Couple brookies, Finally a little pay-off

We’ve been doing a few day trips this year. Success has been spotty at best. My daughters been a real trooper and she’s been enjoying our portages and even powering through hours of portaging and bugs, and some bushwhacking off trail stuff. This past Saturday we hit up a stocked lake to try and catch a few rather than go for size. I struggled to even get a hit, while she managed to catch a couple and lose a couple more. Lots of mosquitoes and even deer flies…is it just me or are they about a month early this year?

After catching her second speck, my daughter says she wants to learn to fillet it. She’s doing it, as I help with knife holding/angles etc explanation. Then her favourite part as always…”let’s cut the stomach open to see what he’s been eating”

….never have I seen what came next. It looked like grass, or weeds or something- stomach was packed full. A minnow or two…wait…these weeds are moving….Ewwwww…. worms? Some kind of tape worm or stomach parasite? Needless to say she was pretty grossed out, on the first fish she ever filleted.


A couple weeks ago…cold start to the day…

Perfectly still lake upon arrival…cold walk, but it kept the bugs to a minimum

Only fish of the day that day…

Trooper….through bugs and rocks and roots and fish-less days…still a positive tripping partner

Nice trip Drew and one is better then nothing.

Saturday, we left home early and saw deer, turkeys, moose, loons, walking sticks, minnows, frogs, foxes, and bugs, bugs, bugs.
A few fishless hours go by, and finally my daughter gets a little speck that gives her a good battle, and she is instantly transformed into the best fisher in Ontario…spirits were high..a lot of fishless hours finally payed off for her.

This dace-looking bait got all the interest Saturday…

A couple hours later..her biggest brookie to date…

Parasites….over the years I’ve caught many many fish from this lake…never seen this here or anywhere else before

These were 1/2 to 2” long and up to the thickness of a pencil lead. A couple hundred of them I would guess. Best I can estimate is cod-worm? Can anyone offer more insight?

These worms were in a sort-of slime..? Maybe their own waste? Only inside the stomach itself, and nowhere else.
Anyway…after some online investigation, about causes/safety/etc. we had the fish for dinner last night and was great… the fillets were totally normal and were unaffected and delicious.

"Then her favourite part as always…”let’s cut the stomach open to see what he’s been eating”

Love it!!!


A whole lot better than--eeeeew!!

As I see it, a trip into country like that is a B+ or maybe an A- minus w/o any fish.Fish gives it an A+.

Totally enjoyed your report. I am not a worm expert, I wish I could help.

Great report Drew and a little jealous nice catch i have not been able to get on the water the last couple of weeks due to the weather and other odd jobs the wife has me doing hoping to be out this saturday catching brookies !!!

nice fish of course, but what a great time being out with your daughter. She is a trooper.

In the stomach I wouldn’t question it with meat like that. If they were in around the organs, or the meat itself, then I’d question it. Small white worm on a slip float? Or spaghetti lol