can red ears have any positive effect on zebra mussels? do red ears grow larger where zebra mussels are present?

Good question, James! My first thought is RES would eat and grow well on Zebra Mussel's. Problem is, legal possession of Zebra's...

Ask the anglers who prowl Havasu out in Arizona about the Quagga mussels, and their apparent contribution to the size of the RES.

They could make a great put and take fishery using sheepshead with all those shell fish in that lake. could you imagine 5-8 pound bream in Havasu ....

Dang! Don't get me started on the merits of catching and eating sheepshead(fresh water drum) again! Love that fish!

oh, I meant actual Sheepshead

The sheepshead uses its impressive dentition to crush heavily armored and shelled prey and to scrape barnacles from rocks and pilings.

I have had one living in fresh water for several years now. My pond doesn't have many shellfish, I think it is eating pellets that sink.

Cool looking fish!

Just a bit of trivia...Our northern fresh water "sheepshead" love to eat zebra mussels.

Bill are you referring to a goo?

Yep, fresh water drum goes by that name and many others. From Wiki:

It is also called shepherd's pie, gray bass,[3] Gasper goo, Gaspergou,[4] gou,[4] grunt, grunter,[3] grinder, wuss fish, and croaker, and is commonly known as sheephead or sheepshead in parts of Canada,[5] the United Kingdom,[6] and the United States.[3][4][7][8]

There are only a couple species that will eat zebra mussels .

Nice pic Bobby R, bet Cecil could do justice to it.
Only time I've seen a "northern" Sheepshead was on a WE fishing trip on lake ERIE. Looked just like a Carp ta me. I was told ya didn't want ta eat them.
Bill D, got a pic of your version? Also love the name Wuss fish. I'm sure I know several Wuss fishermen.
Seems there are lots of species of drum south of the Mason Dixon line.

I don't have zebra mussels but all the Lakes around me do. Is there any defense against them

Don't bring in any fish, water, aquaitic vegetation, or inanimate objects from the other lakes!

+1 My understanding is one of the biggest contributors to the spread is live wells and bilges that are not properly drained and cleaned when boats are moved from one BOW to the next.

And then there are the floods that have taken them from one Texas lake to another. Draining live wells is not a bad idea but it's a knee jerk reaction.

Blue Catfish, Redear Sunfish, and Freshwater Drum all eat zebra mussels, IIRC. Wonder about Pumpkinseed?

BIll, that's exactly what TPWD thinks as well. I've read where they've got game wardens checking boats at public ramps now.

What I've contacted TPWD about several times, and have yet to receive a reply about, is how does a noncommercial individual move fish from private water to private water, and not violate any laws? My worst fear is having a game warden make me drain my tank on the side of the road because I can't prove the fish came from private waters, and are going back into private waters.

Interesting that blue catfish consume zebra mussels.

I am pretty sure I read that Lake Texoma BC utilize mussels as forage as anglers noted their stomachs rattled when caught full of shells. Hopefully one of our TX brothers can confirm or clarify.

Here's one perspective:

http://www.in-fisherman.com/catfish/blue-catfish/blue-catfish-baitfish-and-mussels/

Interesting article TJ. If they do it I'm wondering why no channel cat reports of them. Most fish are, to some degree, opportunistic feeders. Interesting to me about the article mentioning the sheer numbers of them.

I know very little about bivalves other than that they hitch hike on fish as flukes.

Great article TJ. I'm looking forward to my blue catfish 'experiment'.