09/24/2025
Attention Winnebago System Anglers: More round gobies have been discovered in Lake Winnebago and we need your help.
If you see a round goby, a small fish between 3-6 inches long with a large, blockish head, bulging frog-like eyes and a single fused pelvic fin that looks like a suction cup on their ventral (bottom) side, please report it to the DNR immediately through the Goby Reporting Tool: https://arcg.is/1f48aP2.
Round gobies are an invasive species that can displace native fish populations and have the potential to impact Lake Winnebago’s sport fish and panfish species through competition for prey and by eating their eggs. It's illegal to use round gobies as bait, possess and/or transport live fish, release fish from one waterbody into another or throw unwanted bait into the water. Additionally, regulated invasive species, such as round gobies, may not be kept as pets such as in an aquarium setting.
We will be conducting intensive targeted monitoring efforts in Lake Winnebago and may begin containment actions like using a naturally derived chemical fish killing agent (rotenone) within a specified contained area in an effort to prevent the establishment of round gobies in the Winnebago System. Please continue to report round goby sightings and thank you for your help controlling the spread of this invasive species!
