Can Stripers get bugs?

[HURRICANEBOB]

Was just surfing for some biology type info on Stripers and their habitate and ran into this nasty little bit of info. Weird looking little deals that TN and AR have seen in bass of all types. Just wondered if anybody has ever seen them first hand.

Cause can be IAW articles bad water quality, low oxygen, and seems these little bugs can cause fish kills in larger fish. Probably something good for an angler to be aware of, especially as from what I read, they can accidentally migrate from one body of water to another. So it would be good to know what they are to help prevent that.

Articles I found were: (Disclaimer-don't click if you just ate lunch, these things are GROOOOOSSSSSS.)

http://www.arkansasstripers.com/stri...h-copepods.htm

http://www.tnfish.org/FishDiseasesPa...Negus_TWRA.htm

[DJD]

Yep pretty nasty looking critters. I know they said not harmful to humans but I wouldnt eat a fish with these things in the mouth.

[HURRICANEBOB]

I know for sure I'm going to be watching what I catch. Sure hope these things can't swim upstream from Tennessee? Do Tennessee Stripers make it up to Wolfe Creek Dam?

[Olgrey]

Your basic answer about stripers swimming upstream to Wolf Creek Dam is, yes. Of course they swim upstream to the dam and back downstream into Tennessee.

[bassin_bug]

We have caught both stripers and smallmouth bass with "worms" in them. I don't know if that's what you are referring to. They were red spots in the flesh and when we opened it with a knife, each spot had a worm in it. The smallmouth had lots of them along the spine.

[HURRICANEBOB]

We have caught both stripers and smallmouth bass with "worms" in them. I don't know if that's what you are referring to. They were red spots in the flesh and when we opened it with a knife, each spot had a worm in it. The smallmouth had lots of them along the spine.

Good info, will watch for that too. Was wondering more about the little critters pictured at the links.

[bassin_bug]

Good info, will watch for that too. Was wondering more about the little critters pictured at the links.

That looks like my ex-husband's mouth. Now I know why he flapped his tongue so much. lol

All BS aside, that's enough to make fishermen stop kissing their fish. I fished Cherokee Lake for about 15 years and saw several critters but nothing like those things. They look like something that would come out of stagnant water.

My husband's brother-in-law fishes the Cumberland River. I will ask him if he has seen those critters in any of the fish he has caught.