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Re: Great Area

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 1:33 pm
by MrBluegill
Fish have both black spot & white (yellow) grubs. Here you go:

Black-spot disease

These parasitic flatworms appear as tiny black spots on the skin, fins and flesh of fish. No method of control is available for the elimination of this problem. This organism does little harm to the fish. The main problem associated with black-spot is the unsightly appearance it may cause. Skinning infected fish will remove most black spots.

The life cycle of the parasite is quite complex. A fish-eating bird (typically a great blue heron or kingfisher) eats an infected fish. The black spot or worms are released and grow to sexual maturity in the bird's intestine. The adult worms pass eggs with the bird's droppings. When the eggs reach water, they hatch into free-swimming organisms which then penetrate snails for further development. Finally, after leaving the snails they burrow into the skin of fish and form a cyst. The fish surrounds the cyst with black pigment that gives the disease its name. If an infected fish is consumed by a bird, the cycle repeats itself.

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Yellow grub

The yellow grub (or white grub) is also a larval flatworm with a life cycle similar to parasites causing black-spot disease. The parasite appears as yellow or white spots in the flesh, often 1/4 inch long. While unsightly, it is harmless to man and in many cases can be removed during the cleaning process.

Re: Great Area

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 2:45 pm
by Fishpro
Your post concerning black spots and yellow grubs is quite informative. However are these problems consistant with all fish or certain fish in particular. Was wondering also if this pertains to the fish in Black lake or other fisheries? Havn't noticed these problems myself during this season on the lake. Catch & Release!

Re: Great Area

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 3:13 pm
by Fishpro
As for my mentioning of wormy perch I had noticed what appeared to be larva in the flesh of the perch. Don't know what they were - they just looked wormy to me and so I didnt take any chances. This season I checked a few more perch and they seem to be free from them. I don't normally eat fish with the exception of a rare panfish fry and most of the time I am a Catch & Release fisherman. Guess being carefull is the best way to go.

Re: Great Area

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 5:28 pm
by MrBluegill
My experience is that it is limited to panfish - pumpkinseeds and perch in particular. I haven't seen any problems with it in bluegills anywhere I have caught them. My friend says Black Lake 'seeds have them but the ones I filleted this last year had few if any. It varies from lake to lake. Some lakes it's bad and some you won't find any. The black spot is like a grain of pepper whereas the white grub is much bigger. The black spot doesn't bother me but if a fillet is loaded with yellow grubs I usually chuck it. Just a few & I dig them out.

Re: Great Area

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 6:08 pm
by Phil
Deep fryer renders them harmless - 8) :O

Re: Great Area

Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2014 9:55 pm
by cw14
Phil wrote:Deep fryer renders them harmless - 8) :O
True!

Re: Great Area

Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2014 2:36 pm
by sasnyder
Just think of the extra protein! Just like survivor man! :big-grin: :big-grin: :big-grin:

Re: Great Area

Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:39 am
by Fishpro
Yeck! If fish spots and white larva is present in the flesh of fish one should act on the side of precaution. Like all food its a matter of taste and appearance as well as if it is editable for human consumption. Nothing like being careful. Catch & Release!

Re: Great Area

Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2014 2:12 pm
by craiglemans
Thanks for the info Mr. Bluegill!! Very informative!!