Worms in bluegill fillets?

[fin-stalker]

I've seen those little white round things inside of my bluegills fillets for years.  Some guys I know cut them out, some throw the whole fillet out, and some say they cook up just fine with the rest of the fillet.  What are these things and what do you guys do, or not do, about them?

[jigginstick]

I throw the thing out, I can't get get over thinking about them. It kind of takes my apatite for the fish if ya know what I mean. I have heard its caused from the geese crap in the water.

[Boomer]

I do believe what you ae refering to is a small nematode. A well-cooked fish is alright to eat. Another good reason not to eat raw, freshwater fish. (See the thread on the cooking forum.) We probably eat a lot of them without ever knowing it. Without knowing exactly the species it is hard to tell if the intermediary host is a bird or not. Some nematodes have very interesting life cycles - as long as they do not include being inside of me!!!

[wax_worm]

I've seen those little white round things inside of my bluegills fillets for years.  Some guys I know cut them out, some throw the whole fillet out, and some say they cook up just fine with the rest of the fillet.  What are these things and what do you guys do, or not do, about them?

When fish are cooked properly, they are harmless to humans.  When cooked, you can no longer see or taste them.  I prefer to fish in lakes where they are not common, but sometimes you can not avoid them.  I have heard they come from the herons that are becoming more and more common around the lakes and that is how they are spreading to new waters.  Can anyone confirm this is where they are from?

[crappie rob]

I've found them in some of the larger "gills" I catch in Willow Slough. I just throw the fillet away!! C-ya. Crappie Rob.

[Smitty71]

Found this in the New York General.  Should help answer the question

Smitty

Just a little light reading for those who wanted to know. Enjoy


Yellow grub

Your description suggests you observed encysted metacercariae larval stage of the yellow grub (Clinostomum) parasite. The encysted, yellow to yellowish white worm can be up to 1/4 inch in length. It can be found in virtually all species of North American freshwater fish.

The yellow grub is a digenetic trematode. These types of parasites require several hosts to complete their life cycles. In the case of the yellow grub, the adult parasite is found in the throats of fish eating birds, such as herons. During the feeding process, eggs produced by the adults are washed out of the bird's mouth and into the water. There they hatch, yielding a free swimming larval stage (miracidia) that will die within several hours if it does not find and infect a snail of the genus Helisoma. After further development within the snail, a free swimming cercaria leaves the snail and seeks a fish host. The cercariae burrow through the skin of the fish and encyst, where they develop into the metacercariae. These yellow grubs may live several years in the fish. If the fish is eaten by the bird host the larval metacercariae will develop into adult parasites, completing the life cycle.

Infestations by a few individuals likely cause little harm to fish, however, under certain circumstances, heavy infestations can kill fish. Yellow grubs are described as unsightly by fishermen. A related species occurring in Asia has been found to infect the upper respiratory tract of humans. Thorough cooking kills the North American yellow grub and the parasite does not alter the flavor or the infected fish; however, fish with heavy infestations are typically not eaten by anglers.

Infestation is somewhat greater for fish caught in shallow water where snails and fish eating birds are most prevalent. Fish caught from deep water typically exhibit less infestation. Like many biological phenomenon, prevalence of the grub may be greater in some years and less in others for a variety of reasons including an abundance of intermediate host mollusks and birds.

Black spots

Black spot disease is commonly observed in rock bass and other sunfish, bass, pike, perch, minnows, and other fish species. It can be identified by the presence of small black spots, usually about the size of a pin head, in the skin, the fins, the musculature, and the mouth of the fish. The black spots are caused by pigment that the fish deposits around the larval stage of a parasitic digenetic trematode, usually a Neascus spp.

The lifecycle of the "black spot" parasite is complex. The adult parasite is found in a fish eating bird, the kingfisher. The larval parasite is transferred from the infected fish to the bird during the feeding process. In the kingfisher, the larval stage develops into an adult parasite. The adult parasite in the intestine of the bird produces eggs that are eventually deposited in the water. There the eggs mature, hatch, and develop into the miracidium stage of the parasite. The miracidium infects a snail. In the snail, the miracidium develops into the cercaria life stage. The cercaria leaves the snail and actively penetrates a host fish. In the fish, the parasite becomes encysted. In about 22 days, black spots form around the cyst. This entire lifecycle takes at least 112 days to complete.

In general, the presence of the "black spot" parasite does not affect the growth or the longevity of the infected fish; however massive infections in young fish may cause fish mortality. The parasite is incapable of infecting humans and, as is the case with all fish parasites, it is destroyed by thorough cooking. When fish are heavily infected, some anglers prefer to remove the skin to improve the appearance of the cooked fish.



Now go and enjoy your meal of fresh fish,
Wellsy

[crappie rob]

Thanks Wellsey, like I said, if they're in my fillets, I simply throw the fillet away!! C-ya. Crappie Rob.

[fin-stalker]

Thanks for the info from all!  Good reply Smitty thanks!

[grubjigger]

Looks like the common thread is the snail.  Good to here that they are harmless to humans.  I have always wondered baout the worms and black spots.  Just the same, I will probably still discard the infected fillets.

[abishop]

Same here if I catch a fish and it is full of black spots I just throw it back. The white grubs are easy to remore with a filet knife. But, have only run into these a few times with only a few worms in each fish. You can't tell if they are infected until you start cleaning unfortunately. I have eaten them and never noticed the extra protein.

[h2.0shaver]

I throw the thing out, I can't get get over thinking about them. It kind of takes my apatite for the fish if ya know what I mean. I have heard its caused from the geese crap in the water.

this goes for me too................... theirs other fish in the sea

[fshnbudy01]

I cut one of those little yellow grubs out when I was a kid thinking it was just a spot of some kind.  A few minutes later it had crawled a few inches across the counter.  That kinda ruined my appetite.   

I have a hard time seeing those things unless I hold a skinless fillet up to a light bulb. The grubs appear darker than the fillet By then Ive done all the cuttin work and its hard to toss a fillet.  Decisions, decisions.    Im sure Ive accidentally eaten plenty of them over the years. 

Never found one in a crappie fillet though.  I know crappie get the black spot, but do Crappie not get the white grubs?

[abishop]

It has been my experiences that perch seem to have the most black spots. I think it has a lot to do with How weedy the lakes are as well. IMO

[Smitty71]

I've never seen them in the crappie around here either.  Mostly the fish affected by the white grubs are the gills and bass in Iowa.