Enxymes that rest on the skin of the catfish helps counteract the infection in most cases. I have since a very young child done the "Channel Belly Rub" and have not been stung in years but next time.. I will belly rub again if not in stagnant waters.
Puncture wounds are nasty no matter what causes it. Try to keep alcohol "NOT Carbonated" in the first aid kit.
Catfishing is often a messy sport and the sting tends to get full of stink baits, liver gunk.

next time just take a pair of leather gloves! as for your hand, go to the doctor if it gets worse. you don't want to screw with that stuff.

I feel your pain, when I managed a fish farm I had a 4-6" cat stick me right between my middle finger and my ring ringer....dam that hurt. Next day my whole hand was swelled to 3 times normal size, by the end of the day I had a red streak running half up my forearm. Once I noticed the streak, I streaked to the doctors and they put me on antiabotics. The swelling was down the next morning and the red streak took about 3 days to go away. As was stated before, if you see a red streak develope you better lean to the safe side and have a doctor check it out. Charlie

Hydrogen Peroxide. I keep a bottle in my truck and boat because I get cut and finned a lot. O yea suck it up. Capt. Steve www.txfishingguide.com

I agree with those people who recommended sanitary solutions over those who recommended catfish slime or anything else. Antibiotics and an ice pack along with a few hundred milligrams of Ibuprofen (Tylenol if you have kidney problems) will go a long way towards aiding in your recovery. I keep a first aid kit in the boat, and if I get finned (haven't been finned in a couple of years), I will wash the wound with IPA wipes and apply an antibacterial cream. Then I will apply a bandage. Little wounds hurt but can hurt more if they become infected.

Some of the stories in this subject had me laughing my *** off...Yall are crazy!!!Good luck with your hand bro, hope it gets better...

Ihave been finned dozens of times.For injuries just below the skin catfish slime definitely has an anaesthetic quality and will after a few minutes reduce the pain.Deep punctures are different.You cant get the slime far enough into the wound.For both,I make a salt soloution with as much salt as the water will take.Then mash the wound in the water enough to make it bleed again.As the salt gets into the wound it will begin to draw the poison out and you should start to feel relief pretty quick.If your not getting some nicks and cuts from fishing for cats your not catching very many.My take,CJ ps,use the hottest water you can stand if available.

[This message has been edited by catfish jack (edited 07-27-2003).]

Thanks for everyones help. It really hurt when that little punk channel got me. It stung worse than a wasp bite right in the middle of my fingers. I tried pretty much everything everyone told me to do except rubbing the tabacco on it. Sorry, I just stopped smoking, I don't want to absorb nicotine in to my body. HAHAHA. Well, it ended up getting worst. I think I got to it to late. The next day the top part of my hand had a lump the size of a golf ball on it and the whole thing was red. It hurt to touch my hand or arm anywhere even all the way up close to my elbow. I went to the doctor!!! I had to. It was infected. He gave me some antibiotics and some bad [censored] hydrocoden 7.5 pain reliver. My hand still hurts today but the swelling and infection are almost all gone. Thanks again for the help. I learned that everone should have a first aid with them even when on a not so serious fishing adventure. If I would have had rubbing alchohol with me I guaratee you it would have been OK if I would have cleaned it right then and there. Thank again everyone. !!!

I know this started out being about wounds from catfish, but I'd like to recommend that you keep a close eye on any wound you get while fishing. A couple of years ago, while night fishing below a dam, I knocked a little skin off a knuckle. I didn't think anything more about it, till I noticed that I was developing large blisters around the scraped spot in an area larger than a silver dollar. I went to the doctor and got some shots, which gradually cleared it up. There is a small scar smaller than the end of a pencil eraser on my knuckle from the original scrape, but I have scars halfway down my finger from the infection. The area I was in is where most people net their shad, and I figure that I got the infection from some old shad slime, or maybe even some old rotted shad.

[This message has been edited by jtrew (edited 07-28-2003).]

Hawg,
If you had localized swelling the size of a golf ball, is it possible a piece of the fin broke off inside your hand. I was finned by a small snapper years ago that left a small splinter inside my thumb. It too swelled and stayed that way until I had a doctor remove it. The scar it left on my thumb now resembles a hugh wart.

Get a 25# block of ice and put it on the tailgate on yer truck. Rub the wound all over the ice block. Remove yer shoes and slide the block off onto yer big toe.

Not sure if it'll do much for any infection. But, it'll dang sure make ya ferget the pain in yer hand.

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"...behold a pale horse: his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him."

ROTFLMAO
Ain't Broken Toe a good catfish lake up in Oklahoma?

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clean up

Good point on any wound while fishing.

Remember this one also. When using chicken blood. Don't slap ant's that are biting you.

I was fishing gosh six or so years back maybe longer. I was using my favorite chicken blood bait during the spawn. Sitting on the rocks I had just baited a hook when I felt a sting on my stomach. I pulled up my shirt and without thinking I slapped the ant that was biting me. It was with the hand that still had chicken blood on it. One week later I had the same "bubbles" forming around the inital bite mark. I had gotten a infection from slapping the chicken blood on the ant at just the right time when he bit me. Freaked me out!!!! Doc said to always clean my hands with antibacterial after using such a dirty bait. I didn't before but I always have it with me now.

So my tip is always have a tube of that antibacterial no water needed soap.

Thanks,
Shifty

Here is a trick for the little guys which seem to be the worst. Use a pair of pliers and grab the shank of the hook. Flip the catfish so he flops back over the point. he will come right off, been doing this for decades after I was shown this by an old salt on the 61st st pier in galveston. On keeper size a towel works great and less slime on the hands is always a plus.

Hawg I feel your pain cause it has happened to me , keep your hand elevated and take some anti-inflamitory med , try some drawing ointment .GB www.[censored]