Picture the Menasha Lock with its gates swinging again — boats moving between Little Lake Butte des Morts and Lake Winnebago the way they did for generations. Whether that happens comes down to one question: where are the round gobies, really?
Right now, the answer depends on a small number of sightings. That’s where you come in.
What we know so far
- 2015 — Round gobies were found in Little Lake Butte des Morts. The Fox River Navigational System Authority (FRNSA) closed the Menasha Lock at DNR’s request to keep them out of Lake Winnebago.
- June 2, 2025 — An angler reported the first round goby in Lake Winnebago, at the Bowen Street Fishing Pier in Oshkosh.
- September 21, 2026 — DNR, the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance and partners ran a one-day Round Goby Blitz: 21 anglers, 40.5 hours on the water, 37 round gobies caught. All 37 came from within about 500 yards of the Bowen Street pier. None were caught at Menasha or High Cliff. (Full results)
- DNR continues to consider the Menasha Dam, Neenah Dam and closed Menasha Lock essential barriers.
- FRNSA has approved an agreement with DNR to treat the lock chamber with rotenone so commercial boats can pass. Recreational passage is not part of that agreement yet.
Why your report matters
One blitz is one day. Anglers are out on these waters every day of the year — on the ice this winter, at the dams during the spring run, off every pier and shoreline on Winnebago.
Every photo with a location fills in the map.
The lock decision belongs to DNR and FRNSA, and it will be made on the data in front of them. The more complete that data is, the clearer the picture — wherever it points. That’s a decision worth getting right with full information.
What’s at stake on both sides
- A 2017 UW-Oshkosh study (Dr. David Fuller) estimated $290 million in additional economic output over 10 years with the full Fox Locks system operating — Menasha open, plus a boat transfer station at Rapide Croche and a visitor center.
- A 2006 UW-Green Bay / UW-Extension / DNR study put fishing on the Winnebago pool lakes at $234 million a year in economic impact across five counties.
Both numbers are real. That’s exactly why the decision deserves the best data our community can give it. (Source)
How to report a round goby
Where: Above the Menasha and Neenah dams — Lake Winnebago and the Fox River up through Oshkosh. Gobies below the dams and in Little Lake Butte des Morts are already established, so DNR only needs reports from upstream.
- Make sure it’s a goby. 3 to 6 inches, mottled brown-gray, a black spot on the front dorsal fin, and pelvic fins fused into a single suction disk underneath.
- Dispatch it. Remove the head or gills. Live round gobies are illegal to transport in Wisconsin.
- Take a photo — side view, plus the underside showing the fused fin if you can.
- Report it at llbdmla.com/goby. Scroll down to “OR use the reporting form below.” Keep the fish on ice in a bag in case DNR asks for it.
Pick up a pocket card
Member Steve Rensch designed and printed pocket-sized goby ID cards with a QR code straight to the reporting form. Grab a stack at our next meeting and hand them to the folks fishing next to you.
Caught one? Report it at llbdmla.com/goby — and share this post with someone who fishes Winnebago.