Taking the idea of “fresh fish” a little too far, a man in Illinois demonstrated recently why it’s a bad idea to put live bluegills in your mouth.

Officials said Woods, who was fishing at the time, was playing with a bluegill in his mouth when it began squirming and lodged itself in his throat Sunday.

Hospital paramedics and the Colchester Rescue Squad rushed to a home near Plymouth which is about 20 miles southwest of Macomb. At the home, they found Woods struggling to breath.

A phone call to authorities indicated Woods was turning blue and coughing up blood.

The four-inch long fish was wedged sideways inside Woods’ throat.

The man survived his close-call with the killer bluegill, but the bluegill did not. So remember kids: Kill that fish before you try to make it a dish!