Goby - Food vs Predator 2024
Boone12 reply :
Guys
Here's what makes our Smallies Big 
on Erie and St Clair but also eats our smallies eggs and fry >
.. Found this good picture of a Goby - Thought I would share ....
Boone
roadwarrior reply :
Besides the nutritional value, the goby's habitat
has made smallmouth fishing so much easier.
Instead of chasing baitballs in open water, our
little brown friends now spend most of their time
on structure which we can find!
8-)
Crestliner2008 reply :
Yummmmmy! 
TimJ reply :
before the gobies were made illegal to possess in Ontario, I would take my sons fishing at the Detroit River and catch a few dozen or more gobies the night before going for SM on StClair. we used the gobies on c-rigs and the SM killed them...no light hitting...they just KILLED them!
TJ
farmpond1 reply :
I read part of an In-fisherman article on the goby and the Great Lakes smallmouth population but I can't recall-are the goby's providing great food for the established smallmouth population but decimating smallmouth recruitment? In other words, Are the remaining smallmouth getting big and fat but once they are gone, there won't be any to replace them? Hope not. (Not that I ever get to fish the great lakes)
SWMIBASSER reply :
Quotebefore the gobies were made illegal to possess in Ontario, I would take my sons fishing at the Detroit River and catch a few dozen or more gobies the night before going for SM on StClair. we used the gobies on c-rigs and the SM killed them...no light hitting...they just KILLED them!TJ
Sorry to be brash but that is flat out irresponsible.
"Sportsmen" need to take management issues more seriously and not just view them as an inconvenience.
Many management problems could have been prevented by responsible actions or sportsmen.
Sure smallmouth are getting big eating them. But what about the population of other fish, and other forage.
Great Lakes Salmon are a great example of the necessity to have a variety of forage. After years of gorging on Alewives biologists are finding the single protein diet is sterilizing salmon.
Dwight Hottle reply :
Interesting article in the infisherman online about gobies & the impact on the great lakes smallmouth fisherie. The article is State of the smallmouth written by Rich Zaleski. From page three " Noted Lake Erie angler Jeff Hahn has found a pronounced shift in that lake's smallmouth population over the past decade. While smallies in the 4- to 5-pound class seem to be increasing, the numbers of young fish are falling. Many folks, including some fishery biologists, lay the blame for declines in young fish on the proliferation of the goby, he says.
While gobies have become the main diet of Lake Erie smallies, they also raid the nests of spawning fish, resulting in a population of fewer but larger fish. Years ago, a good catch in the two weeks before the spawn might have included 100 fish with an average size close to 3 pounds. The best days now may produce 35 to 40 fish. The average size of a culled limit now borders on or exceeds 4 pounds, with a few fish over 5 and frequently a 6-pounder or two. While this appears to be trading quantity for quality, the reality is that that smaller fish are much fewer and farther between.
Those not familiar with Lake Erie see that it still takes 5 fish over 20 pounds to win a one-day tournament and figure the lake's smallmouth population is in great shape. But many Erie anglers and fishery personnel are concerned about what appears to be a significant reduction in the recruitment of smallmouth. When those big fish die off, says Hahn, what will be left?
"
Boone12 reply :
Dwight
I have read the article and it is very good ... As you mentioned the story focus and up and coming growth of the smallies which the gobies are hurting the smaller fry etc .. If anyone reading this hasnt read the Article in In Fishermen ..Its a good one .. Once Again - Food vs Predator ..
Boone
A-Rob reply :
I will accidently catch these little guys while bass fishing. They are an invasive species, and in ontario you cannot possess them, furthermore you can't release them alive legally either. I usually just cut their head off and toss them back in for smallmouth food.
I'm worried about those asian carp that jump all over the place. I won't like driving my boat much with those things.
A-Rob reply :
QuoteQuotebefore the gobies were made illegal to possess in Ontario, I would take my sons fishing at the Detroit River and catch a few dozen or more gobies the night before going for SM on StClair. we used the gobies on c-rigs and the SM killed them...no light hitting...they just KILLED them!TJ
Sorry to be brash but that is flat out irresponsible.
