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[dufflayer]

Last night I was doing some ultralight shore casting and managed to hook in to a nice Brook Trout. I tired the fish out pretty good so I opted to retain it. Upon cutting it open I was surprised to find a number of growths on it's organs. The best way I can describe these is; groups of small (4mm) off-white "cysts" attached all over the intestines, liver, stomach, etc... There was nothing in the gills or meat. The fish seemed healthy aside from an uncommonly strong "fishy" smell.
I was hoping someone here might be able to explain what's going on with this fish. Parasite? Infection? Just a fatty?
I have a few images here: http://imgur.com/a/g2T2Q

Thanks!

[Long_Cast]

The result of stress and pollution?

[dufflayer]

The result of stress and pollution?

Those are safe bets, but as far as I know those aren't factors that strongly affect this lake. I caught this fish from Gantahaz Lake (several minutes North of Mackenzie). And while it is directly adjacent to the Williston Reservoir, I don't believe interacts with that system. Air pollution from the Mackenzie Pulp Mill or the paved road ~120m to the east could be factors, but no more than any other lake...

As far as pressure. This lake isn't very popular. It doesn’t have the greatest reputation for high yields so most locals opt for other lakes around town. It gets fairly constant pressure on the weekends during ice fishing season, but not nearly as much as the other lakes around town. People mostly just go there hoping to catch Brookies, which have been stocked there regularly since 1976.

I have heard the usual accounts of people saying these fish can taste "muddy" or "there's no goddamn fish in that lake".

[Every Day]

Most of the pictures are somewhat out of focus or on a poor background to be able to tell.
The last photo looks like there may be a worm on the left side.

Most times, a cyst containing a parasite or worm will be hard, and filled with fluid if popped.
The other ones I have seen will be disc shaped and will look kind of like a snail shell (a coiled worm).

I'd say, if it is a parasite, the most likely candidate would be a tapeworm infection.

You could also look through this:
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1029&context=zoonoticspub

[dufflayer]

Most of the pictures are somewhat out of focus or on a poor background to be able to tell.
The last photo looks like there may be a worm on the left side.

Most times, a cyst containing a parasite or worm will be hard, and filled with fluid if popped.
The other ones I have seen will be disc shaped and will look kind of like a snail shell (a coiled worm).

I'd say, if it is a parasite, the most likely candidate would be a tapeworm infection.

You could also look through this:
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1029&context=zoonoticspub

Thanks for the help. It looks consistent with Diphyllobothrium larvae. Almost identical. The old timers I spoke to this weekend say that this fish will likely taste lousy. We'll see after I run it through the smoker.

And I'm quite aware that the photos are of negligible quality. I'm a fisherman, not photographer.