Spotted Panfish

[OldChumBucket]

Pumpkinseed, or Sunfish are abundant in just about every body of water in the State. I have caught hundreds over the years and always throw them back because they are completely covered in black dots. I've taken some home that have looked seemly clean on the outside only to find the meat also peppered with those dots.

It's my understanding that it is a bacteria in the water introduced by water fowl, and shallow water species are more susceptible. Ive seen it in Sunfish, Yellow Perch and Bass and Pickerel.

I've talked to many people about this and usually get a nonconclusive answer. Do people still eat sunfish anyhow, or should they all go back down the hole?

Thanks.

[rdhammah]

my understanding is that it is a parasite. I could be wrong
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_diseases/neascus.html

[Champlain Islander]

I always figured it was just pepper....

[beershanty]

I do not eat them if they are loaded with specks or grubs. if there are only a few grubs ill pop them out with the tip of my knife but the specks cannot be removed and are very unappealing to the eye. I have cooked the speckled fillets and fed them to my dogs, they dont mind at all.  what I find most interesting about both types of parasite is Ive never found them in trout or walleye and Ive only found the grubs/ specs in northern pike on rare occasions, seems to be a panfish/bass thing. Ive never found specs or grubs in a bullhead that I can recall.