Fishing for Smallies during the spawn

Someone told me once that fishing for Smallies on the reefs during the spawn (DNR's season) is going to kill the fry and eggs because of the Round Goby.

When a lure goes over a nest, the bass will go after the lure trying to protect the nest, and then the Gobies just go to town. By the time the bass returns the eggs and fry are gone or greatly diminished. Therefore killing the Smallmouth population.

I love to fish for Smallies more than I like to catch Walleyes. If this is true, I don't have a problem waiting even to catch & release until the spawn is completely over. Just looking for some opinions.

Jfish

don't know the truth, but i've heard the same thing, it makes sense, the odnr needs to check this.
by the way, my peeve is to let all these people take spawn walleye, and then lower the limit.???????????
they need to stop prespawn, and spawn walleye fishing.

they are only catering to the charters,----who are killing their own business/

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Originally Posted by Jfish

Someone told me once that fishing for Smallies on the reefs during the spawn (DNR's season) is going to kill the fry and eggs because of the Round Goby.

When a lure goes over a nest, the bass will go after the lure trying to protect the nest, and then the Gobies just go to town. By the time the bass returns the eggs and fry are gone or greatly diminished. Therefore killing the Smallmouth population.

I love to fish for Smallies more than I like to catch Walleyes. If this is true, I don't have a problem waiting even to catch & release until the spawn is completely over. Just looking for some opinions.

Jfish

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Sad but true. The smallies are also eating the gobies. The smallmouth population is strong but the DNR isn't sure of the direction it will go. As long as we catch and release, we shouldn't have a problem.

I agree with spoontang. Catch and release is the only way to go. I know that this is a walleye forum, but if there ever was another lake erie fish worthy of its own thread of discussion, it is the smallmouth. I have been fishing Pelee for 13 years and have never kept any of the hundreds of smallmouth I've caught. Do they even taste good?

I don't know if they taste good either, I always catch and release. I highly doubt they tast good though.

I've wrote the DNR about the limits of 5 Smallmouth bass after the spawn. I think that it's a joke and absurd. When the Walleye fishing is slow, the charters go after the Smallies using a crawdad and a hook and anyone without any skill whatsoever can catch the crap out of them.

Then they actually clean them and eat them. Not to even mention the guys that aren't even on a charter that keep them because they can't catch Walleyes.

It's a sportfish. I've talked to some charters that don't even advertise the Smallmouth anymore because of the invansive Goby dining on their eggs during the spawn. I wish there were more like that.

I've heard rumors that the DNR may be changing it to keep one trophy fish instead of 5. Hopefully that will go into effect sooner rather than later.

The walleye population took a downturn late 90s and early 2000s. During that time alot of rec anglers and charters took up smally fishing to enjoy fishing. I am guilty of it too. I have caught and eaten smallmouth. They are not eyes or perch, but very good. It has been many many years since I have and we now know the threats of the round goby. If somebody wanted a taste of fresh fish and that is all they can get, by all means eat 1 or 2, but I wouldn't advise filling a freezer. They grow slow and might be struggling to poulate. The eyes and perch are thick and should provide millions of great meals. Nothing beats a good bronzeback tail dance.