Musky? Or northern?

[Chumba]

Looked odd with the spots not the typical northern that I see. Is this some sort of tiger?

[CANOPY SAM]

It's a northern pike covered with parasitic worms.

[JosMN]

+1

[eyeguy 54]

fry it up, more protein!

[mrklean]

never seen it that bad before

[Chumba]

Do these worms cause it to be so pale as well? There are muskies and tigers in our lake the only reason I ask. side by side comparison:

[MaxGoldman]

I caught a couple like that recently and didn't know what the worms were either, do the worms bring any negative effects?

[CANOPY SAM]

I think they're called Echinococcus granulosis, I think, and no, they won't infect you as long as you thoroughly cook the fish fillets. Sometimes, with a bad infection like this one, you'll find many, many little white pellets in the flesh of the fish as well. They look like little white or cream colored tic-tacs. Unpleasant to look at, but harmless as long as the meat is cooked completely.

I don't know if the "pale" color of the fish is directly related to the presence of parasites or not? It's more likely a reflection of the fish living deep in the weeds, or near a muddy bottom vs. a sandy or rocky bottom.

I think fish come is different colors just like people, or other animals. Both fish above are definitely pike. Likely from different types of environment within the same lake?

[half-dutch]

Those come from parasites of the snails that the sunfish and perch eat which are then eaten by the pike. This varies from one lake or area of a lake to another and from species to species as well as season to season. Rock bass, pumpkinseeds, yellow perch in the same water as the pike are likely as spotted and/or infected, since one or more of them is where the pike get them from. Bluegills may or may not be. Be sure to cook fish fillets thoroughly and these will not bother you except by their appearance. BTW ducks who eat snails carry the parasite from lake to lake and spread them through their droppings. Such a lake may also have swimmers' itch which is spread the same way (through duck droppings).

You will seldom see such speckling on the larger pike, but the smaller ones especially the males that live all their lives shallow in some waters are commonly speckled as bad as the picture or worse. Shallow water panfish are more likely to be infected than those from deeper water, too.

Pike being a top level predator pick up parasites from their prey; so never eat raw pike. Pickling doesn't dependable kill all of them even; always cook pike thoroughly even if they are going to be brined.

FWIW I don't recall ever seeing the spotting on a muskie, but it is there on a whole lot of pike and panfish, especially on those from shallows over muddy bottoms.

[SmellEsox]

That's a pike. Muskies, dark spots on a light background. Pike, light spots on a dark background.

[toddb]

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_diseases/neascus.html

[CANOPY SAM]

Good link todd. I must be thinking of another parasite of some kind...it leaves white or cream colored egg-like pellets in the fish fillet, not black ones like the link shows.