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.