Found Something Gross Cleaning a Crappie (Reader Beware!)

[Slab Apprentice]

Friends, I questioned if I should post this but wanted to get your opinions. I found what I think was a worm of some sort (possibly tapeworm?) in a fillet. I pulled it out and it was maybe 3” and diameter of pencil lead. GROSS!! I tossed the contaminated fish and did some research. Apparently if you freeze or fully cook you’re good, but needless to say wasn’t feeling fish that night.

No pictures and wouldn’t post them anyways because I’m traumatized lol. Has this ever happened to any of you fellow crappie warriors?

Respectfully,
SA


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[QuinnTheEskimo]

My brother lives in MD and they have some kind of worms in crappie there. I think he said they were red but I may be remembering wrong.

[Ketchn]

there are few kinds in them from time to time , I think the long thin red worms are the most common .
We once drained a pond and those were infested in the silt on the bottom of it .
not sure about them and that's why ceviche and sashimi can be dangerous to consume .
without the proper preparation someone might get a fluke or something in them ....
and it is my opinion it would NOT be a good thing ....just saying
my vote , no eat it .....

[Slab Apprentice]

there are few kinds in them from time to time , I think the long thin red worms are the most common .
We once drained a pond and those were infested in the silt on the bottom of it .
not sure about them and that's why ceviche and sashimi can be dangerous to consume .
without the proper preparation someone might get a fluke or something in them ....
and it is my opinion it would NOT be a good thing ....just saying
my vote , no eat it .....

Thanks Ketchn, definitely won’t eat the fish! Lol just curious if others have ran into this. I must admit it is messing with my crappie appetite but I keep on fishing. Seems to be an isolated incident (I hope!). Thank you for sharing your experiences!


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[DockShootinJack]

I have seen them in fish before. The red ones are fairly common. Certainly is off putting

[Micanopy]

Many fish have worms. Like puppies, they get them. Most are too small to be seen by looking. Most will not survive our stomach juices, and are specific to species. Eating raw fish from my local lakes would be crazy. There was a farm pond in Virginia I fished and it was chock full of bass. Catch and release only as every one of them was loaded with little tiny maggots. Many saltwater fish are infested as well. Good you spotted that worm as it would have been horrible to have served it.

[Ketchn]

Many fish have worms. Like puppies, they get them. Most are too small to be seen by looking. Most will not survive our stomach juices, and are specific to species. Eating raw fish from my local lakes would be crazy. There was a farm pond in Virginia I fished and it was chock full of bass. Catch and release only as every one of them was loaded with little tiny maggots. Many saltwater fish are infested as well. Good you spotted that worm as it would have been horrible to have served it.

they used to say that about lots of things , today though is a brave new world and mankind asks for it constantly and what used to be species specific is now quite capable of making the "jump" ....hence pig flu , chicken flu ,covid and a few others that were once "impossible" to ketch . I read one article where some "good ole boys" ate some raw crawdads by the fire while camping and a very much species specific fluke ended up in one of them boys lungs and it took doctors a good while to figure out what the heck was going on inside him. just saying ...

[DockShootinJack]

Certainly scary stuff

[hdhntr]

friend made ceviche out of some fresh crappie I gave her posted on here and was quickly told not to do that with fresh ones. did some research and said if you freeze them they are just fine then.

friend bought a property with a nice lake on it loaded with bass and crappie and they were infested with those red worms. said it was from trees overhanging water and bird droppings in water. So he killed off fish and started over after trimming back trees .

[DockShootinJack]

I have that about freezing meat.