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As a young man I was stung by a catfish and that memory has stuck with me. I find that I always prefer not catching them but I always do and I manage to get them off the hook without actually handling them.
I catch enough of them that I would rather enjoy it than dread it, gotta get over this fear.
Now after you've had a good laugh I would appreciate any advice on handling them, without the sting lol.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Yes those whiskers can be quite painful. I keep a pair of gloves in my tackle box for such occasions.
The whiskers aren't what sticks you-it's the fins. Small fish are the ones to watch out for-the bigger ones have duller fins.
X2!Quote:
Originally Posted by nccater
Not sure which catfish your referring to, channel, blue, or flathead. As stated above the dorsal and pectoral are the ones you have to watch out for, especially on little fish. The whiskers don't do anything.
It does hurt when getting finned but I was taught years ago by my dad, if I ever got finned to be sure and rub some slime from the fish that finned me over the area that was finned and it won't get sore.
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This right here. I got finned this last weekend and this is what I was always taught. It still hurts but it not as much if you rub the stabbed part on the slime of the fish.Quote:
Originally Posted by Okiefisher
I fish for cats with snelled hooks. Once in the boat I just un-clip the snell from the snap-swivel and toss the fish in the ice filled cooler. I get my hooks back on the cleaning table. That way I don't have to handle them much at all. And when I am cleaning them they don't flop around and gouge my hands like they do in the boat.
A towel will improve your grip on the smaller slimy ones that tend to roll around in your hands. For bigger blues that we keep, we've started using a small gaff in the lower jaw that gives us a lot better control on the larger fish. Properly inserted from inside the mouth through the lower jaw, the fish is no worse the wear for release if so desired and gives you much more control than shoving a gloved hand in their mouth or with the fish grips on larger fish. When targeting larger fish for catch and release we will throw the giant dip net in the boat but it takes up a top of space and can be cumbersome when you're fishing solo.
If you do get stuck and the throbbing pain is unbearable (especially common with saltwater hardhead cats), soak your hand in as hot of water as you can tolerate and the proteins in their slime coat will be neutralized just like a stingray barb laceration. Over the counter ibuprofen is your friend otherwise, so long as you're not allergic or have an intolerance to it.
Squeeze em right behind their stickers from the top .their is a bone that's real easy to locate just behind that bone on each side squeeze with your thumb and index finger clamp down on em they can't move .it paralizes them They can't move
I always grab them from the belly ... thumb under the left fin, and right fin between trigger finger and middle finger. When touched, they generally extend the dorsal and side fins (as protection from being eaten/swallowed) and that gives me something to hold to as I remove the hook(s).
The "belly rub" method of reducing the pain from a puncture wound by a catfish's pectoral fins may work (but may not be the healthiest of methods).
It's probably best to wash the wound & apply an antibacterial ointment, then dress the wound area with a band-aid or gauze. Puncture wounds can get infected easily, so covering the wound with an antibacterial substance & the band-aid or gauze will keep other infecting substances from entering the wound.
Puncture wounds bypass the skin's defense barrier, and may drag infecting substances & bacteria into the tissue underneath. There is, then, a risk of an infection that may need medical or physician treatment. Always watch for swelling, unrelieved pain at the site, or drainage from the wound ... and seek medical help if these things occur.
Great idea but I don't often keep my Cats or any fish for that matter. Now if my wife could convince me to eat more fish that would be great.
I can get em off the hook without even touching them. Im not scared of em and fish for em all the time. I just handle enough of em I dont want slime 2" thick on my hands.
Grab line ABOVE the hook about 12" with finger hanging down vertically with left hand.
Take a small diameter rope (para cord, trotline line...anything).
Wrap it around your fishing line with right hand.
slide para cord down the line to the bend of the hook (that is in the fish's mouth)
Pick up on the paracord while keeping it in the bend of the hook (Raise your right hand directly above your left hand)
Then give a swift jerk upwards with the right hand and the hook will just easily pop out of fish's mouth. Be holding the fish over water and or ice chest and you will never have to touch him at all.
I am right handed
IF LEFT HANDED.....USE OPPOSITE HANDS MENTIONED ABOVE
After reading this it seems like this is too much. I have done my share of commercial fishing and can tell ya, it is the easiest way I have found to even get a hook out PERIOD and you dont even have to touch the fish!!! Litterly I bet I can do it in less than 2 seconds.
I have a couple trotlinning Arkansas videos on youtube if you want a visual. But I did not emphasize that trick but I do it to every fish caught. Disclaimer....I was a high school in the videos and they are not very good hahahahahaha. I was just playing around on youtube.
Search Slade Stroh on youtube and my videos will pop up.
If you get stuck in your boat and it's getting unbearable, fire up your main engine and run your hand under the hot water coming out from your outboard. The hot water will break down the toxin proteins and ease your misery drastically. Used that trick many of times when a client got themselves stuck while guiding saltwater trips.
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in how it is handled? Of course size makes a difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by Redge
Does the type of catfish make a difference
I'm thinking of getting one of the these to reduce the chance of getting stuck.
Berkley Fish Gripper | eBay
Once out of the net, pick up catfish by the hook with pliers, use their weight to dislodge hook by shaking hard, this will dislodge hook. If hook will not come loose, cut line. If you plan to keep fish cut off fins with wire cutting type pliers. This takes his defense system away.
THIS MIGHT be an old thread but I was surprised when nobody said a word about Hand Sanitizer that is almost everywhere. It has some alcohol and other ingredients but it will instantly stop all the Pain and the Puncture will not hurt. even though the thread is old, every one of you that made a post this comes to your E-Mail from CDC
Clip all fins off before putting in cooler .