just wondering
do the wiskers on a catfish really sting?
ive heard from some that they do some that they dont
ive always stayed away from them cause i wasn't sure
dryfly
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just wondering
do the wiskers on a catfish really sting?
ive heard from some that they do some that they dont
ive always stayed away from them cause i wasn't sure
dryfly
Never heard that and I doubt they do....something probably said because of the spine in the pectoral fins.
I've heard this before, but like you, never tried it to find out. I've also heard of people having fingers and hands bitten off by the powerful jaws of catfish. Heard of folks down south "Cat-fistin" or "Stink-fitin" and lost limbs. Probably none true, but who am I to say....and I definitely won't stick my hand in there to find out. :shock:
8) Catfish wiskers do not sting. Catfish do have very stiff petoral fisn that can poke you. You can steady a tired catfish to remove a barbless fly by sliding your thumb and index finger under its outstretched petoral fins. Ten perecent or so of the catfish will spin when you hook them drumming their petoral fins on your leader
Catfish whiskers do not sting. The fins behind the gills will get you though if you don't handle the catfish correctly. From experience the fins if your stabbed do hurt badly, like for days,,,,,,
:shock: And you guys wonder why I only fish for trouts!?! :roll:
I have lipped catfish with my thumb and forefinger just like a bass. The thumb is one finger I still have. I know, the thumb isn't a finger. :lol:
I have too, but not with anything really big. I still have my thumb/finger too, but since I heard that...no way I like my thumb/finger!Quote:
Originally Posted by rookie
Wild One,Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild One
What do you think of those guys that dive under water and pull catfish out of logs with their bare hands?
One of the first things I learned fishing as a wee one...how to hold bullheads and catfish.
Forget the Whiskers ... watch out for them "spikes" coming out from each side of the head!
And speaking of catfish ... did anybody catch that documentary on Public Broadcasting awhile back where they featured catching catfish (BIG CATFISH) by hand! It's called "noodling" and a favorite sport in Oklahoma to Missouri ~
Dale
Here's what I'm talking about ~
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6763659
You can do a Google and bring up lots of this stuff ... you talk about seperating the men from the boys, wow!
Dale
THAT'S CRAZY
why would anyone want to do that?
a catfish that size probably could take a limb
dryfly
those catfish were huge!!!!!
you couldnt pay me to put my hands in logs to catch those!!!
if poked - rub the injurred area on the cats belly. The protective membrane (slime) is a soothing sorth.
Won't heal it worth a hill of beans - but sure makes it feel better.
darrell
Oh yeah - and ya gotta plant a huge one on the kitty, square on the lips too get the full effect.
I was taught to use the fins as a handle to hold em while pulling the hook out.
Slide your fingers up his back and put the dorsal fin between your index and middle fingers. Hook your fingertips over the pectoral fins to keep him steady as you remove the hook. The fish will stiffen out the fins as a defense mechanism. Get's your hands pretty nasty/slimey, and only works on fish up to about 3 lbs, unless you have really big hands.
Kirk
Kirk ....you didn't tell them what to do with their thumb :)
There IS a place for it..... that's what the big hands are for!!
Kirk
I got string before on a blue channel catfish couple years ago and it did hurt.
The whiskers don't sting, but I have seen them cut (at least some of them can). The catfish can move them around and I have seen them slice through unsuspecting skin and draw a line of blood.
Ed
I have never seen a whisker that could hurt you, but watch the dorsil fin. It is the same as the pectoral fins. ouch. I got hit yesterday. The channel cat took a 2'' bucktail at 2 in the afternoon. That shakes up the normal line on catfish.
