catfish barbs

[mwhitworth25]

where are the barbs on catfish? ive caught plenty of catfish, but ive never got stabbed by one. ive heard several different stories from friends and family. also, can i have a picture or chart showing where all the barbs are?

[directlink]

On the dorsal and pectoral fins.  Be careful because it really hurts!  I've only been stabbed once and it drew blood and it left a nice scar.  The catfish that did it was only about a pound too.  But after the initial stabbing it starts to burn because the catfish (depending on species) have bacteria that live on their fins that cause itching and burning after they stab you.

[mwhitworth25]

ok thanks. now i know where NOT to hold a catfish lol

[Valascus]

I got stabbed one time by a catfish...a 19 lbs channel cat. Hurt like crazy. I dislike handling cats due to that. Usually use fish grabbers to deal with 'em after that. I thought I had the big fella pinned down enough for hook removal. He flopped hard and stuck me something fierce. For his transgression...he got eaten!! And he was goooooooooooooooooood...

[carySE406]

I heard if you rub ammonia on the spot the catfish shanked you, the burning stops.  But the day I put ammonia on an open wound...  :-/

[Matt Jungblut]

when i was 16 {which is like 16years ago]

i used to fish with my grandfather a lot well 1 time we caught a mess of catfish no monsters all in the pound to 3 pound range

we went back to his house to clean them {which i got to do]

did the bigger 1s first got done to the smaller 1s

1 fish just wouldnt sit still so my grandpa gives me this fish cleaning board it has the big clamp thing on 1 end

well i lay the catfish on its side and hit the the clamp thing with my palm to make sure hes good and stuck

well he was stuck real well so was i

i ran the fin on the side of there head straight though my hand

i was caught between the thumb and pointer finger

i said ahh grandpa i got a problem he chuckles [thinkin i caught my finger in the clamp] turns around and says oh  

i said ok now what do i do  his only response was ur going to have to pull ur hand back off

so with him holding the board and me hand over hand i gritted my teeth and wham jerked it off

and ran to the house washed it out for a long time and went to the docotors

yes i was in some real pain for awhile but we learn from our mistakes right

it is my opion u must be alot more careful with the little 1s then the big 1s

little 1s are lot more floppy and with them being little so are there barbs like a needle with saw teeth

that being said my dad was carring me on his shoulders when i was about 3 or 4 dont rember he stepped on a catfish head that went about 17 pounds and drove that barb  into his foot

he still has the scare and huge barb he kept from it

i dont have a physical scar just mental 1

so u would think we would stay away from catfish huh

well fished the cat turney in our area 5 years straight and took a 4th place finsh and a 1st place

im more a bass fisherman now and my dad went on to walleyes but we still go out at least 1 or 2 just to try our luck

[K_Mac]

Matthewj, I"m with you-I've been stung more by the little ones than the bigger ones. My local powerplant lake has a lot of catish in it. It is not too uncommon to catch the little ones on plastics, jigs, crankbaits, etc., while bass fishing. I hate those little guys. It's kind of like taking a bee off your hook-you have to be VERY careful.

BTW your story made my hands hurt just reading it

[cpvenom]

I heard if you rub ammonia on the spot the catfish shanked you, the burning stops.  But the day I put ammonia on an open wound...  :-/

I have found this to be true with a lot of different stings. As a scuba diver, there are plenty of creatures that sting and impale very painfully. So where do you get the ammonia? Well, urine! I kid you not, it may seem gross, but i have witnessed numerous occasions on dive trips where a fresh cupfull of urine was poured on a wound. It really does work! Personally i think it would be worth it to pee on your hand in order to feel better.

[Thatcher]

I have caught atleast 30 cats this summer and hundreds in my life and I have never known that cats could sting. Now Im gonna be looking for it. Actually I kinda wanna get stung now, not really.

[cpvenom]

I wouldnt call it as much of a sting as an impalement with a stinging, burning effect, but the idea is the same

[Mak]

dont know the technical names but the front side fins and front top fin.

and they hurt alot.

i caught one a few weeks back and went to kick it in after it feel off my hook and was flopping on the dock but didnt realize i had flip flops on and it went in the side of my hurt and burned for a while.  then a day or 2 later my friend caught on and had it in the air and it swung and stabbed me in the back.

[A-ManAboutFishing]

Dorsal and pectoral fins have the barbs. Some people think they have venom in them too thats bs. But look this one up, Stone Cat. They do have barbs in dorsal and pectoral, also a mild venom. They are closer related to bullhead and are much smaller than most catfish can get. I never seen one personally but they are out there. Any wonders bout the wiskers bieng some how posionus are false. At least with Channel, Blue, Flathead Catfish. Also, Black, Yellow, Brown Bullhead. Tadpole Madtoms and even Stone Cats. That covers all the fresh water ones in North America. I am unsure about any others though?

[BucketmouthAngler13]

i've heard of catfish "noodlers" that have been gigged all the way through the back  by 40lb cats. they found the dead catfish later, with the noodlers body still on its back fin.

[bedhedbob]

haha, two weeks ago, i accidentley stepped on a catfish, and just last night, i realized the barb was still in my foot about half and inch.  

[done]

I had one get me a month ago. Had the hook out, was just letting him go and he gave me something to remember him by. His side fin got me right in the index finger, went right to the bone.

I had someone once tell me if you wipe the slime off a catfish onto the wound, it will make the sting go away too.

Me, I sucked it up, put some antibacterial crap on it and went on with my life.

[robchoi]

I definitely think it's the smaller ones that you need to look out for.  It seems as though the bigger they are the duller the fins get.  I've had 30lb + catfish in my lap (sitting in a kayak) and it was no big deal.  I've also had little ones along side the boat and mishandled them, leading to a nice stab in the hand.  It could be that the big ones were tired out from fighting too.  While the little one's take no time to pull in and they still have lots of energy to flop around and stab ya.  Anyways, be careful.

[32251]

Here is some good reading on a catfish "stabbing".

http://blog.catchyourlimit.com/2007/07/big-man-stabbed-in-back-with-catfish.html

[JShrock07]

Here is some good reading on a catfish "stabbing".

http://blog.catchyourlimit.com/2007/07/big-man-stabbed-in-back-with-catfish.html

HAHAHA That had to of sucked!!!