BigBendFishing.Net

Time for WolfeMan to admit his ignorance on an issue - always a good idea.

Catfish...which ones will spine you and which ones will not? Do all catfish have dangerous bits? I got popped in the knuckle by a sailcat a year or so ago and frankly, never paid much attention to the fresh-water variety...so, what's the deal?

What kind of catfish will get ya and what kind wont?

I've probably caught 3 varieties in my life, and was cautions with all of them - mostly out of ignorance. This seems like a safe place to ask!

Title is misleading as relates to North America species... venomous, yes to varying extents, but in North American species getting spined primarily makes for nasty infected wounds slow to heal.

wolfeman, I don't know of any catfish that will not sting you. I've seen freshwater catfish do a purr, like a cat, and the barbs go righ into another fish. I'd think it would do the same to a human? I've been popped by sailcats twice this year removing the hook. It stings like a bee and draws blood. Need longer needle nose pliers. You can always cut off the barbs before unhooking.

Just be careful!

The flatheads like skitterwalk caught that is in another post will not sting you.

What about blues? This is what I've caught mostly up-river at my mom's place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_catfish

Flatheads must be the catfish the rednecks catch noodling on TV? Wondered what they didn't get stung. Guess I've never caught a flathead?

Handle with care as the spines can cause some painful and even dangerous wounds. SW Georgia friend Joe Ben Cox almost bled to death from small "hardhead" that poked him in the palm and hit a major
vessel. Scary. Always carry a bottle of peroxide to flush the wounds well. The old wives tale of using the slime from the same catfish on a wound appears to be a joke...in my experience. It also opens
yourself to much ridicule when asking fishing partners to get some slime from the fish that just did a number on you!
I'm a believer in ice therapy but for some reason it only causes intense pain to a catfish wound....also in my experience.
One pitiful sight I'll relate: a few seasons ago came into Anky landing one afternoon to see a wife trying to get her husband out of a boat with the help of two more men as he had the
large dorsal spine of a sailcat all the way through his ankle. He was in pitiful shape and they were headed quickly to Perry to hospital. I never heard how the episode ended.
In my boat we make ever effort to dehook them from jigs over the side of the boat by getting the hook engaged with pliers and banging against the rubrail. When they get caught on topwater lures it is often
impossible to accomplish over the side as they get multiple hooks engaged. Care is the operative word!

Sailcat's poison is similar to a stingrays. Soaking in hot water is the only way to help alleviate the pain. Unfortunately it is not readily available out fishing. I took a barb in the palm of my hand by my thumb while kayaking in the harbor. Hurt like hell and still had to paddle all the way back to the opposite shore. I had just lost a nice red while trying to net it and started catching cats every cast after. Got frustrated and in a hurry and just tried to flick a small one off the jig head. Barb got stuck in my hand and after several attempts, had to pull really hard to get out. Always use fish grips or a dehooker.

Based on the responses to this thread I have deduced that it is too dangerous for anyone to be fishing. All of you folks need to give up fishing and take up golf.

Guess who this catfisherman is.

My dad always poured Mathialaid (spelling) on a catfish wound. Burned like heck all get out, but it wasn't near as sore the next day.

I won't even bring em onboard. Cut the line and move on.

http://badnewshughes.blogspot.com/2003/ ... tfish.html

The Flatheads will hurt you too. Always amazed why they don't get nailed on TV filming the noodling shows. I've caught some big ones on the Flint River in Georgia. The one in the picture was 36 pounds. Caught him on a live Bream as big as you hand.
As someone else mentioned, hot water is the best thing for the pain one of these salt water cats can bring. I've been hit by stingrays and hundreds of hard head cats on the flats. One is about as bad as the other.