Gerry L
As every one so far has said, it's not the whiskers, those are just a food sensing/smelling organ. The pectoral and dorsal fins are the ones to look out for. There is a mild toxin involved in most catfish, with some species being worse than others (bullheads seem to be the worst in freshwater. Gafftops, found along the gulf coast can cause extreme pain and even bad swelling if they get you good enough). Some cats also have a saw tooth ridge on the pectoral fins that can cut if you get slashed by it. As for broken bones, if your dumb enough to lip an eighty pound blue cat and he shakes hard enough, yeah, he could break a wrist or an arm. The real danger in noodling and one reason it's illegal in a lot of states is the danger of drowning. If you go under, and get your hands on a fish that's bigger than you think and/or bigger than you can handle, he may not let you get backup for air until its too late. This does happen occasionally. I'll catch mine on a black woolly bugger and a seven or eight weight fly rod, thank you. Besides, the big ones aren't as good to eat as the small ones (up to about five pounds) anyway in my opinion.
There been a good bid of good advice on this subject, I was surprised a Canuck knew the trick about rubbing the cat stomach where you get finned. A old Alabama fisherman taught me that. The most dangerous catfish in my opinion is that little fellow too small to hold down the dorsal with the heel of your hand while you grasp him on the back. I remember catching dozens of them when I was about 11 yrs. old. We learned to just cut off their heads.
I wonder if Tench slime would make it feel better.
Ed
Yeah, I've heard it all too about cats. I've been stuck with the spines in the fins before, it hurts. Never knew about the belly though.
However, about the jaws of those little critters. I caught a small cat 2 years ago, around 6-8" long. Put my thumb in his mouth just to hold onto him for a second, and the strength in this fish was quite incredible. I'll never lip or put anything near thier mouth if it's much larger.
Shane
Just watched a show on PBS that featured women grabbling catfish. I thought y'all said noodlin or grabblin would separate the men from the boys. Neither one of the gals on the show looked to be very big. The only thing I noticed different about their technique was the fact that they used gloves and the okies I saw on PBS didn't.
Catfish 'whiskers' are actually very sensitive sensory organs. The venom glands are encased in an integument sheath around the pectoral spines. When the sheath is torn, the toxin is released into the punture wound.
Catfish injuries can be more serious than what is commonly accepted. While the venom is mild in most species, it is a combination of hemolytic (damages blood cells), dermonicrotic (damages skin cells), inflammatory (irritates nerve cells) and vasoconstrictive (constricts blood vessels, especially capillaries) factors. Some people seem to be hypersensitive and may need medical attention after a catfish envenomation. Another problem is that pieces of the spine may remain embedded in the wound and can cause serious infection and nerve damage.
The main danger from a catfish 'finning' is infection from atypical virulent bacteria. Due to the catfishes habitat, many species of serious pathogens can be involved, even from very clean waters. Some of the most prevalent are Klebselia, Nocardia, Chromobacterium, Mycobacterium, Aeromonas, and in salt water, Vibrio. Infections involving Aeromonas and Vibrio can be serious, especially in immunocompromised individuals. The antimicrobials effective against these species are different from standard empiric therapy given after common soft tissue injuries. Isolation of these organisms is difficult and easily overlooked on standard deoxycholate agar plates. There are newer tests involving molecular genetics, but they are not widely available at this time. It is important that your Primary Care Professional be aware of the association of these pathogens with catfish injuries in order to institute proper treatment.
After a 'finning', the first step is to aggressivly clean and debride the wound. Remove any remnants of spines or foreign tissue if possible. Then, since the toxins are heat sensitive, immerse the injured area in water as hot as you can stand it without scalding for at least 10 minutes. Leave the wound open. If there are any signs of an infection within the next few day, see your Primary Health Care Provider as soon as possible and inform them of the possibility of Aeromona or Vibrio infection. Get a tetanus shot if you are not current. Inform your doctor if you experience erythema, thrombosis, muscular 'tics', hemorage, or tissue necrosis.
Antibiotic therapy will vary according to the age of the victim, immune system status, time of the injury and other factors. Ciprofloxacin, or other flouroquinolones are popular due to thier efectiveness against gram-negative bacteriums.
If in doubt, always seek medical attention. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Semper Fi!