Thread: Stung twice by a hardhead, what do I do?

Originally Posted by flyguy

Well, I thank you fellows, your advice is much appreciated. I started by cutting the cats off at the boat rail but soon decided that that action was going to be a little tough on my hook supply. You couldn't cast away from them, they were all over the place and once in a while, you would pick up a red, trout or black drum. So I decided to use a long nose pliers, and that was when he bit me. The two wounds bled profusely and burned like the devil for a couple or three hours. I had put some germ-X on it. I put some alcohol on them when I got back to the condo and drank a few beers and this morning they appear to be fine, but I will keep an eye on them. Thanks again, guys.

I tried slinging one off with pliers and it got me under the middle fingernail on my right hand. I grab them with a landing glove in one hand and remove the hook with pliers in the other hand. I have no doubt the beer was what saved your life.

I'll probably get a bunch of criticism for this, but here goes...

You've heard the expression, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"

Well, that works with catfish, too. When I have a particularly stubborn one to de-hook (and want my hook back) I grasp the sucker barehanded so I can hold it tight and work the hook two-handed (pliers on the hook).

Hold him deep and hard by the jaw with pliers first to get your hand on him.

The trick is to put the dorsal barb between your pointer and middle finger (fin sticking up) with your thumb close behind one pectoral and last two fingers close behind the other (fins sticking out). Slide up on him from behind and HOLD TIGHT!

The only time he can stick you is when you are positioning your hand, so have a firm grip with the pliers and have your hands positioned firmly ON his body behind the fins as you slide your hand up behind his barbs.

I've never been stuck this way yet, but don't try it on one too big (or too little) for your hands.

A baseball bat or hammer seems to lull them off to sleep quickly for a less eventful de-hooking experience.

Originally Posted by FinChaser

A baseball bat or hammer seems to lull them off to sleep quickly for a less eventful de-hooking experience.

True dat.

But if you need to hold him barehanded after calming him down your way, I'd still advise to hold him my way.

The beer did the trick

Look for an old man on the pier with a hat and walking stick. Ask him to show you a home made dehooker made from a wire coat hanger. They work great and you just spin the catfish off and keep your hook. If you have a hangar and pair of good pliers he will show you how to make one in less than a minute.

i know it was painful and the sight of blood is not exactly comforting but the fact that it bled is a very good thing.

Just a side question, but would rubbing alcohol or peroxide be preferred to wash a wound considering the bacteria? Either way I would probably go after that with neosporin as it has three antibiotics in it.

I had an unusual experience yesterday along these lines.
Dropped a 25# drum on my foot while trying to weigh it.
Several dorsal spines puntured the top of my foot, one piercing a blood vessel.
I bled like the proverbial 'stuck pig', but noted it would stop if I simply applied pressure to that wound.
Anyway, I let it bleed (a LOT) but was still moderately concerned about infection despite the water being cold and fairly clear.
I bound it up with a strip of old towel (like a tourniquet) and put my reef walker back on to hold it in place and limped (a mile) back to the car.
Left it bound all the way home (an hour drive).
Flushed it repeatedly with hydrogen peroxide when I got in the house and soaked it almost an hour in warm epsom salts.
Covered the wounds with a large bandage with a liberal amount of Neosporin.
It leaked a little overnite, but almost no pain or swelling. A bit sore though!


Today the holes are healing with little sign of infection when I changed the bandage...


Thank You Lord, it wasn't any worse!