Parasites In Smallmouth

[cavefish]

No matter what river I fish, I am finding flatworm parasites in smallmouth. They are generally yellow in color and are found in both the fillets and in the gills. Any info would be helpful.

Thanks.

[Danimal]

Smallmouth fillets? Wow.

[Flysmallie]

If you don't fillet them you will never find the parasites.

Just a thought.

[ozarkgunner]

No matter what river I fish, I am finding flatworm parasites in smallmouth. They are generally yellow in color and are found in both the fillets and in the gills. Any info would be helpful.

Thanks.

What rivers are you fishing? Are you speaking of this year? The last time I checked most of the rivers are CLOSED for killing black bass until memorial day weekend (May 23). It is hard to get a good look at the fillets without killing them. I may be jumping the gun here so please correct me if I am wrong, but otherwise you need to follow the law.

[ozarkgunner]

What rivers are you fishing? Are you speaking of this year? The last time I checked most of the rivers are CLOSED for killing black bass until memorial day weekend (May 23). It is hard to get a good look at the fillets without killing them. I may be jumping the gun here so please correct me if I am wrong, but otherwise you need to follow the law.

Sorry, I am assuming you are in Missouri. If you are in Arkansas it maybe legal but is still looked down upon during the spawn.

[Ham]

I've never eaten a smallie. I do keep fish from time to time, but not smallies.

[Dutch]

They are common in many rivers and some lakes. They are spread by birds. The good thing is that they are 100% protien, so don't worry about them.

[ozark trout fisher]

If you don't fillet them you will never find the parasites.

Just a thought.

It seems that everything on this board has to turn out to be a catch and release debate. Its a real shame. The question that was asked had nothing to do with Catch and release and catch and keep, lets not make it about something its not...............

I generally believe in c&r of smallmouth, but the fact is that has nothing to do with a question about parasites. This is the guy's first post I see. Rudeness like this will drive people off the forum. That's not what we want, is it?

Sorry I can't help with the problem with the parasites in the smallies, I've never seen it before. I know with those sort of things it is usually alright if you thoroughly cook them, the parasite usually dies. But don't take my word for it.

FYI, as someone said, if you are fishing in the Missouri Ozarks, Black Bass are closed until I believe this Saturday. I don't believe that applies in Missouri north of the River or in Arkansas, though. If you are in the Missouri Ozarks, since you posted this on a public forum, I will just assume that you didn't know the rules. I'm not saying that not knowing rules is an excuse to break them, but it does happen to the best of us.

[Al Agnew]

They are very common on most streams. They have a life cycle that goes through snails and wading birds like herons as well as fish. They tend to be more common in smallmouth than largemouth, for some reason, and on the river I usually fish they are really rampant in spotted bass. While like others here I don't eat smallies, I try to eat the invasive spotted bass, but many of them on this river are so infested that, even though I know the worms are harmless to humans, I can't bring myself to eat fillets where every bite has a half dozen or more of them, and they are so numerous it's not worth the time it would take to pick them out of the meat. On fish that are mildly infested, you can pick them out easily with the point of your fillet knife.

[Flysmallie]

It seems that everything on this board has to turn out to be a catch and release debate. Its a real shame. The question that was asked had nothing to do with Catch and release and catch and keep, lets not make it about something its not...............

I generally believe in c&r of smallmouth, but the fact is that has nothing to do with a question about parasites.

Sorry Ozark Trout Fisher, didn't know that I turned it into a Catch and Release debate. I was just trying to state that if you don't like eating fish with parasites then quit filleting them. I have kept a few smallies in the past, mostly out of the area lakes, and may keep a few in the future. However when I find parasites in any fish I tend to quit keeping them from that particular body of water.

Do I like the thought of people keeping "legal" smallmouth from our rivers, not really. Especially the smallmouth that take a long time to grown in our streams and rivers. But I will never object to someone doing something that is in their legal right. There are too many other problems in our waters that need to be addressed.

Again I apologize if anyone thought I was trying to start a catch and release debate. Because I really don't care if you keep your fish if they are legal.

Eat up.