How do you despatch a catfish ?

[zedjack33]

I find that strange Zedjack. Grab them from the front?? The fish has bloody great spikes out of each pectoral fin as well. Are you relying on them lying still?? And as for using two hands, what do you then use to take out the hook? Sorry mate, but I've seen a damn lot of catties caught and a few blokes spiked, and seen the pain they go through. Why would you risk using your hands.

Someone on this thread mentioned using leather gloves. Ever seen them go through a heavy duty rubber sole boot? Ask around fellas, some of you would be amazed!

Dave

Yep they will go through leather etc easily.

Yep Dave "they Bloody Big Spikes" give a far wack of pain....but think about it and try it before you bag it! The spike lay backwards down the line of the body..........do it right, there is no way they can get ya. May take a bit of practise but its the way to go if you handle heaps of em!

Cheers zedjack33

[Canoedle]

[quote author=Canoedle link=1164759217/0#12 date=1164779335]they don't belong there as they are a saltwater species .


Edit: Just wanted to add that if I catch Fork tails in the salt water, where they belong, I let them go unharmed.

Not sure about that! Plenty of them in the Burnett river along its whole lentgh, impounded and not impounded waters.

Cheers zedjack33
[/quote]

Lake somerset is in the same system as Wivenhoe and there's no forktails up there mate, they also are not evident immediately below the wall at wivenhoe down to Mt crosby, only seen them down in the waters around Karana downs where it gets salty and heaps of em. They certainly don't mind the fresh water, they need it to breed, but only go up there during the breeding season. If you have these same fish up in the dams up there, it's probably because they blocked the waterway when the catfish were up there breeding.

[GAFYM]

Spent 9 months in hospital as a 12 yr old after standing on a catties spike. (Thats 50 yrs ago) Was given the "last rights" by the local priest. Was caused (apparently) by a bug he had on his dorsal spine when i stood on him while fishing on the Brisbane R. bank at Yeronga. I had just caught him. All of 6" long. They never did find out what it was, but i came good. Was packed in ice to bring temperature down and averaged 16...yes 16...needles a day for 3 months in my spine to get some sort of fluid moving, so the experts said. Have caught and eaten many of them since then, with no ill effects. They sting if u not careful but certainly not in the class of a Bullrout.
If u grab them from under the belly with their two spines between your fingers you can handle them quite easily.
If they have red spots on them it is apparently some virus they pick up but is not of any effect to humans. (Maybe im not in that category)

[sojourner]

I catch plenty of them on spinnerbaits while chasing bass in the Mary R., Qld. With caution a thumb grip works great. They don't have any teeth to speak of. Wouldn't recommend it with some trebles in their mouth though. They take surface lures in the Mary too. Sometimes they smash em but sometimes they just suck em down.

[The_Walrus]

If you're not going to eat them or use them in some way, just release them.

Generally, they put up a good fight and have saved many a fishing trip.

Luc

[eatmybait]

This might not be as easy for some of the big pigs, but I agree depending on the hooking, corner or engulfed, a quick flick with a hook remover is the way to go. With a drilled wooden handle, heavy duty tent peg your hands are away from the fish, roll em over and they're gone. Quick and simple for fish not too heavy.

[zedjack33]

I find that strange Zedjack. Grab them from the front?? The fish has bloody great spikes out of each pectoral fin as well. Sorry mate, but I've seen a damn lot of catties caught and a few blokes spiked, and seen the pain they go through. Why would you risk using your hands.


Dave

[jimboomba_jed]

Im with you zedjack, caught millions of em in the logan and always handle em with bare hands, spines between the fingers! TOO EASY! As for kill'n em, they've got their place in the chain, let em go to do their job and fight another day!

donnan

[gogecko]

Nice photo zedjack, that shows it all pretty clearly. So the spikes are one in the dorsal, and one in each pectoral fin? 3 spikes in total?

Youre a braver man than me, I'll stick to cuttin the line. Dont need that grease all over me.

cheers
Andrew

[zedjack33]

Yep Andrew, 3 spikes in all....................not hard to do, it's just a matter of not going in hell for leather. Hook removal is a piece of P!$$.

Cheers

[zedjack33]

[eatmybait]

Looks a bit stressful though Zedjack...Can tell by those chewed up nails

[bellco]

i went fishing with a bloke that had a funny way of dealing with them. He would cut a piece of foam of a crab pot float or similar and put it on the spike then release the fish. If the float was sized right the catty a.k.a "Honky Tonk" would go under and then resurface a few metres away then go under again and so on untill either the float came off or the sea-eagles picked him up. May seem cruel but normally the fish either gets away or eaten

[zedjack33]

Looks a bit stressful though Zedjack...Can tell by those chewed up nails

LOL........no nails.........................from a different aspect.

Catfish handling aint as bad as it is being portrayed!!!