skekoam Posted March 10, 2020 Posted March 10, 2020 Might sound odd, but one of the most enjoyable parts of catching bass is being able to safely lip them after the catch? Just curious what are some of the other fresh water fish you shouldn't lip due to jaw structure or teeth etc? I know for sure you can't and shouldn't lip a trout. I've seen guys lip cat fish, but never want to try that. Quote
Super User MN Fisher Posted March 10, 2020 Super User Posted March 10, 2020 Walleye Sauger Pickerel Northern Musky All of those have SHARP teeth. 2 Quote
Super User Ratherbfishing Posted March 10, 2020 Super User Posted March 10, 2020 1 minute ago, MN Fisher said: Walleye Sauger Pickerel Northern Musky All of those have SHARP teeth. Add bowfin to this list (unless you just LOVE shredded fingers). Quote
Super User MN Fisher Posted March 10, 2020 Super User Posted March 10, 2020 2 minutes ago, Ratherbfishing said: Add bowfin to this list (unless you just LOVE shredded fingers). Never caught a Bowfin, so no experience. Quote
Finessegenics Posted March 10, 2020 Posted March 10, 2020 Catfish have sand paper teeth, sort of like bass. But I’ve tried lipping a few and sometimes they clamp down on your fingers and it honestly really hurts. They have strong jaws. 7 Quote
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted March 10, 2020 Global Moderator Posted March 10, 2020 28 minutes ago, Finessegenics said: Catfish have sand paper teeth, sort of like bass. But I’ve tried lipping a few and sometimes they clamp down on your fingers and it honestly really hurts. They have strong jaws. It hurts even worse when they shake free while still clamped down! Also don't lip a gar, but if you tried that after seeing the gar there's just no helping you........ 2 4 Quote
skekoam Posted March 10, 2020 Author Posted March 10, 2020 44 minutes ago, MN Fisher said: Walleye Sauger Pickerel Northern Musky All of those have SHARP teeth. Luckily, or unlucky we don't really see those species at all around here. How about Carp or Talapia? Quote
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted March 10, 2020 Global Moderator Posted March 10, 2020 4 minutes ago, skekoam said: Luckily, or unlucky we don't really see those species at all around here. How about Carp or Talapia? You can try carp but their lips are too slick. I don't think tilapia have teeth but I've never seen one in person outside of the frozen food aisle 1 1 Quote
Nelson Delaney Posted March 10, 2020 Posted March 10, 2020 Trout will cut up the fingers as well Quote
Super User N Florida Mike Posted March 10, 2020 Super User Posted March 10, 2020 Don’t lip one of these!! 1 6 Quote
Super User soflabasser Posted March 10, 2020 Super User Posted March 10, 2020 7 hours ago, skekoam said: Might sound odd, but one of the most enjoyable parts of catching bass is being able to safely lip them after the catch? Just curious what are some of the other fresh water fish you shouldn't lip due to jaw structure or teeth etc? I know for sure you can't and shouldn't lip a trout. I've seen guys lip cat fish, but never want to try that. You should not lip bowfin, gar, pickerel, northern pike, muskellunge, walleye, or any fish with sharp teeth. Always bring a hook remover when you go fishing. Quote
Super User MN Fisher Posted March 11, 2020 Super User Posted March 11, 2020 10 minutes ago, soflabasser said: Always bring a hook remover when you go fishing. Or some type of pliers - one short and one long. These are what I have. 1 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted March 11, 2020 Super User Posted March 11, 2020 Long pliers and Jaw Spreaders are requirements for this guy. A-Jay 3 1 Quote
