How to Avoid Being Horned by a Catfish

Catfish are awesome.  They're fun to catch, and they're delicious to eat.  There's absolutely nothing better than fried catfish and tartar sauce.  Catfish are also abundant.  You can find them in virtually any established body of water, lake or river.

If you're a first time fisherman and you use a worm, odds are that your first fish will be a catfish.  There are three main types here in the U.S.  They are blue catfish, channel catfish, and flathead catfish.  They all have something in common - spiked fins.  Catfish have three long spikes. There's one in their top fin, and there's one in each side fin.  These things are razor sharp, and they have a chemical that will leave your wound burning for a good few minutes.

Avoiding the catfish's defense is easy.  You cup the fish toward the tailfin and slide your hand up right into the creases between the catfish's fins and his body.  This will keep those spikes sticking out, and it will keep your hand safely behind them.  On small catfish, it may be difficult to do this without getting spiked.  In those cases, simply put a finger in the fish's mouth.  It will clamp down, and the fish is now firmly on your finger.  Relax, catfish don't have teeth.  Just keep in mind that sooner or later, no matter how careful you are, you WILL get spiked.

All of that said, a video's worth a million words.  Here's my daughter's  demonstration how to hold a catfish.  The fish in the video was not a keeper due to its small size.  We tossed it back in the water.  Enjoy!