# Some spec myths dispelled



## TCGrimsley (Apr 10, 2009)

Okay, a few weeks ago there was a post about some worm issues with spec's, which is just all to common. I have been fishing the flats here in Florida my whole life. If they don't have loc-jaw from a weather shift(barometric pressure change), or a sudden drop in salinity due to alot of rain, then I can generally find them. Okay, alot of fish are infected with shark tape worm larvae, and they are not harmful to us. It is a mind over matter type thing. Imagine if you will that you are sitting in a restaurant, and they serve you fried fish, do you not think that just maybe there is a worm in there? Okay, well myth one: the reason that they get infected with worms is simple; salinity. A fish out of the sound, or out of the shoals in the Gulf towards Carrabelle, will have more worms on average than a fish pulled out of the mouth of a river or in bayou. There is more salinity in the sound due to the fact that there is no fresh water being dumped in the sound unless there has been a hard month of rain, so more worms. Myth two: attached are two pictures of the only good keeper spec that I caught yesterday. In picture one, he has two teeth. In the previous post, it was brought up that if there is two teeth in the mouth, less of a chance of worms. So this brings us to picture two. I pulled out 7 worms out of his flesh... MMMM! I would have posted this earlier, but the bearings in my axle decided that they liked being outside of the hub than inside, and made their escape, so, new hubs, new axle, (thanks to Rocky's trailer, which built the new axle in 15 minutes!), new bearings, and one new tire, I am finally able to go fish again! I can tell you one thing, if it's got worms, find the head, and do some surgery. The worms will pull out easily, and if they catch, just slowly and carefully cut the meat around the catch and voila, a 90% worm free fish. Also while I am on the subject, some of the worms have yet to develop coloration, and they will be almost clear, and hard to spot. Just don't tell the miss that they are in them, and fry them up, the worms will disappear once that hot grease hits them. Sorry for the small pics, the camera phone takes tiny pics......










Good luck and great fishing!


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## User6882 (Feb 4, 2009)

good job bro.. can u actually tell a texture difference in the fish and a worm?


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## JoeZ (Sep 30, 2007)

> *BigBrandon89 (10/3/2009)*good job bro.. can u actually tell a texture difference in the fish and a worm?


Not really. If you get a small bite that is mostly worm, you might. usually though you never notice them.


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## User6882 (Feb 4, 2009)

yea its just one of those "out of sight, out of mind" things


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## Drew Mixon (Oct 4, 2007)

rules to a happy life.....

dont think about worms in trout.

dont think about what a shrimp or crab eats.

dont think about whats inside a raw oyster.

dont ask whats in a hot dog. 

have another beerand be happy.

cheers.

drew


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## Dylan (Apr 15, 2008)

:letsdrink to that


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## User6882 (Feb 4, 2009)

:letsdrink


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## bwhite55 (Oct 13, 2007)

i never knew about specs having worms. i've caught lots of specs and never noticed a worm. what are the worms that are harmful to us?


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## sumnat2 (Jul 8, 2009)

The worms actually come from the shrimp they eat. The shrimp carries the worm and it passes on when the spec eats the shrimp. A lot of the times bigger specs will not have worms because they eat more fish because they require more protein which they get from the fish oil. Hope this helps.


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## bwhite55 (Oct 13, 2007)

fish oil is a source of fat not protein, the fish meat is a source of protein, and fish have more protein(and omega 3's) than shrimp....but i think both of them are mighty tasty.


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## bond007 (Jun 16, 2009)

Thanks for the info...:usaflag


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## -- Saints Domination -- (Jun 24, 2008)

> *TCGrimsley (10/2/2009)*Okay, a few weeks ago there was a post about some worm issues with spec's, which is just all to common. I have been fishing the flats here in Florida my whole life. If they don't have loc-jaw from a weather shift(barometric pressure change), or a sudden drop in salinity due to alot of rain, then I can generally find them. Okay, alot of fish are infected with shark tape worm larvae, and they are not harmful to us. It is a mind over matter type thing. Imagine if you will that you are sitting in a restaurant, and they serve you fried fish, do you not think that just maybe there is a worm in there? Okay, well myth one: the reason that they get infected with worms is simple; salinity. A fish out of the sound, or out of the shoals in the Gulf towards Carrabelle, will have more worms on average than a fish pulled out of the mouth of a river or in bayou. There is more salinity in the sound due to the fact that there is no fresh water being dumped in the sound unless there has been a hard month of rain, so more worms. Myth two: attached are two pictures of the only good keeper spec that I caught yesterday. In picture one, he has two teeth. In the previous post, it was brought up that if there is two teeth in the mouth, less of a chance of worms. So this brings us to picture two. I pulled out 7 worms out of his flesh... MMMM! I would have posted this earlier, but the bearings in my axle decided that they liked being outside of the hub than inside, and made their escape, so, new hubs, new axle, (thanks to Rocky's trailer, which built the new axle in 15 minutes!), new bearings, and one new tire, I am finally able to go fish again! I can tell you one thing, if it's got worms, find the head, and do some surgery. The worms will pull out easily, and if they catch, just slowly and carefully cut the meat around the catch and voila, a 90% worm free fish. Also while I am on the subject, some of the worms have yet to develop coloration, and they will be almost clear, and hard to spot. Just don't tell the miss that they are in them, and fry them up, the worms will disappear once that hot grease hits them. Sorry for the small pics, the camera phone takes tiny pics......
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Interesting observations! :letsdrink


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