Mud Puppy??

[sneekybobber]

I caught a mud puppy in 22' of water on Oneida yesterday.  What are these things.  Are they bad - should they be left on the ice for a seagul or a fox?

[drowndin dots]

      they are native and should be put back unharmed . i do not belive in throwing anything on the ice for the gulls to eat 

[ChiefCatchemall]

gobies!

[sneekybobber]

This guy had legs and was around 16" long - not a gobie

[EarlyIce]

From last year I think. 35fow

[drowndin dots]

gobies!

they're a different story all together , invasive non native and destructive .

[marcus]

those mudpuppies are some weird little critters put them on the ice chances are they will find a hole. I always set them free but I did run into a guy who really disliked them for some reason. Those gobies aren't so bad... Lake Erie has shown a marked increase in fish size (walleye,smallmouth, and perch) due to them now focusing on gobies for food. They are a pain and there was a time a few years ago where they did ask you to kill them all, but the guys I spoke to in Dunkirk after a trip last year said they are a great addition to the food supply. Not sure if the DEC still asks for them to be killed but the biologist I spoke to didn't thikn it was needed.

[Barebow]

I believe in New York they are a protected species and are endangered....Barebow

[drowndin dots]

those mudpuppies are some weird little critters put them on the ice chances are they will find a hole. I always set them free but I did run into a guy who really disliked them for some reason. Those gobies aren't so bad... Lake Erie has shown a marked increase in fish size (walleye,smallmouth, and perch) due to them now focusing on gobies for food. They are a pain and there was a time a few years ago where they did ask you to kill them all, but the guys I spoke to in Dunkirk after a trip last year said they are a great addition to the food supply. Not sure if the DEC still asks for them to be killed but the biologist I spoke to didn't thikn it was needed.

  im no expert , but i do belive it is a short term boom . they feed heavily on eggs and young fry . it is true that they are easy pickins for adult fish but in the long run i think it will hurt the fisherys . i hope im wrong 

[IceEyes]

They are aquatic salamanders, mudpuppy are also called waterdogs.
 The mudpuppy diet consists of small fish and many invertebrates, including crayfish, snails, and worms.

[Chainsaw]

They are PROTECTED and not a problem in our fishing. Put them back down the hole and raise your bait 2or 3 more inches. Don't use 'em for bait either. They are unique creatures and a good health indicator in any body of water they inhabit.

You might try keeping one or two in an aquarium for observation..., but don't get caught by EnCon. They are rather interesting to watch.

[NNYIceangler]

The gobies dont seem to be a problem in the Great lakes system....YET.  Maybe they wont hurt but maybe they will, but one thing is for sure....they will be detrimental to any new body of water that they are introduced to.  Please follow the rules on cleaning your boat hulls and making sure there is no cross contamination, we need to do our best to protect our own fisheries.

[ChiefCatchemall]

Every goby I catch I bounce the fruckin thing off the top of my boat motor and watch it float away

[chevy rotbox]

I also caught one about 15inches on Sandy Pond two weeks ago.

[slabspanker]

Every goby I catch I bounce the fruckin thing off the top of my boat motor and watch it float away

Chief i have seen that firsthand on boats i've been on. one less goby will hurt no one 

[Hardwaternubie53]

they're a different story all together , invasive non native and destructive .

In NY they are considered amphibians and are therefore protected under Encon law. I looked it up the first time I caught one a few years ago in the "Dead Sea".

[FROZENGOOSE]

 i cacth them when iam snorakling for crawfish at the thousand island and let them go very carefully, realy cool little bugers

[Huntyeraws]

My 11 year old caught a few mudpuppies one night at a walleye spot this past winter.  Before we went fishing, I told him it wasn't unusual to catch one while ice fishing there.  I told him that about 20 years ago, I caught one through the ice and kept it for a pet for almost a year before releasing it.   That sucker would just inhale perch minnows and nightcrawlers in a fraction of a second.  It was really cool!  Here is one of three that my boy caught.  His big hand is next to it.

Usually, they just suck in part of a bass shiner and hold onto it but this one inhaled it.  Here is a video of one going back down the hole via lantern light http://www.facebook.com/v/1859407211676- this one still had hook and shiner in it's mouth - I cut the line as close to it's mouth as possible before releasing it.