# Catfish barb



## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

As usual this time of yr. the bays are chock full of nasty a** catfish.

Well, this past weekend, I managed to catch several. 1 mid sized cat got tangled in my rag I was holding them with to unhook.

Cleaning the rag afterwards found a spine that broke off.

Here's why those lil bastards hurt so much, that and the venom they inject into you.


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## TFRIZZ30 (Jun 26, 2014)

I hate those things. When I first moved down here I had one go clear through my thumb right above the nail bed oh man did that hurt. Then this year my buddy had his first hard head cat encounter when the little guy was hanging from a pole and managed to swing and embed in his thigh. We had had some beers but you could tell he was hurting bad. I never knew the barb was that nasty though the pic explains a lot. 


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## Crazy Old Phil (Aug 29, 2014)

FWC should make them use barbless spines.


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## OHenry (Apr 28, 2011)

:thumbdown:Watched my dad pull one threw the top of his hand with a pair of pliers when I was a kid. He leaned back and got one through the palm . Not cool when people throw these on the beach.


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## TFRIZZ30 (Jun 26, 2014)

I want to kill every one I catch but don't because I would hate for someone to step on one at the beach 


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## rustybucket (Aug 18, 2011)

quickest way to loose a hook on my boat is to catch a catfish, I normally give them the leader and all, just not worth it IMO. I've seen grown men cry from tiny pricks from those things!!


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## zodiac470 (Oct 2, 2007)

Whenever we catch one I just grab the hook with my pliers and shake it off unless he swallowed the hook.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Yep, I was kayak fishing and caught one about 5lbs. I made the mistake of pulling him over the side and he dropped off the hook right onto my foot. The side barb went all the way in into the knuckle of my big toe. I snatched him out with a big spray of blood! I called wife to take me to the ER. I was about 2 miles out and started paddling. I felt like I was going to pass out so I rigged anchor with depth that I was in and kept paddling. A Is would pass out, I would push anchor over side to keep from drifting out to sea. As I came to, I would pull in anchor, paddle, and repeat. I think I passed out 3 or 4 times. He sister took me to the ER while my wife loaded my kayak onto the trailer and then came to ER in my truck.

He got me good. I got the spine out myself, but he left all kinds of slimy crap and venom in me. They had to do slight surgery to get it all out. It took over a year to heal and still has a nasty purple scar there. And knuckle doesnt feel right to this day. That was 6 years ago.


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## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

Dang, NoMo, that's about the worst catfish barb story I've ever heard.


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## rustybucket (Aug 18, 2011)

zodiac470 said:


> Whenever we catch one I just grab the hook with my pliers and shake it off unless he swallowed the hook.


I used to do this... until I saw my buddy doing it and the catfish flipped up and stuck in the back of his hand, he dropped the pliers and the catfish was just hanging onto the back of his hand flopping around with him screaming like a little girl.... not gonna lie, it looked agonizing.

He grabbed the catfish, yanked it out and went and laid in a corner for a bit and had a good little cry and a LOT of cuss. The kids on the boat probably learned a few new words that day...


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

Now I see what ruins a castnet when you accidentally catch 30 at one time and they are all tangle up in the net and won't come loose.


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## TFRIZZ30 (Jun 26, 2014)

I have been broken, crushed and cut and can say when that barb went through my thumb it was one of the worst pains I have felt. I thought I was going to puke and could not stop sweating. It is impressive how bad they hurt. I have a buddy who caught one out in the bay, he was about 20 mins from where he launched. When he went to unhook it is stuck his hand so he dropped it and its wing out on his line and when it came back stick right through the side of his zodiac, needless to say that was a full throttle ride back to the launch with a throbbing hand. Those boats are tough it is crazy that one can puncture it so easily. 


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## sureicanfish (Sep 30, 2007)

Kill'em all!!! From a safe, hands free distance...


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## rustybucket (Aug 18, 2011)

Chapman5011 said:


> Now I see what ruins a castnet when you accidentally catch 30 at one time and they are all tangle up in the net and won't come loose.


No kidding about that. About 10 yrs ago in Appalachicola in the pre-dawn hours I thought I was throwing on a school of mullet cruising the top, turned out to be about 50 catfish.... pretty much ruined the day as I spent the next 2hrs untangling the net instead of catching bait.


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