Wormy Catfish?

[mmason]

Was out fishing for pike with my son earlier this evening not far from a few other folks who were catfishing - we were chatting with another fella for a bit who was watching the cat fish come out of he river who said he never fished catfish because the meat is wormy.

Having never fished for catfish the question is, is he right? Or did he catch some that were and assume that all of them are?

[JasonT]

I've never seen a wormy catfish but I've had wormy bass from Mer Blue about 8 years ago in mid-late august.

[Daner]

Hi;
Catfish do feed off the bottom,
and Channel catfish do have spots.
http://fish.dnr.cornell.edu/nyfish/Icta ... atfish.jpg
Yes there is a chance that they catfish could have worms if they are feeding in a swallow pond or such, but no
as a rule they do not have worms!
By the way, there is a particular way to clean and then cook them. Tasty, yes!!!
Daner

[JasonT]

By the way, there is a particular way to clean and then cook them. Tasty, yes!!!
Daner

this one's tasteh!



yum!

[Daner]

Yum!
Good response and thank you, cause now we can hit the Ottawa hard and clean the over load
of Catfish!
Daner

[mmason]

Thanks for the replies, and I'll not be hesitant to try that Crispy Texas recipes.

[Doug]

I cannot count the number of times I have heard people say that such-and-such a fish is wormy and therefore they do not eat it.

I have never seen a wormy catfish, but believe that it could happen, no reason why not.

If I catch (and keep) a fish that has worms in the fillet, I just pick the worms out with the tip of my filleting knife. Worms are a parasite in fish, but not in humans, and once the fish is cooked, any worms that are missed are dead and pose zero threat to human health. Yes there is an "ick" factor, but the person who does the filleting is under no obligation to disclose the fact that he/she saw any worms in the fillets!

As I said in another post, I am not certain that I would be eating catfish (bullheads) this late in the spring, but if they come out of cold water they should be fine.

Doug

[mmason]

I am not certain that I would be eating catfish (bullheads) this late in the spring, but if they come out of cold water they should be fine.
Doug

Thanks, but that leads to another new to southern fishing question why shouldn't I be eating them if the water is warm? Would the Ottawa River be generally cold enough all summer long? Or should I avoid them after a certain time of year?

[Doug]

I am not certain that I would be eating catfish (bullheads) this late in the spring, but if they come out of cold water they should be fine.
Doug

Thanks, but that leads to another new to southern fishing question why shouldn't I be eating them if the water is warm? Would the Ottawa River be generally cold enough all summer long? Or should I avoid them after a certain time of year?

It is not a matter of whether one "should" eat them. Catfish are bottom-feeders, and I find that their flesh is less firm and has an "off" taste when they come out of warm water. This is just a personal observation, and one which I have not confirmed in many years. If we look to the southern USA, for example, where water temperatures are almost certainly higher than ours, many folks eat catfish whenever they catch them. I believe that most of the catfish being consumed are species other than bullheads, but have no personal experience with them.

So I guess the answer is, try them and see. (and please let me know the results!)

Doug

[Pints]

Yum!
Good response and thank you, cause now we can hit the Ottawa hard and clean the over load
of Catfish!
Daner

Don't forget, on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River there is a limit of 12 with a Sportfishing license, and 6 with a Conservation license for Channel Cats.

[scarkner]

I have cleaned about a dozen Catfish from the Ottawa River in the last 2 weeks, not a single worm, tumor or parasite.
They did have a few black spots on them, but it was NOT "black spot" parasite like you get in Bass. These spots appeared to be just coloring since they came off completely with the skin, no marks on the meat. I find that Black Spot on Bass and other fish usually leaves black on the meat too.

With respect to worms, I have eaten bass and pike that had a couple worms and as the earlier poster said, I just dig them out with a knife if there are only a few, meat didn't taste any different.

[Doug]

Yum!
Good response and thank you, cause now we can hit the Ottawa hard and clean the over load
of Catfish!
Daner

Don't forget, on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River there is a limit of 12 with a Sportfishing license, and 6 with a Conservation license for Channel Cats.

That is a very good point, and I had not even considered that there might be a limit. I was thinking about bullheads, for which (as far as I know) there is no possession limit. Channel cats, yes, same in FMZ 18 where I live.

And to the best of my recollection, I have never eaten channel cat, but I am certain it would be just fine from clean cold water and properly prepared.

Doug