"Sportsmen" need to take management issues more seriously and not just view them as an inconvenience.
Many management problems could have been prevented by responsible actions or sportsmen.
Sure smallmouth are getting big eating them. But what about the population of other fish, and other forage.
Great Lakes Salmon are a great example of the necessity to have a variety of forage. After years of gorging on Alewives biologists are finding the single protein diet is sterilizing salmon.
You are pointing out his mistake using hindsight. Our fishing and hunting is based on the rules and laws. There are certain minnows now that you can't use as live bait. You cannot criticize your grandfather for using them before they were endangered. Or you used to be able to harvest 6 smallies on my lake, they changed it to 3. Things change, so the fisherman changed.
I agree that it is irresponsible to use them NOW. But don't criticize based on knowledge that has been released after his actions, which were at the time legitimate. In fact, those gobies he caught he said the smallmouth killed them, so he actually killed a few for us before the regulation was passed.
I agree with everything you said, except for you quoting and calling out TJ.
SWMIBASSER reply :
QuoteQuoteQuotebefore the gobies were made illegal to possess in Ontario, I would take my sons fishing at the Detroit River and catch a few dozen or more gobies the night before going for SM on StClair. we used the gobies on c-rigs and the SM killed them...no light hitting...they just KILLED them!TJ
Sorry to be brash but that is flat out irresponsible.
"Sportsmen" need to take management issues more seriously and not just view them as an inconvenience.
Many management problems could have been prevented by responsible actions or sportsmen.
Sure smallmouth are getting big eating them. But what about the population of other fish, and other forage.
Great Lakes Salmon are a great example of the necessity to have a variety of forage. After years of gorging on Alewives biologists are finding the single protein diet is sterilizing salmon.
You are pointing out his mistake using hindsight. Our fishing and hunting is based on the rules and laws. There are certain minnows now that you can't use as live bait. You cannot criticize your grandfather for using them before they were endangered. Or you used to be able to harvest 6 smallies on my lake, they changed it to 3. Things change, so the fisherman changed.
I agree that it is irresponsible to use them NOW. But don't criticize based on knowledge that has been released after his actions, which were at the time legitimate. In fact, those gobies he caught he said the smallmouth killed them, so he actually killed a few for us before the regulation was passed.
I agree with everything you said, except for you quoting and calling out TJ.
You are probably right.
But 'WE' still have to take charge of our resource, and not sit on our hands until someone tells us to do otherwise.
In my opinion.
TimJ reply :
Adam-thanks for backing me up there. As you and I stated, this was before the goby was illegal to possess although I don't see it as a mistake. There were/are millions of them in the Detroit River. They couldn't be cleared out of the Detroit River if you tried! then and now.
SWIM-thanks for acknowledging Adam and myself. We used some for bait but, believe me, we killed a ton. And if you are worried that this was irresponsible to move them, we are talking about catching at the mouth of the Detroit and using in adjoining StClair about 3-4 miles away. I NEVER transported gobies to other waters at any time. I was aware of the damage that could be done. They were already in StClair and in the areas that we fished...used to catch them on my hopkins.
TJ
SWMIBASSER reply :
QuoteAdam-thanks for backing me up there. As you and I stated, this was before the goby was illegal to possess although I don't see it as a mistake. There were/are millions of them in the Detroit River. They couldn't be cleared out of the Detroit River if you tried! then and now.SWIM-thanks for acknowledging Adam and myself. We used some for bait but, believe me, we killed a ton. And if you are worried that this was irresponsible to move them, we are talking about catching at the mouth of the Detroit and using in adjoining StClair about 3-4 miles away. I NEVER transported gobies to other waters at any time. I was aware of the damage that could be done. They were already in StClair and in the areas that we fished...used to catch them on my hopkins.
TJ
I apologize... When I think Canada I just think 8 hour north... 
