Outside of the ones that can eat a human being whole, fish aren’t generally thought of as being dangerous to your health. There are some, however, that can hurt you plenty whether it be from their teeth, poisonous spines, gill plates or plain old brute strength. Here’s an armful of finned foes you need to either handle with the utmost care or just not handle at all.
As if croaking at you wasn’t bad enough, bullhead (and other species of catfish) come fully equipped with spines (2 lateral, 1 dorsal) capable of puncturing your skin, and in at least one case, killing you, explained late radio broadcaster Paul Harvey.
According to Harvey, two brothers were catfishing one day when they decided to play a game of catch with their catch. Tragically, one young man caught the catfish in his arms and as he brought the fish to his chest to secure it, the cat’s spine punctured the man’s heart killing him instantly.
Freshwater bullhead and catfish spines aren’t likely to kill you, but they certainly can hurt–sometimes for days. There are a number of home remedies said to cure a catfish sting from vinegar to urine to rubbing the cat’s belly on the wound area. But if you are stung, it’s best to clean the wound thoroughly to stave off infection and monitor the puncture site for several days. If pain and swelling continue, seek medical attention.
While most freshwater anglers handle their catfish and bullhead cautiously, they will handle them. Veteran saltwater fishermen know to keep their cats at arm’s length preferring not to handle catfish at all. Hardhead and Gafftop Sail catfish are common species and although it’s debatable as to whether their sting is more painful than a freshwater cat’s, few will argue the ache quotient. Simply put: it hurts like hell and the barbs are perfectly capable of going through the sole of a boat shoe or flip flop.
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It’s best to completely avoid handling saltwater catfish if you can. Use a fish de-hooker whenever possible or simply cut the line if the fish has swallowed the bait too deeply. Again, sting relief home remedies abound from fish slime to tobacco to household bleach, however the best remedy is to not get stung in the first place.
