I kept a small one this spring. I thought there wouldn’t be any worms in it since it was small…wrong!
I tried to clean it but the more I looked at the worms the more I knew I would never be able to eat that crap.
We used to eat them all the time out of the gulf and even from a charter in Daytona many years ago but I don’t want it anymore. I’m like Sells, there’s too many good fish out there too eat.
I won’t eat anything I find worms in. I’ve found worms in deer while cleaning them. Can’t eat it at that point. I hate to waste but I’ll trash it if I can’t give it away. Or use the carcass to hunt coyotes over.
I have also seen worms in strippers caught in the Tail Race. After fileting 3 of the six and put them skin side down I saw them wiggling out of the meat on all of the filets. Needless to say, they all went in the trash, so all strippers I catch now get released! Of course, I could always cut around the worms and eat the rest…NOT!
I would toss one if I found it totally infested. I guess what I am saying is that in the gulf, the majority have no worms. As for here, I have found some with no worms, and most with worms in the lower tail section. I purposely cut into, and probed the other parts to ensure no other infestation. Cutting them out and keeping good meat doesnt gross me out because I have seen them in many other species including trout and black drum. I will say this…if you took the worms out of the equation, you would prefer AJ’S over many fish that you keep and eat now.
I would toss one if I found it totally infested. I guess what I am saying is that in the gulf, the majority have no worms. As for here, I have found some with no worms, and most with worms in the lower tail section. I purposely cut into, and probed the other parts to ensure no other infestation. Cutting them out and keeping good meat doesnt gross me out because I have seen them in many other species including trout and black drum. I will say this…if you took the worms out of the equation, you would prefer AJ’S over many fish that you keep and eat now.
