Sculpin

[fisherman7]

So I've been living on Upper Buckhorn for the last 7 years. I always have a minnow trap in soon as ice goes out just to see what's out there and what fish could be feeding on.

The first 4 years I caught nothing but perch and sometimes the trap was full of 3"-4" perch. Then that started to switch and I'd catch sculpin with the perch, and then the last 2 years I catch nothing but sculpin in various age classes/size. Up to 4" long.

There are the occasional crayfish and baby rock bass and blue gill in there, but only 1-2.

So, what gives? Are sculpin taking over?

And before anyone says, they are sculpin and not gobies. I checked.

[Weeds]

I’ve noticed in the last couple of years lots  of them in Little lake and the Otonabee around Peterborough. Thought they were gobie at first too. They make good bait, durable. Not saying they weren’t there but don’t really recall seeing them prior to a few years back.

[BillM]

Sculpin are probably making a comeback, they're native and not invasive.  

[captpierre]

Interesting about the perch. 
I’m on north Pigeon. It’s pretty uncommon to catch a perch when fishing with the grandkids. 80% sunfish. 20% Rockies. 
No sculpin. 

[fisherman7]

A lot of my lures are perch style. Maybe I need to get some that look like gobies? 

[Weeds]

Or just start using the sculpin 

[OhioFisherman]

Sculpin are all over the place, just my experience that you might never see one unless you are seining your own bait. Doubt that they are the dominant bait fish anywhere?

[Canuck]

On 5/26/2023 at 10:31 AM, fisherman7 said:

A lot of my lures are perch style. Maybe I need to get some that look like gobies? 

If you fish smallmouth you should!  I was fishing on Georgian Bay last summer and bouncing a worm on a shoal.  It was getting nibbled by gobies and then I got nailed by about 5lb bass.  When I brought the bass in, there was a 4" gobie hooked on the worm in the corner of the bass's mouth.  SO looks like the gobie got hooked, and started darting around, then the bass nailed the gobie.

[fisherman7]

I believe I'm getting some for Father's Day!