Thread: Careful with catfish

I did hear that cobia like catfish.

Hope someone tries it and lets us know; that would be terrific.

Hardheads for Cobia? - Page 2 - Pensacola Fishing Forum

i see this a lot on Pensacola forum. This one discusses cobia stomachs being full of hardhead catfish.

Originally Posted by Mattb

I did hear that cobia like catfish.

I've never used them, but I see some people say they work better if you cut off the three main fins/spikes. Maybe that just makes them easier to use.

I've caught several cobias from boats while using hardhead cats for bait. A 10" catfish with spines cut off is a choice bait and stays lively longer than croakers or pinfish. Easier to catch than eels.

Originally Posted by frednic

I've never used them, but I see some people say they work better if you cut off the three main fins/spikes. Maybe that just makes them easier to use.

It makes getting one out of the baitwell a whole lot easier and safer.

Originally Posted by eym_sirius

I haven't had an issue with a hardhead catfish since I was in my 20s. I always use pliers when I remove a hook from any fish and I try not to handle the fish at all. I'll grab it with the pliers to throw it back. Most of the time, hardhead catfish won't hit what I'm throwing so I don't usually catch any hardheads unless I'm fishing for whiting or pompano and not all that often, even then. Even though I learned to hold the catfish where their fins are all forced forward, it's still better to not touch them at all - Better to clip the hook off and let him have it than to try to dig a hook out of a gut-hooked catfish and run the risk of him finning you.

This is spot on! I am still a noob in the saltwater scene, but last year I found that hardheads and sailcats come off the hook with a "flip" just like their freshwater cousins, which I do have better than average experience with. Up on the Tombigbee, we don't touch them either. We use standard 9 inch Klein lineman's pliers. Grab the hook at the apex and give it a "flip". They come right off. In a typical night of jugging for freshwater cats, it's not unusual for me to "flip" a couple hundred of them into coolers or totes. I did the same thing last year in the surf with hardheads, except I flipped them back to "freedom".

I need to use different hooks maybe, because I do not have that same experience. I find the hook digs into their tough rubbery jaws/lips and requires surgery to remove