BSmaster

I got this off the PFBC site. They explain it well. Yellow grub Your description suggests you observed encysted metacercariae larval stage of the yellow grub (Clinostomum) parasite. The encysted, yellow to yellowish white worm can be up to 1/4 inch in length. It can be found in virtually all species of North American freshwater fish. The yellow grub is a digenetic trematode. These types of parasites require several hosts to complete their life cycles. In the case of the yellow grub, the adult parasite is found in the throats of fish eating birds, such as herons. During the feeding process, eggs produced by the adults are washed out of the bird's mouth and into the water. There they hatch, yielding a free swimming larval stage (miracidia) that will die within several hours if it does not find and infect a snail of the genus Helisoma. After further development within the snail, a free swimming cercaria leaves the snail and seeks a fish host. The cercariae burrow through the skin of the fish and encyst, where they develop into the metacercariae. These yellow grubs may live several years in the fish. If the fish is eaten by the bird host the larval metacercariae will develop into adult parasites, completing the life cycle. Infestations by a few individuals likely cause little harm to fish, however, under certain circumstances, heavy infestations can kill fish. Yellow grubs are described as unsightly by fishermen. A related species occurring in Asia has been found to infect the upper respiratory tract of humans. Thorough cooking kills the North American yellow grub and the parasite does not alter the flavor or the infected fish; however, fish with heavy infestations are typically not eaten by anglers. Infestation is somewhat greater for fish caught in shallow water where snails and fish eating birds are most prevalent. Fish caught from deep water typically exhibit less infestation. Like many biological phenomenon, prevalence of the grub may be greater in some years and less in others for a variety of reasons including an abundance of intermediate host mollusks and birds. Black spots Black spot disease is commonly observed in rock bass and other sunfish, bass, pike, perch, minnows, and other fish species. It can be identified by the presence of small black spots, usually about the size of a pin head, in the skin, the fins, the musculature, and the mouth of the fish. The black spots are caused by pigment that the fish deposits around the larval stage of a parasitic digenetic trematode, usually a Neascus spp. The lifecycle of the "black spot" parasite is complex. The adult parasite is found in a fish eating bird, the kingfisher. The larval parasite is transferred from the infected fish to the bird during the feeding process. In the kingfisher, the larval stage develops into an adult parasite. The adult parasite in the intestine of the bird produces eggs that are eventually deposited in the water. There the eggs mature, hatch, and develop into the miracidium stage of the parasite. The miracidium infects a snail. In the snail, the miracidium develops into the cercaria life stage. The cercaria leaves the snail and actively penetrates a host fish. In the fish, the parasite becomes encysted. In about 22 days, black spots form around the cyst. This entire lifecycle takes at least 112 days to complete. In general, the presence of the "black spot" parasite does not affect the growth or the longevity of the infected fish; however massive infections in young fish may cause fish mortality. The parasite is incapable of infecting humans and, as is the case with all fish parasites, it is destroyed by thorough cooking. When fish are heavily infected, some anglers prefer to remove the skin to improve the appearance of the cooked fish.

True Les, & I don't care how big the boat is. If you start feeling like a bobber you probably should come back in.

That's amazing. I launched out of the south end last week and the water was so clear it looked like you could drink it. How are Conesus and Honeoye making out? These two usually get it.

Agreed. I don't troll so when I have to stop fishing and ask people to back off a little just so I can cast or drift through you know they are right on you. They see you boating fish and they can't help themselves. I tell them what I am using when they ask but I bet they still don't have the patience for it. It is not just the what but the how. Everybody wants to break into the 10% and it is human nature to think the other guy has it better.

Are these the same water chestnuts they stick in the those frozen vegetable bags? I hate those things. They look like potatoes but their texture is terrible.

I couldn't find the thread. Someone was just griping about the cost of their sportsman license and tags. I would like to add that Cuomo is pimping out the state land for logging too. Money has to come from somewhere. I would love to see how the state is budgetting this fund. How much is transferred to social programs? How much is spent on state parks, boat launches etc... I agree with the playground - it does look nice.

I thought the reaction bite was pretty subpar there. If you want to catch fish bring some worms and catch panfish/gobies. I thought it was a good place to finesse fish, however, I had to do this in deep water (~20-30'). finesse fishing generally requires less weight to get the plastics down and the deeper you go the harder it is. I got pretty proficient at throwing a fluke lightly weighted and then throwing a worm also lighted weighted and alternating the two. By doing this with two rods I was able to work the depths back to the boat and still keep my hands on a rod at all times. A lot of fisherman do not have the patience to let a soft plastic sink that deep that is why alternating allowed me to cover more water. The largemouth were in areas where i would expect smallies and they were also very chrome. To this date the biggest pike I ever had on my line was in that bay and I didn't even come close to landing it but she let me see her and thats better than not knowing. To answer your question - there are fish in IROQ bay - you may just need to slow down some. BTW, I only use my fish finder for depth - never for finding fish. Keep at it and good luck. I take good skunking every now and then but even that is still a good day...

Carp Fans - Hemlock is loaded with them.