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I hit Pineview today with the hopes of getting on of those elusive crappie. I did well on the perch. Caught about 70 or so and kept 35. I would have kept my limit but I could already feel my head starting to hurt just thinking about filleting all those perch. Fished 18 feet of water between browning and cemetery point. Still didnt get the crappie. One day I will catch my first.
OK, here is the nasty little surprise. I was filleting my fish and noticed something flat and white as I cut one of the perch. It looked to me like a tapeworm. I had to have been about 4 inches long but I cut it up filleting the fish. Has anyone else seen this in perch? It gave me the damn heebies. I uploaded a pic of the tapeworm. Sorry no perch pics. I am sure we all know what 35 pineview perch look like.
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I have - multiple times this year, probably in about 8 of the perch I have brought home from there.
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I have seen that a lot in the Gills out of Mantua. Just make sure you cook them well and not use them for sushi.
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That one took away my appetite too.
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That one wasnt getting eaten after I saw that. I know it can be eaten but i guess its a mental thing.
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The main thing here is not to tell your family what you found or you might be the only one eating fish of any kind. What you found won't hurt any thing just wash your fillets after you have processed them. I promise you you wont die. I'm 71 and still fishing.
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My wife saw it and she says its safe. She works in a infectious disease clinic that also deals with parasites. Its just the thought.
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Free bait.
(Crisp salute, gyrene.)
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That is sick. Yep I am no longer hungry. I personally have yet to run into a fish with parasites in the meat.
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I should have kept it for bait!!
Returned!
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So what was it.
A tape worm or a leach?
I have seen leaches that look a lot like the picture.
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I would say some kind of worm because it was in the fish's abdomen wrapped up with its intestines. When I ran across them cleaning perch, that's just what I assumed. I just washed the fillet's really well and made sure to cook them thoroughly.
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Some kind of tapeworm. it came out of the gut. That was just some pieces of it. The rest went into the trash.
Bama Boy hit it right on the head.
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They are an intestinal parasite that is in the abdomen area, between the abdominal wall and outside the intestines, but not in the flesh. They are why, years ago, that Deer Creek's population of perch CRASHED! The first year(almost 30 yrs now) I found some in every 5th fish, next yr every 3rd fish, next yr every other fish, next yr...couldn't BUY a bite or catch a perch at ALL! IMO it killed 'em all just about! Then about 8yrs or so ago I found them in the perch at Rockport the same way for the next few yrs...then they sorta went away at Rockport! So Pineview is NEXT??!! WOW !!
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Hmmm, man - I think you're missing an opportunity. Just sprinkle 'em with some onion salt, batter and fry. Just like onion rings! They'll never know the difference!
I don't think I've run across 'em - but I haven't met many perch from the View (cuz I hardly fish there). Heard about some trout parasites that bore through their sides, but same story - cooked, no problem.
Leave me the spots on the apples . . .
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Those worms have been in pineview since I fished it when I was a young un. At least since '95 when I was in high school. I hear you man, they are freaky looking!!! I'm pretty good at not cutting into the abdominal cavity much but I do open it up to analyze what fish are eating and condition of the fish. These tapeworms are freaky, if you leave them whole on the cutting board you will see that they will move ever so slowly.....it is crazy freaky. But like anything, cook it to 150 -170 degrees and it's dead for sure. Well not the worm I mean but the fish LOL. You can't pay me enough on fear factor to eat that sucker fried or not lmao. That's why I cracked up when people were talking about making ceviche with fresh white bass. Actually I haven't seen many parasites in white bass but for sure bluegill have tons of cysts in the liver, not visible in fillet but makes me suspicious. I know they are the intermediate host for bass tapeworm because when bass eat bluegill their abdominal cavity is saturated with a mass of coily worms that number from several hundred to thousands. I think the perch is a final host since the mature worm is within the abdominal cavity. If it were an intermediate host, it would be a tiny cyst embedded within flesh, waiting for you or whatever else in the food chain higher up to devour so it can grow in you. Thorough cooking destroys that cycle so that is the best bet with any animal product whether fish, beef, pork, chicken, and what have you. People insist on eating things rare......well, sooner or later parasites will get into them. But the thing is most parasites will not kill you or they die too. They just like to share in what you consume lol. I'd rather not share lol.
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I seen these in perch ive caught out of a reservoir I fish a lot up here in East Idaho & have seen some similar worm in some of the small mouth bass I caught too. I wouldn't think the fish that have these would hurt you if you ate it but i'd think just to be safe be sure & cook the fish good.
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Not hungry anymore. Make sure to cook those good
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I had that same thing happen to me a few times this year, so i mesaged the Coldwatercoordinater and he said this.
i believe they are called Ligula.
Landon,
A lot of warmwater fish like perch have a variety of parasites. The numbers of parasites in the population increases and decreases depending on other stresses that the fish may be subject to such as low water, high population numbers, etc.
I have not received any other reports of parasites in the perch at Pineview or elsewhere, however there is a fairly common tapeworm in fish worldwide and I am sure that is what you are seeing based on the description. This tapeworm is not transferable to humans. There are other parasites in freshwater fish that can be transferred to humans, so we always recommend that you handle and clean the fish in a proper manner, then fully cook them.
I hope this helps. Fell free to send me a picture and I can verify my assumptions with our fish pathologist if you like.
Have fun fishing
Paul
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