RoLo reply :
QuoteInteresting article in the infisherman online about gobies & the impact on the great lakes smallmouth fisherie. The article is State of the smallmouth written by Rich Zaleski. From page three " Noted Lake Erie angler Jeff Hahn has found a pronounced shift in that lake's smallmouth population over the past decade. While smallies in the 4- to 5-pound class seem to be increasing, the numbers of young fish are falling. Many folks, including some fishery biologists, lay the blame for declines in young fish on the proliferation of the goby, he says.While gobies have become the main diet of Lake Erie smallies, they also raid the nests of spawning fish, resulting in a population of fewer but larger fish. Years ago, a good catch in the two weeks before the spawn might have included 100 fish with an average size close to 3 pounds. The best days now may produce 35 to 40 fish. The average size of a culled limit now borders on or exceeds 4 pounds, with a few fish over 5 and frequently a 6-pounder or two. While this appears to be trading quantity for quality, the reality is that that smaller fish are much fewer and farther between.
Those not familiar with Lake Erie see that it still takes 5 fish over 20 pounds to win a one-day tournament and figure the lake's smallmouth population is in great shape. But many Erie anglers and fishery personnel are concerned about what appears to be a significant reduction in the recruitment of smallmouth. When those big fish die off, says Hahn, what will be left?
"
What Dwight points out is very sobering but very true.
I remember duck hunting in New Jersey back in the 1960s.
A sea goose called the "Atlantic Brant" had a daily bag limit of "6".
One year when waterfowling in Brigantine, NJ, I harvested nothing but huge brant,
and marveled at how well the brant were doing. Well, I had it dead wrong!
What I didn't realize was that juvenile birds, which perpetuate the species
were dangerously scarce due to poor breeding results. The very next year,
the daily limit went from "6" to "0", as the state imposed a moratorium on brant hunting.
Al Lindner recently stated, "If you're not catching the biggest smallmouths of your life,
you're snoozing". But perhaps the rest of that statement might be,
"If you don't do it now, you might miss out".
Roger
A-Rob reply :
Did anyone else see the the smallie in Dwights profile pic?? Holy mercy! I knew lake Erie had some big ones, but that big...wow.
Anyways, glad we all sorted it out TJ and Swimbasser. I enjoy everyone's passion for the smallmouths.
TimJ reply :
Adam-haven't been there in awhile but there used to be some very big LM in the Victoria Harbour and Waubaushene areas. do you fish there at all? how's it holding up? I loved fishing up there.
TJ
roadwarrior reply :
I don't know...
A couple of years ago I recall a "scientific" article
that calculated "theoretically" that in twenty years
or so the smallmouth population explosion would
leave no room for water! This was from In-Fisherman,
too.
:
SPAZ reply :
I don't fish the great lakes enough to say one way or another. When I recently was fishing St Clair I caught quite a few small smallmouth bass so to me it seemed unaffected by the gobies. Granted, I only fished it once so that's about a small sample size as it gets. Right now I believe the states do not stock the great lakes with smallies as they do with walleyes, trout, and salmon. If the smallmouht fishing gets back it might be time for the states to start stocking smallies as well.
reo reply :
QuoteI don't fish the great lakes enough to say one way or another. When I recently was fishing St Clair I caught quite a few small smallmouth bass so to me it seemed unaffected by the gobies. Granted, I only fished it once so that's about a small sample size as it gets. Right now I believe the states do not stock the great lakes with smallies as they do with walleyes, trout, and salmon. If the smallmouht fishing gets back it might be time for the states to start stocking smallies as well.
Couple of things:
I fish Great Lakes water exclusively and have done so since my teens. Mostly Lake Erie. I am now 48.
The last 3 years Ohio waters of Erie have produced more juvenile smb, for me, than I have seen in many years. It seems that a few factors are in play, CNR only in the spring and maybe some balance in the goby population along with possible adaptation of SMB habits. My fingers are crossed for continued catches of juvenile smallies. Ha, that sounds weird.
There is NO stocking of walleye in Lake Erie.
http://www.ohiooutdoornews.com/articles/2009/10/22/top_news/news02.txt
reo
reo reply :
QuoteBesides the nutritional value, the goby's habitathas made smallmouth fishing so much easier.
Instead of chasing baitballs in open water, our
little brown friends now spend most of their time
on structure which we can find!
