# Muskegon River Gobies



## Ergude (Oct 18, 2011)

This is my first post to MS. Fly fish the Muskegon alot and will sometimes cast rapalas & jigs for smallies. Yesterday my son was below Croton and all he caught was gobies. We did really well on trout earlier this year, catching plenty up to 17." I know the gobies are a favored food for smallies, and big browns like them on the big lake. I'm worried they may become a problem for the salmon and trout eggs in the river, as everything I've read says they are really aggressive and can scarf down a bunch of eggs. Any ideas or thoughts on how it's going to affect things?

Bill


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## limpinglogan (Sep 23, 2009)

All I can say is that fishing several Grand tribs this spring during Steelhead spawning the gobies were all over any spawn or egg flys I used...so I would imagine they are down there eating the crap out of eggs.

I have heard that the salmonoid's are eating alot more of them out in the lake and around the pier heads...so at least they are a food source.


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## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

Are you sure they aren't creek chubs or sculpin? I have seen both in the Muskegon before. 


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## troutguy26 (Apr 28, 2011)

Ive seen alot of gobies in the mo and its tribs. I know after i leave the area the ***** will eat good that night. Sad to see them there and in nice tribs but i guess it is what it is.


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## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

never ever seen a gobie in the mo, or any trib of the grand...and i fish a lot!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## troutguy26 (Apr 28, 2011)

Trout King said:


> never ever seen a gobie in the mo, or any trib of the grand...and i fish a lot!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Put on a crawler instead of a spinner in those tribs and let me know what happens.


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## tsr770 (Mar 3, 2010)

I'll back that one up troutguy, the only area I have not found a goby on the MO is above Rogers, last fall I couldn't keep them off my spawn at Croton, caught them last summer above Hardy jigging for eyes, but not any yet above Rodgers


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## limpinglogan (Sep 23, 2009)

> never ever seen a gobie in the mo, or any trib of the grand...and i fish a lot!


That is shocking to me. They are all over the Grand.

I was even catching them on egg fly's about 4 miles upstream from the Grand on a small trib this spring.

I can say that I have never caught one above 6th st but I am sure many members here will attest to their existence above the dam.


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## twowack (Dec 21, 2010)

DNR Officer has told me in the past to keep them and turn them in.They have to see them to be able to fix that problem.Its what I was told.Good luck.


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## limpinglogan (Sep 23, 2009)

> DNR Officer has told me in the past to keep them and turn them in.They have to see them to be able to fix that problem.Its what I was told.Good luck.


How do they fix it?


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## twowack (Dec 21, 2010)

limpinglogan said:


> How do they fix it?


Im not the DNR you will have to direct that question to them.I was creek fishing with a fishing buddy he caught what he thought was a gobie and it turned out to be a sculpin which are native to our water.But its up to you to show the DNR and they will answer your questions.They want to know about it.Thats what the Officer told us.Good luck.


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## limpinglogan (Sep 23, 2009)

I just used Google Image to view a Sculpin and the fish I was identifying as a Goby this spring could have been a Sculpin.

I have never heard of a Sculpin until today.

They look very similar and I can not remember the details of the sculpin/goby's I was catching this spring to to know for sure.

Sculpin: https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/i...-6cKxL35xJOhyMsmf6gQRsxXJxqGtgzeuYheATyEJIygi

Round Goby: https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/i...ob-6u31I9MVmCA8DG897vFnMh-HKcNrC05gYA-ecIxqPw


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## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

Sculpin are actually a sign of a healthy stream. They are good to have around, and are prey to bigger fish.


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## riverbob (Jan 11, 2011)

quest32a said:


> Sculpin are actually a sign of a healthy stream. They are good to have around, and are prey to bigger fish.


 At the power plant, at southaven, in the spring, 1 sculpin = 1 big brown


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## Ergude (Oct 18, 2011)

I've been out of state for a week and haven't had a chance to check back with everyone. The fish we saw below croton were definitely gobies. They had the single flat fin on their bellies, which is a conclusive characteristic. Sculpin have two fins. The attached link from the Ohio DNR has a good picture of them.

