Zebra Mussels in the Ohio

[twise7]

Was wondering if anybody else has come across Zebra Mussels in the Ohio River? I was fishing a lipless crank several weeks ago several of my casts returned with rocks on the hooks…no surprise to me . But on the rocks were what looked like Zebra Mussels. I checked out some pictures of Zebra Mussels and the pics online looked exactly like the little “shells” that were on those rocks.
This might be old news to some, but what’s the good, bad, and the ugly of these things and for bass fishing?

[fishNnut]

I've picked them up below the Newburgh Dam for several years now. I don't know about the bad, because I check my boat and have no water intakes on the river, but the good is the fact that the water is clearing in the summer time. At least I don't feel like I'm fishing in a toilet.

[Bassky]

They are below Meldahl Dam close to Cincy. I have caught them on CB hooks now for about 3 years up here.
Bassky

[linedrager]

Was wondering if anybody else has come across Zebra Mussels in the Ohio River? I was fishing a lipless crank several weeks ago several of my casts returned with rocks on the hooks…no surprise to me . But on the rocks were what looked like Zebra Mussels. I checked out some pictures of Zebra Mussels and the pics online looked exactly like the little “shells” that were on those rocks.
This might be old news to some, but what’s the good, bad, and the ugly of these things and for bass fishing?

the bad is they are filter feeders and they consume a lot of plankton and things that bait fish eat, they clog water intakes, they can damage your cooling system on your boat, but the good side is catfish like to eat them and the river is much cleaner from the amount of water they filter in a days time.

[ronzo]

They have been in the river for years.