# Edible fish in the Potomac



## Kam (Apr 30, 2013)

Are blue cats the only fish you can safely eat out of the Potomac? Does anyone know anyone who has actually gotten sick from eating fish out of the Potomac? Lastly do people really eat catfish out if the Anacostia?


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## FishingKid (Nov 7, 2011)

Ive Seen Many People Catch and Eat Catfish , Perch , and Crappie Out Of The Anacostia. Never Heard Of Anyone Getting Sick Though.


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## whenican (Feb 21, 2013)

I'll add snakehead to Fishin Kid's list of fish I know people have eaten and not gotten sick... and yes peeps eat catfish from both potomac & anacostia rivers. Catch one and offer it to someone not catching and many will gladly take your catfish.


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## Kam (Apr 30, 2013)

FishingKid said:


> Ive Seen Many People Catch and Eat Catfish , Perch , and Crappie Out Of The Anacostia. Never Heard Of Anyone Getting Sick Though.


But do either of you eat said fish out of said rivers?


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## captmikestarrett (Apr 28, 2004)

All are good eatin.. but as Mark Twain once said.
All good things in moderation, so I will only smoke one cigar at a time.

On a side note the blue cats taste better than those whisker less striped ones.
Tony Chackers is the best spice. Blackened blue cat is a top meal.








Capt Mike


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## Tracker01 (Apr 4, 2011)

I would not eat anything out of the Potomac , Patuxent , Anacostia , or the Bay. I am sorry but I have seen so many fish with sores , worms and other stuff growing on and in fish that grease or seasoning will not help with.


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## whenican (Feb 21, 2013)

The bigger fish have more fat and this is where the toxins are stored. I just cut away some of the fat. I prefer the cats/bass less than 20" long... These have been exposed to fewer toxins in the water. At some fishing spots there are signs indicating how many meals of diff species of fish are recommended for safely eating.i dont think many people follow those recommendations, incl me.


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## jl18630 (Oct 11, 2011)

http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs...on Docs/Maryland_Fish_Advisories_2013_Web.pdf


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## Kam (Apr 30, 2013)

Tracker01 said:


> I would not eat anything out of the Potomac , Patuxent , Anacostia , or the Bay. I am sorry but I have seen so many fish with sores , worms and other stuff growing on and in fish that grease or seasoning will not help with.


I take it you are strictly freshwater or ocean only as far as eating your catch?


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## Kam (Apr 30, 2013)

Tracker01 said:


> I would not eat anything out of the Potomac , Patuxent , Anacostia , or the Bay. I am sorry but I have seen so many fish with sores , worms and other stuff growing on and in fish that grease or seasoning will not help with.


I take it you are strictly freshwater or ocean only as far as eating your catch?


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## CoolDude (Sep 28, 2010)

You take your chances with any and everything...whether store bought or caught in the wild. Seriously, once out to sea (supposedly 20 miles) any vessel can dump whatever it wants. Many people or busiiness' dump right then and there. If It gets caught in the current and comes back to shore...that includes barges of waste, medical crap, sewage/raw waste, nuke stuff and the whole nine yards. Any and every river eventually reaches the ocean....with it's plant, sewage, fertilizer, etc - runoff.

...so why is it that people act as if everything is so bad to eat out of a river? We're the same guys swiggin' down Jack Daniels/Goose, smokin' weed/cigarettes, poppin' any pill your Doc says is "OK" (plus that viagra you getttin' from your buddy or from India), suckin' down all kinds of processed chemicals (fake cheese, fake sweetener, fake or genetically modified meat, etc). Not to mention, things that just happen (like various runoff).

I'm sure that everyone has heard, "you are what you eat?"...well that applies to the fish, fowl, mammals...they eat the worms, crayfish, shrimp...and those guys eat the muck created by everyday life. Even if you grow fish in a swimming pool nature adds it's 2 cent - like tilapia and others that still get loaded with pcbs...whether it be the pellets they're grubbin' on or something that naturally occures in the water. BUUUUT, how much worse is eating a few catfish nuggets vs running 2 miles for exercise during rush hour traffic...or even at your stagnant, overpriced gym who rarely changes it's air filters (legionaires)....

That bein' said, My 2 cents, don't let your wifey or kids eat fish you know are potentially crappy more than a few times per month. We know that women "break down"/have issues constantly and men get sucker punched/just croak (could be because most of us are neglectful when it comes to getting checked up)...mostly due to our diets/lifestyles. There's no real need to complicate it or advance it that by throwing caution to the wind (but why sweat it after reading paragraph #2?). It's not like you eat a bad catfish and get a tummy ache an hour later or your brain bungie jumps outta your ear. It's more like "10-20 yrs down the road"...brain is not working like it should be, tumors, cancer...murmurs or some other kinda a junk. In the case that mom is eating it while preggo...it could probably cause some birth defects or something?...but who knows?...could be issues that are bound to happen regardless...and eatin' a funky fish has little to do with it? 

Truth be told...I've seen crackheads have healthier babies that zen yoga masters.


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## Sega (Jan 8, 2013)

Can't be much worse than a Big Mac...


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## Tracker01 (Apr 4, 2011)

No not at all, I wont eat any fish any more. I fish at least 10 times a month. But I wont eat any. I will try to post a fish we caught last week.


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## CoolDude (Sep 28, 2010)

Oh, Kam, cats would be the worse fish to eat out of the rivers - LOL. They are the only real scavengers/bottom feeders that we catch in this area. I would normally add carp to that list, but I haven't seen any caught out of the potomac or anacostia. Back at home you catch 1 carp for every 3 cats  

Crappie, bass, snakeheads, bluegills and perch aren't scavengers (well, eat mostly worms, larvae, bugs and minnows - potential proxy scavengers) and the other fish like stripers are just visitors.


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## Tracker01 (Apr 4, 2011)

<a href="http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/DirtReaper01/media/IMG_20131019_120150_zpsd45af081.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b582/DirtReaper01/IMG_20131019_120150_zpsd45af081.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_20131019_120150_zpsd45af081.jpg"/></a>


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## Tracker01 (Apr 4, 2011)

Also I am not telling you not to eat the fish you catch, I am just telling you I wont. That fish was the third one that day covered in sores.


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