Are yellows wormy in summer?

[fishinmastah]

never eaten yellow ever before only eaten white all year round...i heard that yellow perch r real wormy is this true?

[Swift]

Never had a problem during the summer here, possibly could be a problem on a specific lake in your area.

[grumpymoe]

seldom keep yellows in the summer months....but can honestly say that of the few I have kept, they are clean fish......local waters and conditions will no doubt have an effect on quality of fish that varies from state and province.....Grump

[seaweed01]

Never had a problem where I fish either.

[bigdave1018]

at black lake ny the perch are very grubby as are some of the pumpkinseeds. the grubs are near the tails and or the gills. if you see 1, youre sure to find lots more in the meat. ill leave the grub eating to the fish and gulls.

[fishinmastah]

thanks for the info

[kerosenecounty17]

Certain lakes will have wormy perch.  If they're there in the summer, they'll still be there in the winter.  Temp doesn't matter.  The best way I've found to check them is to flip them on their back and pull down gently on the top lip so their gills are flared.  If you see yellow/white grubs in the gill plate and chin they're almost sure to be in the meat as well.  If you don't see any, it doesn't mean there won't be any in the meat, but it's a way to weed out the majority of the infested ones. 

kc17

[fiesty]

the grubs won't hurt you....just added protein......

[fishingking]

THey are crunchy when fried up

There was alot of disscusion about grubs on here last year.

But anyways to keep it short..

Theres a certain cycle that the grub goes through it needs a Fish eating bird, a certain type of snail and a fish to compete its cycle.

Normally shallow lakes with alot of weed growth will most likely contain more grubby fish.

SO you need herons. commorants, king fishers, gulls, pelicans etc etc to eat infested fish. These grubs get passed though the bird and enter the water where they must find a snail within a certain time period. After a short time spent in the snail they leave and must find a fish to go into. THen a fish eating bird eats the fish and the cycle continues. Its alot more complicated than that but you get the idea. If your really interested Google search it.

From what I have read supposially only one person has ever gotten a grub to attatch to them and that was probably by eating raw fish with grubs or drinking unfiltered water.

But as long as they are cooked, the grubs are completly safe to eat. Just crunchy like i said

[Pomoxis]

Thanks, Fishking. I really appreciate that kind of reply effort.
I've never seen perch with grubs, but I have not made them a major staple.
I'm in North New Jersey btw.

[seaweed01]

After you fillet your fish, if you want to check the fillets for grubs,
hold the fillet up to a light or window and you will see them in the
fillets if they are grubby.
If they are grubby you can decide what to do, cut them out or leave
the fillet as is or throw away.

[cnyfishing]

THey are crunchy when fried up

But as long as they are cooked, the grubs are completly safe to eat. Just crunchy like i said

mdouglass729 - I agree with what everyone else is saying that it may just be certain lakes. I eat perch all year long and have never had one with worms, although I think that perch taste better when pulled through a hole in the ice... but I think that goes with just about any fish.

[iceintheveins]

I've never caught any perch in Colorado that had worms or parasites in them. Guess I should consider myself lucky.

[Big Burk]

never had any worm or parasites in my perch hear on echo & mission lake, sk.
 

[Jim111]

The perch in VT (walleyes) too, sometimes have some of the yellow/beige parasitic "worms" in them, that are referred to, though I haven't seen them as bad in the summer months. No, you won't see them often, if at all in "white perch", which are not a perch at all, but a member of the "white bass" family. Walleyes certainly get them though, and ARE a member of the same family as yellow perch. Perhaps white bass are immune to them? As one previous post implied, an infected fish can easily be identified before being kept to eat, by simply looking under the fish's gills. If the fish is infected, you'll see them clearly visible there. These "worms" seem to be a local probelm and are not in all lakes and ponds. Even in fish that have them, they can be easily removed, if the fish is filleted. Most are located near the skin, tail and spine, as ealier noted. I have never heard anything about them being harmful, either to the fish or an individual that might eat them. Still it's a good idea to cook all fish thoroughly, as you certainly can get "roundworms" (another infectious parasite) from undercooked fish!  -Jim

[Kirk]

on lake erie where i fish for perch ive never seen 1 worm in them but when i got up to the trent river most of the perch have worms, i just cut them out