Two Catfish Questions

These may seem like lame questions for such seasoned fishermen (and/or women) but I love to fish and recently started going for catfish and fishing on the bottom moreso. So, here you go:

1. Does anyone else really get messed up by getting stuck by one of their barbs? I got it once, and my hand swelled up huge and I got nauseous and dizzy. It really messed with me, not the pain of being stuck, but something more than that. I bought a special gloves at Bass Pro that is armored to prevent bits and jabs, but it is not very grippy. Can you grab a catfish right in the mouth and hold it without hurting the fish?

2. Also, do you have any tips for getting hooks out of them? They are quite fleshy, in contrast to the typical bluegill and crappie catches that I've always made. Normally I have no trouble removing hooks, but they are hard to remove from catfish even with pliers, for me anyway. Any tips?

I love catching catfish. They are much more fun than typical panfish. I would just like to have a bit more knowledge, and I figure you guys are the people to deliver it. I fish for pleasure and relaxation, and release whatever I catch, so I try not to harm the fish, or myself as in this case, lol.

Allow me to attempt a reply.

1. It depends on the size of the cat on what method I use to "grasp" it. Small cats are the ones that will "get you" most often. I grasp them from the belly side and gently slide my hand up towards the fins, separating my fingers to allow my fingers to pass along the fins. ie. the fins will be [U]between[/U] my fingers.

2. Larger cats can be "thumbed" or grasped with your hand on their lower jaw. Yeh, they can chew on you a little bit but the mesh glove is wonders for preventing this.

3. Bigger cats and even small cats, you can use a bogo gripper or whatever it's called.

Removing hooks. Do you use treble hooks or circle hooks? Either way, the secret is locate the hook and push it further into the mouth instead of trying to twist or pull it out. I always use pliers for this task. Grasp the hook as close to the barb as possible and with a quick sharp snap, push the hook actually away from you and hopeully away from the cat's mouth or hook-up point. You want to try and follow the path the hook took in it's penetration only in reverse.

Hope this helps you a little bit.

Thanks T2F! If I can use my glove to "lip" them, I'd be good about not getting stuck by them. I had read in places that you shouldn't "lip" a catfish, particularly channel cats, as apparently they can take some flesh off. So, I had some concerns about doing that, even with the Lindley fishing glove (I think that's what it is called) from Bass Pro.

I don't use treble hooks, just regular hooks like I'd use for anything else. I guess "circle" hooks are different. I'll have to go to BP and see what they have. I'm not following your extraction technique, but that's probably my lack of understanding, not a problem with your description.

I see that you're from Greenville. I live in Clarksville, but fish both sides of the river. Taking my dad to Versailles Lake in Indiana this weekend, as I try to take him most weekends somewhere in IN or KY. I prefer KY, but like to try new places on both sides.

I switched to circle hooks years ago for catfish,especially on the Ohio river. The cat will and does actually hook itself and the hook is in the corner of the mouth 99% of the time.

I've also found size 6 or 8 are even better for me on the river. Gamagootza (sp)?

The mouth of a catfish is like super rough sand paper. you get to lippin and bunch of them and you will end up bleedin. The barbs on them little ones are sharp. I guess they hadn't wore them down from wiggling back into spawning holes like the big ones do.

Circle hooks work great, no need to set the hook. Be mindful of how much bait you gob onto them though. You really need the point exposed and not buried down in a shad chunk or something. I like Owner and gamakatsu hooks. One is Mutu light circle hook, I don't remember which brand but they are very sharp and just aobu the right size for eating size catfish.

I've been doing more and more catfishing and my question is on the type of hooks to use.

I'm usually fishing in places where I'm catching small channel cats. I'll get bites constantly, but I hook up about 5% of the time.

I use circle hooks and I know you're not supposed to set the hook, but with a fish that small, they'll nibble on the bait forever so I'll eventually do a slow, even pressure hookset with the usual result being nothing.

Right now, I do not know what size hook I'm using, but I'm wondering if I need to go to a smaller circle hook.

They make a cat gripper that you squeeze and it grabs the cat around the body. Jimmy Houston pushes them and walmart used to have them. They have a big set of jaws and a grip you squeeze

Man with that ratio I would go to a small shanked hook. I like the circle hooks after John showed me them in the Ohio and we hooked up 75% of the time....of course these were some good sized cats.

to me you cant beat eagleclaw hooks when floatfishing for channelcats
an if i start missing a few i down size hook an bait im useing. now if im bottom fishing you just can't beat a circlehook an skipjack.

[QUOTE=know1;367790]I've been doing more and more catfishing and my question is on the type of hooks to use.

I'm usually fishing in places where I'm catching small channel cats. I'll get bites constantly, but I hook up about 5% of the time.

I use circle hooks and I know you're not supposed to set the hook, but with a fish that small, they'll nibble on the bait forever so I'll eventually do a slow, even pressure hookset with the usual result being nothing.

Right now, I do not know what size hook I'm using, but I'm wondering if I need to go to a smaller circle hook.[/QUOTE]

Know1,
Is that nibble just bluegills?

I catfish alot in the summer. When I start missing fish I just think they are gills.

BB1

[QUOTE=BubbaBass1;367842]Know1,
Is that nibble just bluegills?

I catfish alot in the summer. When I start missing fish I just think they are gills.

BB1[/QUOTE]

Some of it might be bluegill, but I fish bluegill a lot too and these are more than just nibbles. These are the type where the float is popping sharply under the water or pulled completely under the water before I try to hook up.

The float I'm using is quite a bit bigger than something I would use with a bluegill.

[QUOTE=shemwelljr;367749]These may seem like lame questions for such seasoned fishermen (and/or women) but I love to fish and recently started going for catfish and fishing on the bottom moreso. So, here you go:

1. Does anyone else really get messed up by getting stuck by one of their barbs? I got it once, and my hand swelled up huge and I got nauseous and dizzy. It really messed with me, not the pain of being stuck, but something more than that. I bought a special gloves at Bass Pro that is armored to prevent bits and jabs, but it is not very grippy. Can you grab a catfish right in the mouth and hold it without hurting the fish?

2. Also, do you have any tips for getting hooks out of them? They are quite fleshy, in contrast to the typical bluegill and crappie catches that I've always made. Normally I have no trouble removing hooks, but they are hard to remove from catfish even with pliers, for me anyway. Any tips?

I love catching catfish. They are much more fun than typical panfish. I would just like to have a bit more knowledge, and I figure you guys are the people to deliver it. I fish for pleasure and relaxation, and release whatever I catch, so I try not to harm the fish, or myself as in this case, lol.[/QUOTE]

Gloves help just watch when you let them little critters go, that last little kick they give will get you every time.And on a side note if you get the real small ones in your throw net, take wire cutters and clip there pectorials and there dorsal off before you try to remove them.sounds cruel but trust me on this,big fish got to eat to.. As far as hooks go I use the True turn saltwater hooks 9\0, 10\0 and the BPS cat catchers 9\0. Hope this helps see you on the river...Chuck