# Finned by a saltwater catfish



## bkl021475

I was finned by a saltwater cat while fishing in Houma, Louisiana. We were almost an hour out and it hurt like heck!, when we finally got to land I took some benadryl and shortly after the pain stopped, I tried pushing on the stick on my thumb but it started hurting and swelling so bad I couldn't stand it, it hurt to put ice on it, it hurt to not have ice, it was the worst pain I've ever experienced! My arm and hand had swollen almost to my elbow before I took any medicine. I've never been finned by one anywhere else but Louisiana but I was told that they hurt worse there because of the muddy marsh water. I've been finned by many freshwater cats before but this was a whole different hurt. I hope I never find out! Any advice on what to take or do if this ever happens again?


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## SneekEE

watched a girl catching them by the truck load once. As soon as she realed it in before touching it she would either step on its head and clip the fins, or she had a big pair of plairs also that fit around the cats head. She would grab it with those pliers and then clip the spines and fins. Said she wouldnt touch one before clipping it. Man I hate you had to endure that pain . I think after it happened to me one time from then on i would cut the line each time i saw a cat lol


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## Dustin Pate

Hot Water!!!! Ice is not the answer. Stick the area in the hottest water you can stand. It will help to draw the poison out of the area.


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## contender*

I've got finned by them before, caught a pot load of them at Gulf Shores. It did hurt worse than freshwater cats but my arm didn't swell. I've always just stuck my hand back in the salt water and that seemed to ease it. 
 Those salt cats are good eatin but they sure are hard to clean..


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## Wahoo Creek

I had an older guide once down in St. Marks who used to pull out a stick a beat them to death on the side of the boat.  Not just a whack.  I'm talking about a beating with a vengence.  Said he got finned once and had same kind of pain and swelling you're talking about.  The first time he did it, I thought he was off his rocker.


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## j_seph

Post is useless w/o pics!


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## paratrooper202

Dustin Pate said:


> Hot Water!!!! Ice is not the answer. Stick the area in the hottest water you can stand. It will help to draw the poison out of the area.



Dustin is 100% right!!!  Sting rays hot water too! Those catfish make you feel like your arm is going to fall off.. Hurts like someone has taken your arm out of its socket... I know how it feels, best of luck.


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## germag

Hot water is a rare commodity when you're out on a boat fishing.....that it is the best thing to do for it, though.


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## brokenskeg

An older gentleman told me one time , that the best way to get the sting out of a saltwater catfish after it gets you is , after you get done cursing at it , take your finger and wipe it on the fish . Then , use that slime and wipe it on the area that got stung . I've been stung quite a few times , and can attest that IT DOES WORK !!!  Hot water works too , but I dont keep any hot water on my boat .


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## florida boy

germag said:


> Hot water is a rare commodity when you're out on a boat fishing.....that it is the best thing to do for it, though.



the water coming out of the output of the motor while it is idleing is usally hot enough to relieve the pain. I use this often when someone comes into contact with jellyfish while pulling the anchor .


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## Seth carter

not a saltwater cat but first time going to the river this year we were checking trotlines there was maybe a 2 pound cat on one of the hooks my dad just takes it off and he wasent paying attentoin swings his arm around to give it to me and he sticks the fin into my knee to the bone it was sore bad the rest of the weekend


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## bteate

I had a guide tell me once that the slime on a saltwater cat is one of the best antibiotics there is. A friend got finned by one and did exactly that, swelled up bad. The next morning out he rubbed slime on it and was better by afternoon.If you get finned, what would it hurt to try it? wow, that stuff is nasty though!


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## Randy8216

ive caught hundreds the slime does work


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## bilgerat

I caught one off the beach in Pensacola when I was a kid, it was floping around in the sand so I steped on it..... bearfoot.... not a good idea, My foot swelled up like a football and I got to go to the hospital ER for a benedril shot  
great way for a 6 year old to spend his vacation


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## germag

florida boy said:


> the water coming out of the output of the motor while it is idleing is usally hot enough to relieve the pain. I use this often when someone comes into contact with jellyfish while pulling the anchor .



That's a good idea. We catch a ton of hardhead catfish and stingrays. Nobody's ever gotten stuck by a stingray on the boat yet, but it's bound to happen sooner or later.


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## GaMudd

I was surf fishing at St. George a couple years back and got finned in the knuckle joint of my big toe.  That definitely got my attention.  I think it took about six months before it was completely normal again.  Glad to hear about the slime and the hot hot water for future reference.


