Cayuga lake Gobies..

[bulletbob]

 I no longer fish the south end of cayuga for perch and other panfish these days, due to the Goby infestation there,, Even when using small baitless plastic tails, its just one goby after the other.. They seem to have taken oven, and now I just fish  at other lakes, where Gobies don't  exist... I was told a few years ago that there are no gobies at the north end of the lake, where much of the spring Perch fishing takes place,  in the  7- 8 foot flats mid lake and around the channel that runs north/south.. Now I know for a fact they are in near shore areas up there, as I have caught them around docks by the bushel in the north part of the lake.... So without asking for any specific spots to fish, is it true that there are no, or few gobies mid lake  at the north end of cayuga lake?... Its been several years since I have fished that far north at Cayuga from a boat, generally staying south of Taughannock... However, the extra 20 minute ride north would be well worth it, if I can see[and catch] a lot  fewer of those miserable little parasites.... bob

[Gill-T]

They breed multiple times per year. Extremely prolific. If you are seeing them in one place, they are probably everywhere.  I will say that they don’t leave the cover of the bottom so if you get your bait up a little, you shouldn’t have trouble with them.  

[camper4lyfe]

1 minute ago, Gill-T said:

They breed multiple times per year. Extremely prolific. If you are seeing them in one place, they are probably everywhere.  I will say that they don’t leave the cover of the bottom so if you get your bait up a little, you shouldn’t have trouble with them.  

This is why I love drop shot rigs.  Get the bait up 12-18" off the bottom and it significantly reduces goby hookups.  It's not 100% foolproof, but it definitely helps.

[Ecto2]

Goby definitely present in the north end but when drifting for perch in the Union Springs and north areas, they do not seem to be a problem.  If fishing docks, they tend to be more present as by-catch.  I agree with the previous response about dropshot or fishing bait suspended to reduce the bug-eye biters. 

Seems like there wasnt as many this past season up there...i just figured the fish are on to them more and more each year and that they are reaching a stabilized population in the food chain.

Cheers.

[bulletbob]

Ok thanks.. It would seem that they prefer rocks more than sand/mud, maybe thats why they aren't  as thick in some areas,, As far as keeping bait off bottom,  i get it, but i catch them even when the  bait or  panfish jig  is drifting  with the wind at a good pace with a hook 2 feet off bottom... anyway, thanks for the replies!.... bob

[Gill-T]

You might have drifted by a rock. I can keep a small piece of worm 1.5’ off Lake Erie bottom (crawling with gobies), and not get touched

[Sk8man]

We have fished quite a bit at the north end for perch with drop shots and haven't had any problems with gobies with our setups with first hook about 15 t0 18 inches up.

[jperch]

Round Gobies supposedly do not have a swim bladder, they live on the bottom.   It is probably because of this that they prefer rocky bottoms and seem to avoid mud flats.  As a SCUBA diver I can tell you from first hand experience that this is the case.  They love cobble rock areas and goby fry actually live under some of the cobble.  Maybe they need to do this to diminish cannabalism.  In Lake O and the St. Lawrence they do not seem as prevelant as they were a decade or so ago.  Maybe this has happened because other fish like perch and bass have learned to eat them.  For example, while fishing for perch in Eel Bay last spring I don't think we caught a single goby and of course Eel Bay is mostly non-rocky as far as I know.