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Handling saltwater catfish #12375912 08/07/17 03:06 PM
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ckcrew Offline OP
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I've never had any issues handling blues or channels out on the lake with my bare hands. Are handling gafttops or hardheads any different?

Re: Handling saltwater catfish [Re: ckcrew] #12375932 08/07/17 03:17 PM
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Night and day.
Hardhead will harpoon you and when that poison hits you it will be akin to a red wasp hit.

Plus I've still got knots on my hands from hardhead stabbing when I was a kid.

Gafftop are just the slimiest critter ever. Snot rockets.


Pat Goff
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Re: Handling saltwater catfish [Re: ckcrew] #12375951 08/07/17 03:26 PM
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psalty Offline
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Gafftopsail- as an old tv reporter Marvin Zindler coined- slime in the ice machine
Hardheads- typical catfish precaution with the fins and I can confirm that should you let one break the skin you will experience pain and swelling.
I made a big mistake of lightly kicking one about 7" long off the old pier in Galveston when it flipped and I took a fin thru my tennis shoe in the big toe and wound up with super swelling and having to take tetanus shot and antibiotics. The little ones are just as potent. Hint- use caution and be ready for the slime on the gafftops also on your lines.
duel


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Re: Handling saltwater catfish [Re: ckcrew] #12376029 08/07/17 04:34 PM
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jdk1985 Offline
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Catfish flipper!!!!!!!! Buy one. Now. For hard heads. You will not regret it.

Re: Handling saltwater catfish [Re: ckcrew] #12376099 08/07/17 05:23 PM
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Bob Landry Offline
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There is also the possibility of flesh eating bacteria. A guy I know lost one and a half fingers because of it. Any kinf of protection for your hands is better than nothing.


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Re: Handling saltwater catfish [Re: ckcrew] #12376330 08/07/17 08:42 PM
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Grinder55 Offline
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Well, around 15 years ago when I was fishin' with my dad in my boat ... I flipped a hardhead off the hook and it did cartwheels through the air and harpooned itself right smack dab in the middle of right legs calf.

So now I am looking at my calf with this hardhead wiggling around on its dorsal fin harpooned in my leg.

Reached down and I pulled it out and shot of blood spewed about 4 ft. out and that was it.

My dad took out his knife, wiped some slime off the hardhead and rubbed it on the wound on my calf.

It never got sore and healed quickly.

Not what I was expecting at all.

Re: Handling saltwater catfish [Re: ckcrew] #12376546 08/07/17 11:28 PM
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I've heard about the slime cure for a long time but haven't thrown meat in a long time so never needed it.

I've always wondered what was inside a lings mouth to make them immune to hard head poison. They'll scarf one down after refusing what our feeble brains think would be much more appealing offerings.


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Re: Handling saltwater catfish [Re: ckcrew] #12376666 08/08/17 01:11 AM
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psalty Offline
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We tried cleaning the wound, some mentioned tobacco but none was available, so the slime treatment came up. It reduced the bleeding somewhat but the swelling got really bad. Went to Kelly-Seybold (unfortunately that was the required company approved PPO at the time) and they freaked out when I mentioned the slime. Regardless, still wound up with shot & pills and socks for about a week before I could get a shoe back on.
I recommend using the grippers, wearing gloves due to potential vibrio and DON'T KICK HARDHEADS- even with leather/hardsole shoes.
You can actually get infections from getting finned by other fish, but the hardheads got some bad stuff to deal with on their fins.
Some folks are more susceptible and should seek medical attention beyond the slime. 2cents


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Re: Handling saltwater catfish [Re: Pat Goff] #12376679 08/08/17 01:22 AM
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Originally Posted By: Pat Goff
I've heard about the slime cure for a long time but haven't thrown meat in a long time so never needed it.

I've always wondered what was inside a lings mouth to make them immune to hard head poison. They'll scarf one down after refusing what our feeble brains think would be much more appealing offerings.


I don't throw meat, period.
Strangely, nailed 2-8" hardheads on fat boys last weekend. both engulfed the rear treble. PITA!!!
when I was a kid, we caught black & brown bullheads in the river, learned the way after a couple hits.
hardheads are exactly the same size & I just wont even try it.. go figure.. hmmm
it's pliers in the mouth, & clip the hook if its too complicated


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Re: Handling saltwater catfish [Re: lite-liner] #12376824 08/08/17 02:43 AM
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ckcrew Offline OP
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OK thanks guys. I'm definitely going to invest in some grippers and gloves since I'll be going to Galveston more often now. After visiting Galveston multiple times over the past 15 years or so I decided to really make an effort to catch some fish. Did pretty good (my newb standards) this past weekend. Caught a bunch of croaker, sand trout, a few under specs, and even an under flounder. And 2 catfish. I just cut the line since I didn't want to take any chances. Saltwater fishing is awesome!

Re: Handling saltwater catfish [Re: ckcrew] #12377227 08/08/17 02:13 PM
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Get a couple 8 inch hemostats (Amazon a good source). When you hook a catfish clamp the hemostat on the hook and shake vigorously while holding the fish at arm's length from you and with the fish held lower than your hand (gravity is your friend in this situation). Works every time. Before I knew better I would handle the hardheads to remove the hooks and did get stung once. It was like a wasp sting - sharp pain for about 15-20 minutes, then fine.

Re: Handling saltwater catfish [Re: ckcrew] #12377905 08/08/17 10:03 PM
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uncle_bagster Offline
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What the world needs is a fishing glove sensitive enough to let you tie a knot, yet tough enough to stop a fish fin.

Re: Handling saltwater catfish [Re: ckcrew] #12393579 08/20/17 05:10 PM
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This is a repost of mine from 2010

A short Hardhead story.I was fishing off the rocks at 91st in Galveston. Had a fish on the line and was pulling him in,when it got to the rocks I gave it an extra tug to get it over the rocks.Well It came flying at me and stuck me in the calf.I don't mean it just stuck me but it was actually stuck in my leg.I looked down at it and it felt like I had electric going threw my leg.It was in so deep that it just hung there.I pulled it out(without getting stuck again)took it off the hook and threw him back in the water.There was a women there crabbing with her son,she said she never saw anything like that before.Thanks I said.I had to sit for a few minutes and it was getting dark so I decided to head home.I did stop at CVS and picked up some neosporen.I've been stuck many times and try to always use pliers to get them off the hook but when they start flappin around they can and will get you.

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