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Default.aspx?tabid=23571

Bill


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## Flyguide7 (Jun 30, 2012)

Sculpins are unbelievable trout bait. On the white river in Arkansas I have fished with no success suing stick baits and streamers and some guy is whacking one big fish after another and whenI broke down and asked them what the heck he was using it was scuplin. The next day we bought some frozen ones at a local bait shop for 50 cents a piece and took it to one of our favorite holes and pounded them, all good fish18 to 25 inches. Sculpins are tough and we 3-4 fish on each sculpin. Check the regulations because they are protected on some rivers. They may even be protected on the White now since it has been several years since I have fished it in this manner.


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## outdoorsman82 (Oct 27, 2011)

I have fished the mo hunders of times in the last few yrs and I have fished erie for smallies a bunch I've seen goobies and sculpins plenty and I have never got one out of the big mo and I just talked to a guide friend on the mo and he has never seen one there either. But one of these days I'm gonna goto croton put on a little piece of worm and try and get one but as far as I know there not in there.


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## Steve_D (Mar 8, 2011)

Be careful. Sculpin and Goby are pretty hard to identify if you're a layman. Easiest way is, goby are typically fat and bright, why sculpin tend to me more sleek and dark..... at least the ones I've seen.


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## Spoonbill (Jan 28, 2009)

Too bad to hear that gobies are up so far on the Muskegon. The GLANSIS site provides online mapping of invasive species, and I've been adding records of round goby progress up west Michigan streams over the past few years:

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/Grea...PM&SpeciesID=713&State=&HUCNumber=DGreatLakes

The records aren't 100% up to date, and gobies are now in the White up to Hesperia, in the Grand just above 6th Street Dam, in the Pentwater up to Hart, in the Kalamazoo up to Allegan and Rabbit River to Hamilton. In short, most rivers have gobies up to the first dam and they are starting to show up above first dams, too. 

I heard reports of gobies in upstream tribs of the Grand, but when I went looking I didn't find any.

If you find gobies upstream of first dams or in small tribs, please let me know by posting here. A good photo or two helps, and another good tip for identifying gobies is that they have a dark spot at the base of their first dorsal fin:

http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/photos/ais/images/highrez/RG-s03.jpg

My contact info is at:

http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/contact/okeefe.html


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## riverbob (Jan 11, 2011)

Spoonbill said:


> Too bad to hear that gobies are up so far on the Muskegon. The GLANSIS site provides online mapping of invasive species, and I've been adding records of round goby progress up west Michigan streams over the past few years:
> 
> http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/Grea...PM&SpeciesID=713&State=&HUCNumber=DGreatLakes
> 
> ...


their up here, made a post about them last aug. was catching them this last fall, on spawn ,while steelhead fishing,stopped catching them when the water cooled off. haven't fished with bait yet this summer so I can't say for sure their still here. But the cat fish contest will start soon n I'll need bait. so I will find out pretty quick.


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## troutguy26 (Apr 28, 2011)

Spoonbill i will send u a pm of where im finding them and try to get some pics next time i make it out there.


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## Spoonbill (Jan 28, 2009)

Thanks, 

I'm wondering if our low water will encourage them to push farther up the rivers this summer. They aren't strong swimmers, but if there is no current it doesn't much matter.


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## Speyday (Oct 1, 2004)

Look at it this way: Gobies will make smallmouth and browns very very fat and happy. If theres a sudden surge in gobies, you can bet that 2-3 years down the road there are going to be some very large well fed predators.

In lake michigan, right in downtown chicago's skyline of all places, the amount of legit 3 lb plus smallmouths (over 17") is so good its staggering. 10 years ago? heck smallmouth were kind of a bonus fish; now they are a marquis player.

Guess what the bottom of chicago's harbors are carpeted with?

In the end, nature will find a way to restore balance.


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## CNC TECH (Oct 26, 2011)

caught half dozen gobies on crawlers below croton saturday. fed the birds.


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## thousandcasts (Jan 22, 2002)

Hmmm...never caught one in the Mo (goby), but it wouldn't suprise me in the least. The Zebra's got up there, no reason the Gob's wouldn't either. It's a marginal stream with a lot of warm water periods, plenty of food...


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