catfish

[Joe00044]

I haven't fished much, but for fish like brim, I just hold them with my hand and pull out the hook, but what do you do for catfish? I've heard that they can stab you or something...what is that all about, and how do you get them off a hook safely?

[One More Time]

Grab them with your thumb on one side of the head just behind the horn and your first finger on the other side just behind the horn. Let the palm of your hand press the horn on its back down. Hold them TIGHT. If you let go, you will probably get horned...... Once you commit, you have to do it....LOL!

[Hartski]

I've heard that they can stab you or something...


Where do you live that the fish carry knives??:eek:













:D

[Joe00044]

Where do you live that the fish carry knives??:eek:

:D

No, don't they have some sharp fins? I was fishing once and this guy pulled something off of a catfish and stabbed it into the wood...Im not sure what it was because it was a long time ago.

[One More Time]

Their fins are very sharp, very strong, bones. They sting and hurt like hell when you get stuck with one.

[Joe00044]

Their fins are very sharp, very strong, bones. They sting and hurt like hell when you get stuck with one.

Yeah, that's what I thought, so I wasn't too sure on how to take out hooks once you catch them without getting stuck by the fish.

[Thordic]

there bones are so hard, thats why its so hard to clean a catfish

[One More Time]

Yeah, that's what I thought, so I wasn't too sure on how to take out hooks once you catch them without getting stuck by the fish.


Just hold on to them like I said in my first post... and remember once you commit, don't let go and just leave your hand there. If they decide to wiggle around you could get stuck.

[Nainoa]

I haven't fished much, but for fish like brim, I just hold them with my hand and pull out the hook, but what do you do for catfish? I've heard that they can stab you or something...what is that all about, and how do you get them off a hook safely?

I catch cat fish for fun this time of year, as Walleye season hasn't opened yet (May 13th)... And there's a huge lake chain near by that is loaded with Catfish...

You can catch them about 1 fish every half hour, completely on accident... So I've gotten really good at just using a pliers and a surgical clamp...

I just hold him by the bottom lip with the pliers, and then remove the hook with the surgical clamp.

***

If I get into too much trouble then I'll put him on the deck of the boat, and pin him under my boot.

***
My buddy once was a retard... We were catching a lot of bullheads in one spot... He makes a crack like "Goddam it... I swear if I catch another bullhead I'm gonna stop it's skull."

He hadn't even gotten done pronouncing the last "L" in "Skull" when he had a fish... Sure enough it was a bullhead... True to his word he dropped it on the deck, and stomped on it...

Brains exploded everywhere... And then he started screaming... The fish had landed on it's side he impaled the pectoral horn right through his boot into his foot...

He had a giant infected wound that took weeks to heal properly!

[One More Time]

I catch cat fish for fun this time of year, as Walleye season hasn't opened yet (May 13th)... And there's a huge lake chain near by that is loaded with Catfish...

You can catch them about 1 fish every half hour, completely on accident... So I've gotten really good at just using a pliers and a surgical clamp...

I just hold him by the bottom lip with the pliers, and then remove the hook with the surgical clamp.

***

If I get into too much trouble then I'll put him on the deck of the boat, and pin him under my boot.

***
My buddy once was a retard... We were catching a lot of bullheads in one spot... He makes a crack like "Goddam it... I swear if I catch another bullhead I'm gonna stop it's skull."

He hadn't even gotten done pronouncing the last "L" in "Skull" when he had a fish... Sure enough it was a bullhead... True to his word he dropped it on the deck, and stomped on it...

Brains exploded everywhere... And then he started screaming... The fish had landed on it's side he impaled the pectoral horn right through his boot into his foot...

He had a giant infected wound that took weeks to heal properly!


I was gonna say you better watch putting them under your feet but the rest of your post covered it....OUCH!

[F2.]

if you get poked by 1 i do believe they leave a little poison in the wound so it might hurt a little.

[Joe00044]

Well i just got back and caught 1 within about 5 minutes of casting. I caught 3 more in about 1.5 hours, but all of them were no bigger than 3". I managed to get them off without getting stabbed...thanks for all the help.

[AnimalOnly]

I just step on the little bastards so they can't move while I take the hook out.

[joshp214]

He had a giant infected wound that took weeks to heal properly!


PWNT!

[Nainoa]

if you get poked by 1 i do believe they leave a little poison in the wound so it might hurt a little.

LOL!

No there's no poison...

What happens, like with my buddy who got poked in the story above... Is that Catfish, like all fish, have a great deal of bacteria on their scales/skin... And when it stabs you, it leaves a "Dirty Wound" which often gets infected...

[Nainoa]

Well i just got back and caught 1 within about 5 minutes of casting. I caught 3 more in about 1.5 hours, but all of them were no bigger than 3". I managed to get them off without getting stabbed...thanks for all the help.

What were you using for bait?

Two things that have shown me success in the past...

1. Using Stink bait... Just go to a Pro-Shop, and you'll find it... Looks like rounded little cubes, that smell like rotting catfood. The big bastards go crazy for it, and the scent draws them from a distance.

2. Cut Bait... I'm not sure what the laws are for Cut Bait in your state, so check into them first... But what a lot of guys do, is set up with crawlers, and catch a few suckers, or bullheads... Kill them... Chop them into 3-4" pieces, and use those pieces as bait.

***

Those are the top two ways I've found to catch "The Bigger Cats" Rather than the dinks.

[Joe00044]

What were you using for bait?




I was just using some nightcrawlers

[Nainoa]

I was just using some nightcrawlers

While a pinched crawler will get you some fish, you'll do better, and get size with Stinkbait...
Berkley Gulp (Chicken Liver) is where I've had the most success.

OR... With Crawlers... Catch a small bullhead or sucker, and use it as cut bait like I discussed above.

***
This weekend if the weather permits (Looking like it doesn't want to) I'm going "Garden Fishing" for Cats... You can keep 5 a man here in MN... So I'm going to go with my two buddys, and see if we can pull in 15 Cats... Then Burry them in the garden for fertilizer!