Handling Catfish

[Oldtyme]

I searched & couldn't find anything regarding this, but I remember being told to be extra careful with cats as they can "sting" you.

I've been lucky enough to start catching a few & when I do it looks like I'm operating on the fish, a pair of needle nose in one hand & hemostats in the other.

I try to be extra careful not to hurt the fish as I don't keep them, but don't want to hurt myself in the process.

I see those people "noodling" cats & wonder how they get away with not getting hurt.

So. How do you handle these beasts without getting hurt?

Thanks.

[hanson]

Good to hear your having some luck Oldtyme.

Contrary to popular belief, catfish will NOT sting you. The 'spines' are on the leading edge of the pectoral & dorsal fins so there are 3 pointy things that you want to look out for. They don't sting but they don't feel real good either if he gets you with one.

The fish these guys are 'noodling' are flathead catfish. You can grab them by the lower jaw with no problem. They have a couple sandpaper like pads on the jaw that will rub you up a little bit.

On the other hand, you want to stear clear of the mouth of a channel catfish. They don't have teeth but they have a very powerful bite. I like to grab the smaller ones from the belly and slide my thumb & forefinger up under each of the pectoral fins. You can control the fish pretty easily like this. The bigger channel cats you have to grab under the gillplate & hold on good since they like to flop & roll.

I'm sure you are also getting into blue cats down there. Handle them in a similar manner to a channel cat.

Cats are nothing to be scared of, they can just be a bugger to hold onto at times when they want to roll. Powerful fish, thats for sure.

[Dennis Steele]

Only the small channel cats, up to 2lbs or so will sting you.

When cats get a little older their "madtoms" (the serated pectoral fins) wear off and won't sting anymore.

I can't say that I have ever been stung by a flathead cat. Heck I don't even know if they are cabable of doing it. But then again its very rare that you catch a small flathead.

Flatheads you can grab by the lower lip. You stick your hand in their mouth and they have a built in handle made of cartilage on the lower lip. Smaller fish, up to about 15lbs have a thousands of tiny little teeth that are like sand paper and will rub a little skin off it you don'thold on tight. Larger fish's teeth become dull and there isn't much to worry about then.

Channel cats are a bit different. They have thousands of little teeth on pads in thier mouth as well but are a little longer and sharper. Best not to stick your hand in a channel cats mouth.

I typically hold an average sized channel by placeng my hand underneath the belly and sliding up untill your are just under the pectoral fins.

If I get a big channel, then I also support the tail with my other hand as well.

Small fish are best grabbed across the back just behing the head.

One thing you should never do is lift a catfish by its tail.This stretches their vertibrae and can cause some real damage to the fish.

[Oldtyme]

Thanks for the help.

I'd say what I've been catching are channel catfish as they have the strongest mouths I've seen in a fish. They've all been smaller than 2lbs & are mostly head & a small body

I think I'll be safe & get myself a pair of catfish gloves to take along from now on.

(and yes.... thanks to everyones help before, I am finally catching them)

[icehousebob]

Dennis and Cris,

I was sitting here with a beverage and your entries about handling cats made me think about Blue Ridge Mountain religions that test their faith by handling snakes. You could start your own religion centering on the handling of cats. When the spouse wants you to mow the lawn or take out the garbage, you could say, Sorry but I have to go to the river and test my faith. If you organize it right, all your fishing equipment would be tax deductable. And if the consuming of malted beverages was part of the ceremonies, that would also be deductable. The mind boggles at the possibilities.

[Dennis Steele]

Well....

Catching a monster cat, can be much like a religious experience!

and...

Sticking your hand in that monster cat does test your faith!

[anordqu42]

Boy, I wish I had read this post last week! Having caught very few channel cats in the past, I figured I'd just lip a 5'lber caught on Saturday, just like I see the guys in the posted pics. Not a smart thing! No major damage, but it felt like someone doing a snake-bite with sandpaper on my thumb!! I guess I should have noted that there were only flatheads in those pics.

Can't wait to hook into a much bigger fish!

[so haaad]

The cats on the Shoe don't bite, they just bark! Bring on the ice...

[Guest]

Oldtyme.. big head and a small body.. you are probably catching bullheads.. yes, they have sharp fins on them and can puncture you. You can grab them around the body letting the pectoral fins slip between a couple fingers. A bit of practice and you wont get poked too often(still happens).

The large bullheads you most definately want to keep your fingers out of the mouth or people within a 1/4 mile of you are going to hear you scream.

Channel cats under 2 pounds usually have a blue/purple tint to them and sometimes black dots, and a longer streamline body.... and a deeply forked tail. Bullheads will be black or brown in color and have a white or yellow belly... and have a giant head on a stocky shorter body(usually under 12" long).

[Oldtyme]

AHHH. Thanks Guy. I'm new to the catfish world, you're probably right. The ones I catch are dark in color.

I guess the cat I caught last year was a channel as I was amazed at how "blue" he was.

CPR (click for big picture)

Sooo.. That's a channel cat?

He looks nothing like what I catch from the river.

[hanson]

That there is a Channel Cat in your photo Oldtyme.

After a few more, you won't be needing that glove to handle them anymore.

[fiskyknut]

Yepper Oldtyme that be a Channel Catfish in that pic, YUM that's the good eating size too, wish I could catch'em that small!

Couple things in regards to handling Channels....

As mentioned don't get your fingers in the mouth of the big ones they can squeeze down hard, been there done that. Gloves help.

Iffin you are gonna grip them smaller ones as 'that guy' mentions with a finger or 2 behind their pecs be very careful when tossing them back, the back edge of those pectoral fins on a smallish Channel Cat are near razor sharp and kinda serrated and can rip a finger wide open. Been there done that with a nice scar to prove it!

When I hold a big channel their is a kind of slot up in the gill plate area up towards their lower jaw you can get a firm grip on for pics and unhooking, does no harm and kind of immobilizes them a bit. careful though if a finger slips up too far you can get a vice like squeezing effect on finger tip that really hurts too!

fiskyknut

[Oldtyme]

Thanks guys.

I caught that fish last year at a lake in about 30 feet of water on a fuzz-e grub/leech of all things. (was actually fishing for walleye)

I'm a glutton for punishment & was fishing with my ultralight panfish gear

He was a fun fight & as far as I know, is still swimming.

Maybe I should think about going back to that lake & shooting for some catfish eh?

Again, thanks for all the help on the matter. I will still be careful but not be as afraid of them.

I'm going out tonight as soon as I hit "Continue"

[jeff042479]

I wish I would have read this before I went out last night, but now I have a nice little cut on my thumb from a careless release. I didn't know that the edge of the pectoral fins were sharp, but I sure believe it now, and yes, the serrated edge makes it more of a tear than a cut. Battle wounds add character.