haggard Posted March 11, 2020 Posted March 11, 2020 8 hours ago, skekoam said: Might sound odd, but one of the most enjoyable parts of catching bass is being able to safely lip them after the catch? Just curious what are some of the other fresh water fish you shouldn't lip due to jaw structure or teeth etc? I know for sure you can't and shouldn't lip a trout. I've seen guys lip cat fish, but never want to try that. I lipped a small trout and it wasn't bad, felt like sandpaper. But would never want to lip a pickerel. I enjoy catching them but don't even want to hold one due to the slime factor. Lipping? No way, too toothy. Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted March 11, 2020 Global Moderator Posted March 11, 2020 Catfish depends on the species, and your reaction to them biting down. Flatheads are generally okay to lip, but if you jerk your hand back when they bite down they'll remove a lot of hide in the process. Blues, channels, and bullheads can clamp down way harder due to not having an underbite like flatheads. I wasn't trying to lip him, but I was trying to weigh this dinosaur because I think he was probably a state record, he was having none of it. Pretty sure he broke a tooth off in the joint of my right ring finger because I still can't bend it all the way to my palm without pain almost 2 years later. 5 Quote
Super User Ratherbfishing Posted March 12, 2020 Super User Posted March 12, 2020 On 3/10/2020 at 11:29 AM, Finessegenics said: Catfish have sand paper teeth, sort of like bass. But I’ve tried lipping a few and sometimes they clamp down on your fingers and it honestly really hurts. They have strong jaws. I lipped a big old catfish for my friend one time (because I was afraid of losing it) and I swear it not only clamped down on my fingers but also ground his "teeth" on me. I won't do that again. 2 Quote
skekoam Posted March 12, 2020 Author Posted March 12, 2020 1 hour ago, Ratherbfishing said: I lipped a big old catfish for my friend one time (because I was afraid of losing it) and I swear it not only clamped down on my fingers but also ground his "teeth" on me. I won't do that again. Catfish are fairly easy to catch, but are the last resort for me. They are just hard to look at let alone handle. Tough to say, but I'd rather just get skunked. Quote
Super User Bankbeater Posted March 12, 2020 Super User Posted March 12, 2020 5 hours ago, Ratherbfishing said: I lipped a big old catfish for my friend one time (because I was afraid of losing it) and I swear it not only clamped down on my fingers but also ground his "teeth" on me. I won't do that again. When I was 17 I got hold of an 8 lb channel cat and lipped it. When it clamped down on my thumb I let loose of him but he hung on to my thumb. I think of that whenever I want to leave the fish grips at home. Better to have and not need then to need and not have. Quote
Ogandrews Posted March 13, 2020 Posted March 13, 2020 On 3/10/2020 at 10:52 PM, Bluebasser86 said: Catfish depends on the species, and your reaction to them biting down. Flatheads are generally okay to lip, but if you jerk your hand back when they bite down they'll remove a lot of hide in the process. Blues, channels, and bullheads can clamp down way harder due to not having an underbite like flatheads. I wasn't trying to lip him, but I was trying to weigh this dinosaur because I think he was probably a state record, he was having none of it. Pretty sure he broke a tooth off in the joint of my right ring finger because I still can't bend it all the way to my palm without pain almost 2 years later This fall i got my hand/ arm completely tore up because I had about half my forearm down a 41” pikes mouth trying to get a hook out after I dropped my pliers in the water. The second I grabbed the hook he bit down and did a gator roll. I haven’t bled that badly or for that long ever, ended up putting superglue on 5 different cuts on my hand and I still have a little piece of pike tooth stuck in my left hand. Fun times 3 Quote
Russ E Posted March 13, 2020 Posted March 13, 2020 I don't lip any toothy critter. After 2 years ago I am very careful how I lip flathead catfish. Up until this point I have caught numerous catfish without incident I caught a 15 pounder on a bass outing. My neighbor likes catfish ,so I threw it in the live well. When I went to remove it from the well, I instinctively lipped him. With my thumb in his mouth. He clamped down and started thrashing. It shredded the skin and dislocated my thumb. I now have a lot more respect for catfish Quote
Super User JustJames Posted March 13, 2020 Super User Posted March 13, 2020 You are in SoCal, so you don’t really encounter a lot of fish mention here. My list that you won’t see my fingers in fish mouth. Catfish Trout All fish with treble hook in its mouth. 2 Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.