8-)
Having done much smallie fishing before gobies and when a bass boat was hard to find around the islands, I have never heard of or witnessed offshore (open water) bass in Erie until zebra mussels and even now it is pretty rare for a walleye guy targeting big marks in open water in and around bait to catch smallies even when pulling baits that bass would eat. Near shore on structure different story.
Erie bass, IMHO were just as structure orientated before gobies as crayfish were the dominate food source then. Again just my experience and opinion.
reo
Eternal Angler reply :
I remember putting one of these in my fish tank, thing lived forever. I was so young when I did it, I think I was in like grade school. I eventually flushed it down the toilet because it lived longer than any fish in my tank. I was young and stupid, if it was me today I would of kept it. Wonder how long these things live. I remember it use to dive into the rocks and hide in there.
MALTESE FALCON reply :
With all the articles written, and all of the speculation on this subject, all I can say is, here on St. Clair, my numbers of big smallmouth have increased, but in the last couple years I've caught MANY more juvenile fish than in the past. In my opinion the smallmouth are fairly prolific spawners.
2009 was my best year ever, for quality, as well as quantity. With all the "Doom & Gloom" on this subject, I feel quite the opposite.
I have no scientific data. All I have is my experience over the last 2-3 years, and all I see is improvement in what was already a FANTASTIC fishery.
Just my opinion.
Falcon
grimlin reply :
I see and hear more people catching smallmouths than Largemouth bass in the waters around me.
I caught a measly 6 largemouth bass last year....I'm more worried about the largemouth than the smallmouth bass.
Are gobies helping or hurting fisheries? I have no clue.There's positives and there are negatives from having them.
Tin reply :
QuoteI see and hear more people catching smallmouths than Largemouth bass in the waters around me.I caught a measly 6 largemouth bass last year....I'm more worried about the largemouth than the smallmouth bass.
That is a good thing. 50 years ago RI waters were mostly smallmouth. But largemouth were introduced to them and now there is only 3 lakes in the state were smallies can be found and they rarely caught. As soon as a good largie population is established, bye bye smallies.
A-Rob reply :
Tim - late response but I sent ya a PM
TimJ reply :
thanks Adam
balsabaiter reply :
That is a really great picture Boone! Inspiring! ...now where's my "goby-green" Createx...ha hee...
Lucky Craft Man reply :
Hmm...I have heard several things on this topic. The most recent I heard was that indeed that Gobies are feeding on Smallmouth nests and fry, but the added nutrition the smallmouth receive from having a great protein source in the goby has allowed them to produce more and healthier eggs and more smallmouth are "strong" enough to spawn. Essentially, the ecosystem is balancing itself out. I don't know if this is true or not, but it sounds good to me. Also, people say that small smallmouth are not being caught. I can tell you this is wrong. I catch a lot of smaller fish (1 to 3 pound range) when I am out there. I wish every fish was a 5 pound plus, but this isn't the case.
Eternal Angler reply :
No kidding, never heard that about Salmon. That sucks!
QuoteQuotebefore the gobies were made illegal to possess in Ontario, I would take my sons fishing at the Detroit River and catch a few dozen or more gobies the night before going for SM on StClair. we used the gobies on c-rigs and the SM killed them...no light hitting...they just KILLED them!TJ
Sorry to be brash but that is flat out irresponsible.
"Sportsmen" need to take management issues more seriously and not just view them as an inconvenience.
Many management problems could have been prevented by responsible actions or sportsmen.
Sure smallmouth are getting big eating them. But what about the population of other fish, and other forage.
Great Lakes Salmon are a great example of the necessity to have a variety of forage. After years of gorging on Alewives biologists are finding the single protein diet is sterilizing salmon.
SPAZ reply :
I don't think salmon can reproduce in the great lakes so being sterilized should not be an issue. Most of them our stocked by the states.
Md reply :
Not sure SPAZ, but I do believe that is why the salmon runs occur up the rivers every fall.
QuoteI don't think salmon can reproduce in the great lakes so being sterilized should not be an issue. Most of them our stocked by the states.
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