AirbusAngler Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 So after a stop at bass bro shops I stopped by the local city lake on the way home to try my new braided line/jig w/senko trailer combo. On one of my last casts I thought I hit a snag but turned out to be (my*) largest catfish I have ever caught! (4lbs 3ozs..might of been more i didnt get a good weigh because i didnt know where to hook it lol ) I never fish for these creatures but the way it was tugging and ripping my line out I knew it wasnt a bass. But keep in mind I know very little to NONE about catfish other than they are good eating. So my 2 Questions are 1. What type of catfish is this? See attachment* 2. When I was trying to remove my jig (that was nearly destroyed) from its solid uper jaw and kung foo death grip, I felt I was taking a lot of protective slime coating off of the fish. When I was finally able to relase it about 5 minutes later it swam away just fine. But I am wondering if anyone knows if he will be ok or if I may have killed it cause now it doesnt have any slime left? I hate killing fish unless I am going to eat them Quote
Super User Grey Wolf Posted October 26, 2011 Super User Posted October 26, 2011 Channel cat. You didn't have pliers ? I hold them by the mouth , just like a bass and remove the hook with pliers. You probably did some damage but not enough to kill. Quote
Super User 00 mod Posted October 26, 2011 Super User Posted October 26, 2011 Agreed.....but what kind of jig were you using for it to be torn up by one catfish? That shouldn't happen. Only thing I can think of is a cheap-o jig with rubber band type skirt tie and it just got the skirt? Jeff Quote
AirbusAngler Posted October 26, 2011 Author Posted October 26, 2011 Yeah it was a cheapo jig I think about 2$ The skirt was slightly torn but the weed guard was bent completely out of whack and the senko trailer was ripped through about 2 inches lol and no I didnt have pliers I just wanted to feel what my new setup would feel like and was only casting for about an hour in a lake where I havent caught anything before so it was totally unexpected. But glad to know I dont think I killed him it was a really fun fight! Quote
AirbusAngler Posted October 26, 2011 Author Posted October 26, 2011 Channel cat. You didn't have pliers ? I hold them by the mouth , just like a bass and remove the hook with pliers. You probably did some damage but not enough to kill. I tried to grab him by the lip but he was chewin on the senko and did NOT want to open up lol and I think i heard somewhere they can crush your finger if you put them in there mouth? is that true or a myth? Quote
Super User J Francho Posted October 26, 2011 Super User Posted October 26, 2011 Sounds like you need some fish handling tools, like a lip gripper and a pliers. Catfish don't have scales, and produce a ton of slime coat. It's doubtful that you hurt it's skin, beyond all repair - they are tough customers. The biggest deal I see is keeping fish out of the water too long. Some cats can gulp air, but that's of limited use. Get them unhooked and released as quickly as possible. If that means adding tools to your arsenal, then do it. Quote
Super User Grey Wolf Posted October 26, 2011 Super User Posted October 26, 2011 I tried to grab him by the lip but he was chewin on the senko and did NOT want to open up lol and I think i heard somewhere they can crush your finger if you put them in there mouth? is that true or a myth? Not true. 1 Quote
Hyrule Bass Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 i seriously doubt you hurt the catfish. theyre extremely slimey and real tough. its probably looking for its next meal right now. as for handling it, if its not too big or fat, i usually grab it by the belly with my thumb under one of the side fins, and the other fin between my index and middle finger. you get a good grip that way and you subdue the side fins from stabbing you, watch the fin on its back as well. if you do get stung, just rub some of the catfishes slime where you got stung and it should stop stinging relatively soon, works for me anyways the couple times i got stung. the bigger ones you have almost no choice but to lip them if you cant get your hand around them. when i got to Smith Mountain Lake several times a year, i do a ton of night fishing off a dock for cats(ironically its how i caught my PB LMB). since i hate getting the slime all over my hands, i bought a cheap pair of berkley fishing gloves from walmart for like 3 bucks. keeps my hands clean of the slime and if you have to lip one and it clamps down, atleast its not directly on your skin. keeping pliers around when catfishing is also beneficial, their mouths are tough and they swallow a lot of hooks sometimes. i realize you werent after cats, but its still beneficial to always have pliers, even when bass fishing... Quote
AirbusAngler Posted October 26, 2011 Author Posted October 26, 2011 Thanks for the tips and advice guys! Happy to hear mr channel cat will be ok and yes next time I will definitely bring some sort of pliers even if I am just testing my equipment Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted October 26, 2011 Global Moderator Posted October 26, 2011 Yep, that's a channel cat, and I seriously doubt you hurt him. They are a very slimy fish and will leave a lot of slime on your hands after grabbing one. Channels, blues, and bullheads will bite very hard and it does hurt but it won't crush your hand. The biggest mistake you can make when they bite down is to jerk your hand back, because it will be missing a lot of skin! Quote
bigbassctchr101 Posted November 11, 2011 Posted November 11, 2011 With a catfish that size I grip them with my pointing and middle fingers. I reach up and place both of them around the spurs on each side. Gives you a quick handle and allows you to do what you need to do quickly. Quote
Fat-G Posted November 13, 2011 Posted November 13, 2011 Sounds like you need some fish handling tools, like a lip gripper and a pliers. Catfish don't have scales, and produce a ton of slime coat. It's doubtful that you hurt it's skin, beyond all repair - they are tough customers. The biggest deal I see is keeping fish out of the water too long. Some cats can gulp air, but that's of limited use. Get them unhooked and released as quickly as possible. If that means adding tools to your arsenal, then do it. Catfish can breath through their skin and can survive out of water for over an hour. Keeping him out of the water is not a concern. Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted November 17, 2011 Global Moderator Posted November 17, 2011 Catfish can breath through their skin and can survive out of water for over an hour. Keeping him out of the water is not a concern. They have taste buds all over their bodies but they have to breath through their gills like other fish, never heard of them being able to breath through their skin. They also actually dry out faster than regular fish because they have no scales to hold any water. The reason catfish survive so long out of water is they are used to living in bodies of water with low oxygen levels. 1 Quote
dulouz Posted December 5, 2011 Posted December 5, 2011 Get a lip gripper, it makes life so much easier when dealing with catfish and toothy critters... Quote
Hyrule Bass Posted December 5, 2011 Posted December 5, 2011 They have taste buds all over their bodies but they have to breath through their gills like other fish, never heard of them being able to breath through their skin. They also actually dry out faster than regular fish because they have no scales to hold any water. The reason catfish survive so long out of water is they are used to living in bodies of water with low oxygen levels. here is something i happened to come across about channel cats in specific... channels have an average of 175,000 taste buds. there gills have about 50 per square mm followed by the barbel (whisker) that has about 25 per sq mm mouth has about 10 per sq mm body has 5 per sq mm they also take in smells in the water through nostrils called nares. they can smell oil and blood in as little as 1 part per billion in water. Quote
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