Are these perch fillets OK to eat??

[dave_p.]

I filleted up a couple dozen perch. I noticed some small white things in the meat. I am assuming some kind of parasite. Maybe 5 fish had them. They are about the size of apencil point or a little bigger. A few had a dozen or so. then a few were just loaded with them. I tossed those one`s. Think they are ok to eat??

[icefishinman88]

I found them in a few perch i caught over the weekend.The one had a lot of them in the fillet.I threw that one out.The rest i just cut out the grubs or whatever they are.We cooked them up they tasted the same to me.

[bearjohnson]

i had the same problem with fillets from lake moraine. i tossed them instead of taking a chance on getting sick

[spoxick]

i have had them too sometimes up north on one lake they are little white worms in the meat how ever i only find them in the males so we just pick them out with the knife tip and them fry em up works for me never had no problem just let the inlaws try the first bite if your still worried and take it form there

[dave_p.]

Thanks. I figured they would be ok. I will have to watch, and see if only the males have them. I didn`t pay attention to that.

[flagup#1]

It's claimed that if you cook everything thourghly that it is fine, personally I don't eat grubs.

[fishingrip]

From my experience I heard these grubs are called flukes and when the fillets are cooked they are harmless .It is a personal prefference whether or not you want to eat them but I consider it a waste of resourse to catch and throw away .If you target a species that are inclined to get this parasite you must be prepared to find a way to consume them. Just my opinion .

[AirManCam]

I'm all set with eating them, But I'm sure once they are cooked they would be fine to eat, heck survivor man eats them all the time :-p

[fishhead1978]

if cooked completely there supposedly allright , not for me though , if not thouroughly cooked u can get parasites from them . i know a guy got a tape worm from what he believes was grubby fish . but it's really up to u if u wanna chance it , i wouldnt

[The Farmer]

 YUP, thier grubs allright. You can prevent keeping the grubby fish by looking at thier stomach, for little i mean LITTLE black dimples. This is where the grubs enter. I only catch grubby fish in water around marsh, or stagnat water around here. Sunnys get them too, and they get up by their gils too, so watch out for these sighns if you dont feel like cleaning fish that have grubs in them.

[spoxick]

cool i didnt know the i will take a look next time but for my it would have no effect because out east when they bring in the cod people have jobs of picking worms out of the fish before they get sold so same thing i guess i unno wouldnt bug me i dont like keeping fish that have open sores or fresh scraps other then that eat away but to each there own

[crayfishbob]

flukes have a life cycle that starts in snails. Fish eat the snails, then get the grubs you see. In turn when the fish gets eaten by a bird, then the fluke will infest the bird and eventually kill it. The dead bird then returns the fluke to the water where snails start the whole process over.

They are harmess to humans, but i've always picked them out just because they like move around.

[perchwisher]

Most of all the perch ive caught from lake chatauqua have them in there.We notified the dec and got the same responses,that they were aware and that with thorough cooking you'll be fine but the mental game thats played in your head while eating them ruins it all.

[adkbrookie]

it's just a snail larva, i eat them all the time in the fillets. does not hurt you at all. i personally don't understand why people won't eat the fish even when they know it is fine. as long as you cook it thoroughly (i have an uncle that likes to just warm swordfish on the grill, it's good but i don't need a tapeworm.)

[taxi1]

flukes have a life cycle that starts in snails. Fish eat the snails, then get the grubs you see. In turn when the fish gets eaten by a bird, then the fluke will infest the bird and eventually kill it. The dead bird then returns the fluke to the water where snails start the whole process over.

They are harmess to humans, but i've always picked them out just because they like move around.

Bob, the bird doesn't have to die which in the case of the yellow grub is the Great Blue Heron. All they have to do is tip their head down and the parasites drop into the water. 

This parasite is harmless to humans if the fillets are throughly cooked but I just cut them out before cooking.

Here's some good reading about these flukes. Short and sweet.

http://aquanic.org/publicat/state/il-in/faq/grubs.htm

BTW there are yellow grubs, white grubs, and black grubs. The black ones have the Kingfisher as part of the cycle.

[Wellsy]

The white to yellowish grubs come from the Blue Heron, the little black dots you see are another parasite(equally harmless) that run a life cycle through the Kingfisher.
There are a million links to this info.
I have seen these guys in just about every freshwater fish that are in or near shallow water where these birds feed. Pike, Walleye, Perch, Gills, Bass, Etc, Etc.

[cnypanfisher]

Extra protein. :-)

[taxi1]

The white to yellowish grubs come from the Blue Heron, the little black dots you see are another parasite(equally harmless) that run a life cycle through the Kingfisher.
There are a million links to this info.
I have seen these guys in just about every freshwater fish that are in or near shallow water where these birds feed. Pike, Walleye, Perch, Gills, Bass, Etc, Etc.

Hmmm... must be an echo in here. 

[hoythunter]

theres a privat pond behind my house that is full of perch but the perch are full of the grubs also.i agree with flagup#1 dont eat grubs.

[Wellsy]

Hmmm... must be an echo in here. 

Didn't see your post.....oh well, guess that makes me the guy that went kite flying the day after Ben Franklin

[IrishIce99]

What about the perch with those little black dots (parasites) on them? I always throw them back, just curious.

[hoythunter]

those black spots are just on the outside because if u notice they are on the fins also not sure what they are but i dont believe they are in the meat   harmless

[Wellsy]

What about the perch with those little black dots (parasites) on them? I always throw them back, just curious.

Read the whole topic it's in there

[IrishIce99]

haha yeah sorry I only saw the first page.

[junebug]

A guy I know picks out the grubs, frys them up, and throws out the fillet.  Says they're a delicacy in France.

[IrishIce99]

A guy I know picks out the grubs, frys them up, and throws out the fillet.  Says they're a delicacy in France.

I hope your kidding.

[kirkville1]

Definately!Nothing like a frying pan of grubs.....mmmmmmmmmm I catch the  fish, remove the grubs ,then throw the fish back.Its hard removing them without killing the fish thats why you extract them from the bunghole   
lol

[IrishIce99]

Definately!Nothing like a frying pan of grubs.....mmmmmmmmmm I catch the  fish, remove the grubs ,then throw the fish back.Its hard removing them without killing the fish thats why you extract them from the bunghole   
lol

LOL I thought so. Haha that cracked my up.

[taxi1]

Didn't see your post.....oh well, guess that makes me the guy that went kite flying the day after Ben Franklin

No worries. I actually thought it was funny that you repeated what I said. 

[fisherray]

  Thanks for this whole thread, I always wondered what the black dots are on the perch. If it had many black dots I just threw them back but now I know what to look for when I'm cleaning.