Gobies, a recently introduced ballast bum, have become both a food source for adult bass and an efficient consumer of bass eggs and fry. Their bane or benefit has yet to be fully understood, but DEC officials want to curb their introduction throughout the state. May. Warming weather and all those season openings should make this weekend an angler's watery wonderland. Boaters head out to 50-foot depths and start checking around with sonar and moving until they get over fish. Generally, perch show up at depths of less than 60 feet and the bigger, spawning-sized ringbacks should begin moving closer to shore soon.
Some boaters try drifting when breezes are light.
DEC net surveys turned up perch exceptionally deep last summer. Bill Culligan noted the better catches were coming from 70-foot depths. Don't be shy about long-distance runs to find these fish. A 50-fish per angler catch is rare, but perchers willing to work at it can come in with a good meal or two. Cattaraugus Creek still draws silvery fish, despite lowering water levels and warming temperatures.