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## FritzMichaels

my b-i-l stepped on one once while floundering...  it was a trip to the hospital. it is bad bad bad...


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## sullivanfire1

*Dip or chew*

I got it a couple of years ago on the mosquito lagoon. Usually I step on them and pull the hook out with a pair of channel locks (lips and all). I thought I would be nice because my son had a friend with him and I did not want him to see how I removed the hook so I grabbed it, it got me on the index finger. Man, you talk about hurt !!!

I heard from an old man down at sebastian inlet to put dip or chewing tobacco on it because it draws the poison out. I tried it with copenhagen straight out of my mouth, it worked !! I would say the pain stopped withing 5 minutes. I have also heard of using meat tenderizer to pull the poison out, never tried that one and I hope I don't have to !!


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## bfriendly

> I was finned by a saltwater cat while fishing in Houma, Louisiana. We were almost an hour out and it hurt like heck!, when we finally got to land I took some benadryl and shortly after the pain stopped, I tried pushing on the stick on my thumb but it started hurting and swelling so bad I couldn't stand it, it hurt to put ice on it, it hurt to not have ice, it was the worst pain I've ever experienced! My arm and hand had swollen almost to my elbow before I took any medicine. I've never been finned by one anywhere else but Louisiana but I was told that they hurt worse there because of the muddy marsh water. I've been finned by many freshwater cats before but this was a whole different hurt. I hope I never find out! Any advice on what to take or do if this ever happens again?



If you get finned again, you will probably endure the same Pain........I have never gotten finned enough to get any swellin,  just minor pokes.  I did have a buddy get it in the palm really good and it look like he was holding a baseball under his skin..............NASTY Swellin like you are talking about.

Grab a catfish from underneath, you will NOT get finned...........that is your only chance to avoid repeating the pain you just went through; Dont get finned again!


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## hammerz71

Salt water cats are bad news!  A buddy of mine and I were walking the intercoastal in central Florida fishing live shrimp for Reds and he caught one.  Got finned taking it off the hook and was in REAL pain.   Buy the time we walked back to the bank (about 250 yard out - yes at that distance it's still waist deep) his hand and arm up to his elbow was four to five times it's normal size.
Ended up taking him to the ER...


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## K9SAR

Dustin Pate said:


> It will help to draw the poison out of the area.



Some sulfur-based ointment will work as a drawing salve, too, or mix up some sulfur, rosin, and some beeswax and use it as a drawing salve.  (It's just easier, though, to go buy icthammol ointment at the store  )


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## Jeff C.

Straight Clorox!!! You can carry that on the boat.


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## Musket

I have caught hundreds of hardheads and I really don't know anyone that will eat one. Not even carp fishermen.

Several things work, meat tenderizer, tobacco juice, bleach, hot water, drawing salve and at last resort....urine.  This will take the sting out of hardhead stabs and jellyfish stings in a heart beat.


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## holton27596

topsail cats are worse than fresh water cats, but those hardhead cats are unreal. I got popped down at SGI once on my ring finger. I managed to take my ring off, and it was 6 months before I got it back on again. Pain bout made me sick to my stomach.


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## HCREB

*finned*

My grandpaw always told me the best remedy was to pee on the place you get finned!!! I never was brave enough to purposely pee on myself.


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## Twenty five ought six

HCREB said:


> My grandpaw always told me the best remedy was to pee on the place you get finned!!! I never was brave enough to purposely pee on myself.



Wait until you get older.  You don't have to try.


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## Lukikus2

Musket said:


> I have caught hundreds of hardheads and I really don't know anyone that will eat one. Not even carp fishermen.QUOTE]
> 
> They are as good as trout (when fried). Not a whole lot of meat on them though, they are mostly all head.


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## Rackbuster

When you get finned take the fish and hold the booty hole on the finned area for a few minutes.It will take the poison right out.
I worked at a fish farm years ago and stepped on one while seining a pond.Pulled fish fin back thru rubber boot and out of my foot.My boss told me to do this but I wasn't falling for that.After assuring me it would work and the pain getting worse I did it.Bout 5 to 10 minutes I was back going with no pain.


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## snookdoctor

HCREB said:


> My grandpaw always told me the best remedy was to pee on the place you get finned!!! I never was brave enough to purposely pee on myself.



That's why you should always fish with a buddy
They can pee on it for you

It does work. The ammonia in urine takes away the pain.
It works for stingray barbs and jellyfish stings also.


