Arkansas river crappie

[Charlie R]

I recently caught a mess of crappie near Tar Camp on the arkansas river, while filleting I noticed a little red ball in the fillets, I cut into it and there was a small red worm about 1 1/2" long when stretched out and about the thickness of 20lb mono, was wondering If anyone else had seen these parasites.

[DRPEPPER]

There was a discussion about this a few weeks ago on the main board. I think the final tally was cut them out and fry the rest. I have seen these in bream and black bass but never crappie.
Welcome aboard
DP

[ceb]

Hey Charlie, I have seen quite a few of these in crappie on the AR river and elsewhere. I find the majority in black crappie, but I have seen some in the whites on the AR river. Like DP said, I just cut out that section and fry the rest.

[flyflinger]

I think we get the same worms in small mouth in Crooked Creek. They are ugly but they tell me not harmful. Just cut em out and cook em up. But sometimes there are so many in the small mouth they are hanging out of their gills, so these go back in the creek. BTW crappie minnows are deadly on the small mouth in Crooked Creek. Just float the under a slip cork in the current or around the edges of the bolders. But watch out for the snakes. We went the other day with our granddaughter and saw 5 in just under an hour. Only water snakes, but any snake is not welcome to my wife. She flint rocked em.