Syracuse.com - Oneida Lake: Round gobies a factor in subpar bass and walleye fishing

[HuntingNY-News]

The large amounts of gizzard shad in the lake are also contributing.

The bass and walleye fishing on Oneida Lake, one of Upstate New York's premier angling destinations, was "off this summer," according to creel reports collected by the Cornell Biological Field Station at Shackleton Point.

Angler catch rates for both fish were down about "40 percent" compared to years past, said Randy Jackson, senior research associate and associate director at the field station.
In addition, the fall walleye bite on the lake has likewise been "hit or miss," according to several veteran anglers interviewed.

What's going on?

The population explosion of round gobies on the lake, an invasive bait fish is one big factor. An additional reason is a banner reproductive year for gizzard shad, another bait fish on the lake. It's not a matter of shortage of fish in the lake. They just have an ample food supply.

"You can't make them eat if they're not hungry," said Brian Hammond, of Cicero, a veteran Oneida Lake angler and tournament walleye fisherman.

Hammond, who preferred to call the lake's walleye fishing "inconsistent," noted the last big walleye tournament on the lake in August featured 20 teams of experienced anglers.

"They were good fishermen. Only four teams had limits of five fish caught," he said.
Jackson said "the gobies played a factor" in the subpar bass and walleye fishing, particularly during June and July. He noted the catches in the B.A.S.S. Northern Open that finished on July 2 -- particularly at the bottom on the standings - were lower than usual for that level of competition.

Jackson and David Lemon, the regional fisheries biologist for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said goby invasions on other waterways have followed similar patterns. Their numbers will continue to rise for a couple of years and then fall off and stabilize at a lower level once their food supply dwindles. On Oneida, they said, the gobies are feasting on zebra and quagga mussels.

In the meantime, fishing on Oneida will be more "challenging," requiring different techniques, particularly for those anglers who are used to fishing with jigs and worms on the lake's bottom. The gobies, which carpet many areas of the lake's bottom, tend to pick hooks baited with worms clean.

The reason for the fall walleye bite being on and off is the result of copious amounts of gizzard shad in the lake this year, said one charter boat captain.

"These walleye are just gorging and their bellies are packed with gizzard shad," said Capt. Tony Buffa, who has guided on Oneida Lake for several decades.

Buffa said in years past he said he could count on "an immense school of walleye on the lake's eastern end." He said he's just park near the same area each day and his clients would catch fish. Not so this year.

"It's day to day," he said. "They may be there a couple of days in a row - and then they're gone. I feel it's because they have plenty of feed. And when they bite, during the day it doesn't last that long - maybe as long as 2 1/2 hours. The night bite has also been inconsistent."

One other Oneida Lake fish is dining voraciously on gobies - yellow perch.
Buffa said when his clients reel in yellow perch "the gobies are projecting out of their mouths."

"You wait. You're going to have some huge perch on this lake. They love the young gobies," he said.

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