Invasive and non-indigenous species have become an increasing concern throughout the world, because of their ecological and economic impacts. In the Great Lakes, they have been linked to major ecological shifts and millions of dollars in economic expense. Invasive species have been documented in Lake Superior since the late 1930s, and new introductions continue to be reported on a regular basis. As part of project to develop invasive species early detection methods for at risk harbors throughout the Great Lakes, four distinct gear types were investigated in the collection of benthic samples from Lake Superior's St. Louis River estuary. Samples collected with petite PONARs, benthic sleds, vegetation sweep nets and Hester-Dendys were compared for their ability to collect invasive invertebrates. Benthic sleds produced the most invasive taxa per deployment, and Hester-Dendys collected the most invasive individuals per deployment, while PONARs produced the least invasive taxa and individuals. Using a combination of gears, such as benthic sleds together with Hester-Dendys, improves the probability of collecting a variety of invasive invertebrate taxa. This abstract does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.