Gobies on the Trent

[captpierre]

Wondering how far into the Trent that gobies have invaded. I know they are in Simcoe moving east. They’re moving up from Trenton. I haven’t found any on Pigeon.  Is it a big deal after they arrive?  

[OhioFisherman]

There was sort of a panic here in Ohio when they were found in Lake Erie years ago, now it seems that most seem to credit them with larger smallmouth bass, and if smallmouth can eat them largemouth, walleye and pike can too? I have seen a number of underwater videos of them and they never seem to stray very far from the bottom, and smallies spend a lot of time there searching for food?

Ohio's record smallie from Lake Erie is like 9 1/2 pounds caught in 1993, I don't know how well the gobies were established then, but that fish didn't seem to have a problem finding food? and no one has caught a bigger one since? even with an established extra food source?

All in all it's better to be very careful about what non native species enter your waters?

[BillM]

I've caught them in GPool, unless those are making their way up from GBay.   I can't remember if I've caught one above Big Chute or not.    

[Sinker]

They are in rice, and further up the trent towards Stony. 

S. 

[AKRISONER]

Hard to say how much of an impact they are having on our smaller fish populations, the ones that can’t eat them.

the bass and walleye sure are chomping on em though on g bay

ohio, gobies don’t come off of bottom due to a lack of swim bladder. Hot tip for people that fish goby patterns.

 

[OhioFisherman]

9 hours ago, AKRISONER said:

Hard to say how much of an impact they are having on our smaller fish populations, the ones that can’t eat them.

the bass and walleye sure are chomping on em though on g bay

ohio, gobies don’t come off of bottom due to a lack of swim bladder. Hot tip for people that fish goby patterns.

 

Akri, knew that, as I recall reading in their native range one of their food sources was zebra mussels, so food supply mainly and protection? The lack of a swim bladder doesn't prevent them from coming off the bottom? just makes them more of a target for predators?

I rarely kept any fish to eat never saw a gobie in any of the Steelhead I kept though, although 1 fish a year is a poor sampling?

[tb4me]

We catch them from time to time bottom bouncing the Trent River north of Campbellford

[Garfisher]

EDDMapS Ontario has multiple records of Round Goby in the south end of Chemong in the last couple years. There's also a record from Sandy Lake. I believe that is as far upstream of the Trent side of the Trent-Severn as they have been found. Gamebridge seems to be the other side of the "invasion front" (in the old Talbot River channel mind you) and they haven't been spotted in Canal Lake yet.

[Lape0019]

My opinion is this is not as big of an issue as people have made it out to be. But, it is invasive so is taking a food source from a native species.

They have been in St-Francis for year and we have not seen a large decline in anything really. The one thing they do hinder though is the amount of fry that survive. If any type of fish is taken off a bed, the gobies will eat the eggs or the fry they are protecting.

After that, they are pretty much a food source for other species.

[Garfisher]

On 10/16/2019 at 8:48 AM, Lape0019 said:

My opinion is this is not as big of an issue as people have made it out to be. But, it is invasive so is taking a food source from a native species.

They have been in St-Francis for year and we have not seen a large decline in anything really. The one thing they do hinder though is the amount of fry that survive. If any type of fish is taken off a bed, the gobies will eat the eggs or the fry they are protecting.

After that, they are pretty much a food source for other species.

Well they sort of are a big deal haha. They will greatly reduce the numbers of some native fishes (mostly darters since they would be direct competition), concentrate contaminants absorbed by zebra/quagga mussels (which then accumulates in the fish that eat the gobies), and they can harbour strains of botulism normally not available in the environment (which could cause waterfowl die-offs). But they do make a plentiful food source for bass, walleye, pike, trout, loons, cormorants, and other stuff that like to eat small fish.

[fishindevil]

gobies have been confirmed in chemong lake and sandy lake so you can bet they are pretty much everywhere in the trent by now or will be very shortly they are here to stay

[OhioFisherman]

18 hours ago, Garfisher said:

Well they sort of are a big deal haha. They will greatly reduce the numbers of some native fishes (mostly darters since they would be direct competition), concentrate contaminants absorbed by zebra/quagga mussels (which then accumulates in the fish that eat the gobies), and they can harbour strains of botulism normally not available in the environment (which could cause waterfowl die-offs). But they do make a plentiful food source for bass, walleye, pike, trout, loons, cormorants, and other stuff that like to eat small fish.

https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/living-story/8204981-an-invader-in-our-waters-the-round-goby-is-in-little-lake/

A good article on that?

[Garfisher]

I'd say so 😎

[captpierre]

Crazy that they are in Sandy Lake. Introduced intentionally or came up the creek from Buckhorn Lake?

[KawarthaAngler]

On 10/19/2019 at 8:47 AM, captpierre said:

Crazy that they are in Sandy Lake. Introduced intentionally or came up the creek from Buckhorn Lake?

I can't see how they would be intentionally introduced unless someone was doing something stupid.

But is certainly possible for them to swim up the creek from B.L. in the spring when the water is at its highest.

[singingdog]

18 hours ago, KawarthaAngler said:

I can't see how they would be intentionally introduced unless someone was doing something stupid.

Happens all the time. I could point out at least 6 lakes in this area that used to be real gems for several different species: smallies, specks and musky particularly. They have all been ruined by dough heads bringing in other species - smallies into the speck lakes, pike into the others.