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## Sultan of Slime

Rackbuster said:


> When you get finned take the fish and hold the booty hole on the finned area for a few minutes.It will take the poison right out.
> I worked at a fish farm years ago and stepped on one while seining a pond.Pulled fish fin back thru rubber boot and out of my foot.My boss told me to do this but I wasn't falling for that.After assuring me it would work and the pain getting worse I did it.Bout 5 to 10 minutes I was back going with no pain.



He beat me to it. Rub the fish's anal gland on the punctured area for about 30 seconds and the poison will be nullified. It will be a little sore from the ***** but nothing like the wrath if you let the poison spread.Works every time I know


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## Hooked On Quack

HCREB said:


> My grandpaw always told me the best remedy was to pee on the place you get finned!!! I never was brave enough to purposely pee on myself.





Twenty five ought six said:


> Wait until you get older.  You don't have to try.


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## grouper throat

I've got a preventative idea; cut the line off right before the hook and you won't have to mess with them. 

I've been struck by a stingray and if it feels anything remotely like that, I'd rather loose a hook by far than take my chances.  I was ready to hack my leg off below the shin with a dull knife by the time we made it into the beach house


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## egomaniac247

Careful guys - I hunted with an old timer who actually lost his finger from the infection that a catfish fin gave him.  Got infected and they had to chop it off at the knuckle.


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## baconator

bleach for anything that draws blood in or around salt water.


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## Cottontail

This is no joke!!!  Preperation H it works on jellyfish and catfish stings.


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## Huntingnewriver

Rub catfishs anal region on it. Hot water soon as you can find some. That's what the oldtimers done and that's what the emergency room doctor told my sissy friend to do when he got stuck


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## germag

Huntingnewriver said:


> Rub catfishs anal region on it. Hot water soon as you can find some. That's what the oldtimers done and that's what the emergency room doctor told my sissy friend to do when he got stuck



It's been a year and a half. I'm sure he's either gotten over it or died from it by now.


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## Huntingnewriver

Just posting for others that might need this info. I'm sure the op is OK by now lol


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## saltysenior

Huntingnewriver said:


> Rub catfishs anal region on it. Hot water soon as you can find some. That's what the oldtimers done and that's what the emergency room doctor told my sissy friend to do when he got stuck



sounds like a good way to get stung twice....



 all this fore mentioned pain to save a 10 cent hook


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## Dyrewulf

Wahoo Creek said:


> I had an older guide once down in St. Marks who used to pull out a stick a beat them to death on the side of the boat.  Not just a whack.  I'm talking about a beating with a vengence.  Said he got finned once and had same kind of pain and swelling you're talking about.  The first time he did it, I thought he was off his rocker.




ha ha ha, the mental image I get from that one is great "Durn fish! *WHACK* Ah'll tech ya ta fin me *WHACK*"


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## zedex

I never knew of any remedies for getting shanked by catfish or rays. I always suffered it through. Not a pleasurable way to deal with it.

 Last year, I got implaed by a spiny dogfish right through my right wrist. Perfect, painful piercing all the way through. 

 Having been poked by catfish, rays and that dogfish, I can attest that if you got religion, you will surely lose it.

 Thanks for the tips. Now I will carry bleach, tobacco, fish butts, Preperation H and urine with me. If all else fails, I will clean the fish butt with bleach, coat it with Prep H, chew a wad and pee all over myself.


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## agoodhunter

Those salt cats are good eatin but they sure are hard to clean..[/QUOTE]

I always heard that they were not good eating! Maybe ill clean one someday.. :yummy:


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## Cleankill47

The easiest thing to use is baking soda mixed with water into a paste. Put a glob onto the bite/puncture and as the baking soda dries it draws out the poisons and the pain almost immediately. When the paste starts to crumble just do it again. The same thing is useful for stings from bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and ant bites/stings. 

A penny taped to a sting for 10-15 minutes works, too.


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## Stumper

I've been "stuck" by sea catfish and a stingray that nearly went through my hand , I feel your pain, hot water and epson salt helped draw the poison. I haven't been stuck since my teenage days and I still have the scar from that stingray and I'm in my 40's now!


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## bspaulding

have always just rubbed the slime off em  seems to work  but still hurts


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## Greaserbilly

Hey! 

I finally DID catch a fish. 

First fish. A tiny catfish that did fin me. It was so unhooked I had to kill it.


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