Sunny spots

[czl99]

I have been fishing on a private pond by my house and catching alot of sunnies. A lot of the sunnies have black spots all over there body and into the meat. I was wondering if there is something wrong with them and if you can still eat them with the spots in them?

[Matt Johnson]

Those spots are just parasites and you can eat them. The clearish-white colored worms are the ones you want to cut out. If there are a lot of black spots I typically throw them back just because they don't appeal to me, but if there are not too many you'll be fine.

Good Fishin,
Matt Johnson

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[Matt Breuer]

I love fish with parasites... NAh, Neascus is fine, no matter how many spots are on them, they are gone when the hit the freezer or pan almost instantly. Neascus are the black parasites and are in a lot of MN waters now days, especially in 'gills. Walleye and perch contain them as well.

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[CrappieMagnet]

Dozens of different parasites infect gamefish of our great lakes and rivers.They are harmless to us if the flesh is thoroughly cooked.Knowledgeable anglers keep fish that have only a small number of parasites.Panfish that live near weeds often become infested,because weed-dwelling snails are a link in the life cycle of many parasites.Panfish caught in deep water have fewer parasites,because the fish seldom venture into water inhabited by snails.The life cycle of the black grub is similar to that of many other parasites.
The Kingfisher,a fish-eating bird,hosts an intestinal worm whose eggs fall into the water with the birds droppings.After the eggs hatch,the immature larvae find their way into the intestinal tract of a snail.Many weeks later,the larvae mature into a more advanced form and leave the snail.They attach themselves beneath the scales of a fish,resulting in the commonly seen black spots.The cycles completed when a kingfisher eats an infested fish.Other fish-eating birds like herons,gulls and cormorants host other kinds of parasites.
The grub itself is white.The blackspot is a protective case formed by the fish's body.It is harmless to humans if eaten. The yellow grub burrows into the muscle and is seldom visible on the body surface.You discover them more when you clean your fish and find them in the flesh.
Many people throw away fish with these parasites on them but believe me,you can eat them if you thoroughly cook them.

Don't worry to much about these small parasites...i don't!

Hope this eases your mind....

Good luck fishing!

CM

[This message has been edited by CrappieMagnet (edited 02-20-2004).]

[This message has been edited by CrappieMagnet (edited 02-20-2004).]

[This message has been edited by CrappieMagnet (edited 02-20-2004).]

[HOGEYE]

Great post Crappie Magnet. Almost sounds like an objective scientific periodical. Eliminate the subjectivity and there will be no arguement. OK enough of the college flashbacks for now....

I've read your posts and I really think that you know you stuff.

[This message has been edited by HOGEYE (edited 02-20-2004).]