding the eggs. The sheer number of them in such a short time should alert you to the danger of thier presence. Please rethink your position.

[Charlie909]

Do you remember in the early 1990 how great the walleye fishing was,just about that time the first gobies were found around the grand river.Since then i like many others feel that these ------ have taken a large toll on the walleye fry.I to have seen the film showing the gobies on a reef off of cleveland attacking a small mouth nest. In lest then a minute all the fry were eaten.I'm sure if they do this to small mouth,they do it to walleye.
I myself believe the gobies have been the biggest reason the walleye population is down.It cant be just years and years of bad hatches.

Charlie909

[Airwave(OH)]

YES by all means kill them. It has been documented by various groups that in the time you catch one smallmouth and release it(providing you are fishing while they are on there beds) a goby will almost wipe out the entire bed of eggs. They are vorocious eaters. The Zebra 's have seem to of stabilized to a point where they are doing more good than bad. Time will tell on that. Now about those cormorants!!! It's always something..

[JVOLPE28]

cormorants ? SHOULD I ASK?

[Airwave(OH)]

The Double Breasted Cormorant. It is a migratory diving bird that feeds on small fry. If this comes up it'll answer all questions. http://migratorybirds.fws.gov/issues/cormorant/greatlakes_q&a.htm If it doesn't I found it by typing cormorant in Yahoo

[BIG AL]

In Michigan, the DNR requires that you kill all gobies caught.As far as cormorants, they need to have an open season on those flying rats!><> ><> ><>

[Jake]

With the way the walleye fishing is (OR ISN"T) the only fish we will have left to catch are gobbies.

[Mnwalleye]

I have seen pictures of commerants that had walleyes weighing as much as 2 lbs in there gullets. I say we wipe them out.

[bubba k]

FINALLY another guy that has read the data that I have read!!! YES, the gobies are bad and they will, and do, wipe out smallmouth nests so they must also have a negative impact on the walleye population. I don't know about you guys, but I'm a huge advicate of closed seasons during the spawn. I never was in past years but, since reading the data about the gobies invading nests, I am now. We may release any and all females full of eggs but the real impact comes when we catch the agressive male that is guarding the nest. That's what most guys don't realize!!!! And the second that the male is taken off the nest, even if you release it, the fish will not return to guard the same nest. The only thing that can be done is a closed season for spawning fish considering there's no way to eliminate the gobie population. I have read various articles that talk about how all species of fish BOOM when initially introduced to a body of water that they can easily adapt to and then they eventually balance themselves out. This may happen with the gobies the same way it did with the white perch. I can remember catching white perch every other cast when they were initially introduced and now I may catch 1-2 an outing.

[Airwave(OH)]

I can agree with what you saying, it's your opinion BUT a fish taking off it's nest will and does return to it. This has been video taped and documented on the Smallmouth /Gobie situation many times. But the Gobies can & do great damage in the 2-4 minutes it take for the release and the return to take place. I myself do not run Smallmouth Charters in the spring. Even if they are C & R.

[Tim FRick]

I agreee with the smallmouth situation and it is a great possiablty that there doing the same to the walleye. The one good thing about the walleye are the fact there nest is spread out over an area not in a tight nest like smallmouth. The bad thing is nobody is guarding the egges. I think the gobie population is close to balancing out. We used to catch a gobie for every perch off cleveland, sometimes we would only catch gobies. But know you catch them once in awhile. Also when I went sknokeling off cleveland I didn't see as many. How come we can't get a good invader from over seas, like a fresh water tuna or cod!
Good Luck!!
Tim FRick

[bubba k]

You may be right but I have read and been told that the majority of males don't return to the nest because the stress of the fight and relocation of the fish mentally reprograms them to start the fertilization process over again whether they are capable or not. Thanks for the response. I'm trying to gain as much info on the subject as possible.

[Cangl]

Big Al now I've been using your defintion of flying rats as being seagulls, at least that's the term and laugh you gave me last year. I went many years with out ever catching a goby. But fishing single eggs on the St Joseph peir, eat eggs? Hint hint!!! They also pull your stuff into the riprap crevices. Kill them!! I used one for bait that day and they don't hold a candle to an alewive either.

[BIG AL]

Cangl, the cormorants are in the "flying rat" family too, only they consume live fish and are black in color, there are usually a bunch hanging out on the #1 marker in Lake St. Clair and within 12ga. range....><> ><> ><>

[rdchoke]

Tim have you ever had a burbot? Distant relative of cod. They have been catching them in the winter. We caught some in canada and they are ugly,,,, but tasty.

[gaspergoo]

Another reason to kill them, not like it will have an impact, is that they pass contaminants up the food chain. Gobies eat the zebras(loaded with PCB's, etc) and the gobies get eaten by walleyes and smallies.

[Nothingfishy]

Flying Rats............filed that one away.

I've noticed that the Flying Rats in the Ashtabula area of Erie, is not what it used to be??? Good.

Gobies in this same area........This was just two short years ago, the Smallmouth fishing was awesome, now, deminishing. Sad!!
Kill the Goby, before they take over completely. Why is the DNR, not getting this out to everyone. Signs, at ramps, baitshops, boat dealers, etc. Waiting till they enter the Ohio River, and inland lakes, and rivers like the zebra muscle did, and we'll all be taking up bowling, instead of fishing.

Do your part, kill em..............Stan



I support P.E.T.A.
People Eating Tasty Animals

[Airwave(OH)]

If anyone would like to see some of the devastation the Cormorants can do ,take a ride pass Middle Island sometime. It is now COVERED with em, the island is mostly white and the trees are dying big time. There are literally thousands of em there. You could not throw a rock without hitting a few.:) There damage below the surface is much worse.

[jvolpe28]

check out these goby photo's http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1013619&uid=624560&members=1