By John Merwin

Although I’d heard a lot about gobies, an invasive fish species infesting the Great Lakes, until last week I’d never seen one. I just had no idea what they looked like. Then while smallmouth-bass fishing there, I managed to catch a few. The one in this photo ate a small soft-plastic worm.

Gobies are odd little fish, growing up to 10 inches long but more commonly 3 to 6 inches. They apparently entered the Great Lakes via the discharge of ballast water from one or more freighters and were first discovered here in 1990. They have spread and multiplied like crazy, and now number in the millions or more.

They are one reason the smallmouths in Lakes Ontario and Erie get so big. The smallies I was catching averaged 2 to 3 pounds, but 4-, 5-, and even 6-pounders are relatively common. Gobies are terrific bass food, but the bottom-dwelling, sculpin-like fish get even by eating the eggs and fry of the bass.

Gobies also eat just about anything else they can grab, including invasive zebra mussels. So the plot thickens as one invasive species eats another. Unfortunately, the gobies can only eat smaller mussels. So the larger zebra mussels survive and spawn faster than the gobies can eat them.

Millions and millions of zebra mussels filter-feed in the Great Lakes water, substantially increasing water clarity and thus making the fishing a little more difficult. The gobies, meanwhile, by their abundance, are helping to make the bass bigger.

Where this will all end is anyone’s guess. The invasives are here to stay. There are so many of them--and the Great Lakes are so big--that eliminating the intruders is simply impossible. Maybe we’ll just wind up with a strain of giant bass swimming in water to totally clear they’re impossible to catch....

Comments (13)

from pike slayer wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

man I've got to get over there.

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from santa wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

That sounds like an old Archie Cambell routine called "No that's good, no that's bad, no that's good". The end result comes from a Doris Day song which says what will be, will be.

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from jamesti wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

better fish the great lakes while we can. and now the asian carp are coming? not good.

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from ilikehunting wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Just another example of how God has designed the earth to take care of itself. imagine that the "invasive" species helps clear the water, provide food for resident fish, and help remove other invasive species.

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from Dcast wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Yes, the Lake Erie smallies are huge compared to most I've had the opportunity to catch. I'll post a picture of the one I caught in April 08' while walleye fishing. It was 4 lbs and still to date the largest smallie I've caught. I'm used to the normal stream smallies that are 1-3 lbs & a few that get bigger but I haven't hooked into one yet.

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from Jehnifer Quinn wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Really interesting article thanks!

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from Jehnifer Quinn wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

When is Storm gonna come out with an imitation "gobie"?

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from shane wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Big smallmouths in uber-clear water? Sounds like Lake George. They are quite catchable there, though.

Who knows what the gobies are displacing and what effect that will have in the long run. I guess my outlook isn't as positive. Could work out OK, though.

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from erik450 wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

wow those gobies look like they would be some awesome catfish bait!

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from Douglas wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Now it has been determined that Cormorants, a supposed bane to fisheries, are feeding less on the more desirable species in favor of feeding on the gobies.

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from rdorman wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

good, bad, or ugly they are in there to stay, you said it best, so i guess you have to make the most of it and make GULP! goby's lol

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from countitandone wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Anything THAT UGLY deserves to be on the bottom of the food chain.

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from PSU_Bassboss wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Invasives are an odd bunch... gobies seem to be somewhat of a success story in that they are helping produce wallhanger smallies, but overall they can really screw up a fishery.

Zebra mussels, jumping asian carp, eurasian milfoil, snakeheads! The list goes on...

Even those pesky invasive largemouth bass are taking over Japan... and breaking records!

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from santa wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

That sounds like an old Archie Cambell routine called "No that's good, no that's bad, no that's good". The end result comes from a Doris Day song which says what will be, will be.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from jamesti wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

better fish the great lakes while we can. and now the asian carp are coming? not good.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from ilikehunting wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Just another example of how God has designed the earth to take care of itself. imagine that the "invasive" species helps clear the water, provide food for resident fish, and help remove other invasive species.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from erik450 wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

wow those gobies look like they would be some awesome catfish bait!

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Douglas wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Now it has been determined that Cormorants, a supposed bane to fisheries, are feeding less on the more desirable species in favor of feeding on the gobies.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from PSU_Bassboss wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Invasives are an odd bunch... gobies seem to be somewhat of a success story in that they are helping produce wallhanger smallies, but overall they can really screw up a fishery.

Zebra mussels, jumping asian carp, eurasian milfoil, snakeheads! The list goes on...

Even those pesky invasive largemouth bass are taking over Japan... and breaking records!

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from pike slayer wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

man I've got to get over there.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Dcast wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Yes, the Lake Erie smallies are huge compared to most I've had the opportunity to catch. I'll post a picture of the one I caught in April 08' while walleye fishing. It was 4 lbs and still to date the largest smallie I've caught. I'm used to the normal stream smallies that are 1-3 lbs & a few that get bigger but I haven't hooked into one yet.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Jehnifer Quinn wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Really interesting article thanks!

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Jehnifer Quinn wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

When is Storm gonna come out with an imitation "gobie"?

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from shane wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Big smallmouths in uber-clear water? Sounds like Lake George. They are quite catchable there, though.

Who knows what the gobies are displacing and what effect that will have in the long run. I guess my outlook isn't as positive. Could work out OK, though.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from rdorman wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

good, bad, or ugly they are in there to stay, you said it best, so i guess you have to make the most of it and make GULP! goby's lol

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from countitandone wrote 1 year 22 weeks ago

Anything THAT UGLY deserves to be on the bottom of the food chain.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

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All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.