A few years back, I was fishing Big Arbor Vitae Lake near Minocqua, WI and caught a couple of nice ‘gills. When I filleted them out, the meat looked like someone had sprinkled pepper throughout it. Anyone know what that is and if it’s edible? 
I did not consume them.
Thanks!
Scott
Flavor crystals!!
Actually they’re a parasite that’s harmless after cooking.
Ingy
nothing a little hot grase and hot temps wont kill 
i dont reall know they may of been okay.
-Aaron
That is a very dangerous situation–next time it happens–continue to fillet them out and then pack the fillets in dry ice and ship them directly to me for proper disposal! 
–Whitey
I have the proper clearence to help you dispose of them Whitey!! 
Can’t get myself to eat them when they look like that. My husband use to say a little extra meat never hurts you. I just don’t want the extra meat. Seems that if you catch them in deep fast moving waters they don’t have them. But in the more shallow ares is where they do have.
Its a 2 course meal! thier nothing to worry about.
I found this on the IA DNR site under farm ponds.
Click on attachment above
JIM
I don’t have a problem with the “pepper flukes” unless they are really bad. You’ll see them in Northerns too. But the yellow grub is another story. Call me weak, but when you can hold a fillet up to the light as see a little worm wiggling around…well, I don’t care how good for you or well cooked you make your fish…I’m having hamburger! Yuck!
Flavor crystals. How funny. As long as I don’t tell my wife about them before we eat there’s no problem.
That is so true Rock!
Because the perch feed in the shallow around Cutfoot they are all wormy. Once you get into Winni…I don’t recall ever seeing a grub.
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