# worms in crappie/ring perch



## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

we got into some nice crappie (all 13+ inches) and a mess of nice ring perch. I decided i would finally try some freshwater fish (came out of a tidal river) and the crappie had worms in its guts and one fillet had a worm in the meat. The ring perch didn't at all. Kind of grossed me out and I threw the crappie out. 

Question being anyone else seen this? Debating on keeping anyfish out of freshwater ever again... 

Thing is though that a bunch of the ocean stripers this year and every other year I can think of really have worms in their guts and for some reason that doesn't bother me......


----------



## Stink-bait (May 14, 2011)

If you cut them out of the meat you are going to be ok.


----------



## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

Stink-bait said:


> If you cut them out of the meat you are going to be ok.


so is this a pretty normal thing?


----------



## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

I've caught 1000s of crappie over the years, grew up on a lake down here, and never seen worm number 1 in them. I would contact your fish & game division and see what their advice is. Some parasites found in fish are harmless to humans even if consumed, but I don't want any part of it.


----------



## Stink-bait (May 14, 2011)

Some of the yellow perch and crappie up here have them but it's not an every fish sort of thing. There was actually a thread up just recently on the MD page.


----------



## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

Worms in crappie are not harmful. I cut them out, like you do with the rockfish, but you wouldn’t be harmed even if you ate one. You see them mostly east of the fall line. I have seen them in most fresh water fish and usually more so during the summer and fall. The stiffbacks (white perch) in late summer and early fall seem to suffer worst. I wish you had thrown those crappie my way. They are one of the best eating fresh water fish, with delicate flesh and a mild flavor, much like flounder but slightly coarser grained.


----------



## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

interesting, was just curious if i was fishing in water that was filthy. i see them in the guts of the big girls but never in the meat, this was something new to me.


----------



## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

I’ve seen them in the flesh of many salt-water fish. Big black drum are one of the most prone to have them.


----------



## finfinder (Sep 17, 2004)

I've caught more than a few crappie with worms in them. I've heard they get them from the minnows they eat or from bird droppings or something like that. They appear as red blotches in the fillets, I think they call them pocket or round worms. If you pull at the blotches with the point of a fillet knife, the worms will uncoil.

I'll bet folks around here have eaten them and not even known what they were. Do a search for worms and find the other thread about this stuff.


----------



## BubbaHoTep (May 26, 2008)

Neil, it's a new one on me, too. I've caught them in several places, and I have never seen a worm in the meat and haven't noticed the red blotches either. Then again, I don't filet them. I just scale, head, gut, and fry them up. I have eaten them for years, and they're tasty. That fall line business might be right. I've seen worms in the meat of big black drum and AJs in saltwater, but not in freshwater crappie.


----------



## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

BubbaHoTep said:


> Neil, it's a new one on me, too. I've caught them in several places, and I have never seen a worm in the meat and haven't noticed the red blotches either. Then again, I don't filet them. I just scale, head, gut, and fry them up. I have eaten them for years, and they're tasty. That fall line business might be right. I've seen worms in the meat of big black drum and AJs in saltwater, but not in freshwater crappie.


+1 Maybe a regional thing. Like I said I've caught and made boneless fillets of thousands of crappie and never seen any Red spots or worms, in guts or flesh.


----------



## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

http://www.pierandsurf.com/fishing-forum/showthread.php?92138-Yellow-Perch-amp-Worms


----------



## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

BubbaHoTep said:


> Neil, it's a new one on me, too. I've caught them in several places, and I have never seen a worm in the meat and haven't noticed the red blotches either. Then again, I don't filet them. I just scale, head, gut, and fry them up. I have eaten them for years, and they're tasty. That fall line business might be right. I've seen worms in the meat of big black drum and AJs in saltwater, but not in freshwater crappie.


You most likely have eaten them then which is no big deal as long as the fish were cooked ... They wont hurt ya . On water with lots of birds they are common .


----------



## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

hengstthomas said:


> http://www.pierandsurf.com/fishing-forum/showthread.php?92138-Yellow-Perch-amp-Worms


thanks


----------



## dirtyhandslopez (Nov 17, 2006)

WTF? One of the A/C worrying about free protien? Who'da thunk it


----------

