Catfish in the pond. dont know how to unhook them

Question

There is ONE catfish in the pond the man that stocks the pond with fish said that he put ONE catfish in it and a boy caught it earlier. so i am afraid that i will catch it. it is a small catfish about 7-10 inches. i need to know how to unhook these kinds of catfish without hurting the fish or myself.

Answer 1

Holding a catfish is a tricky thing indeed! The way I do it is with my right hand with kind of a "three finger" grab. Imagine that the dorsal fin (top of fish) and the two pectoral fins (each side of the fish) are kind of like handles. They tend to be sticking straight up ad straight out respectively like spikes. You don't want a puncture from these as it hurts a lot but you can use them to hold the fish very securely with one hand.

I spread my fingers so that the dorsal fin can be placed between my index and ring fingers. I then place my thumb securely behind the left pectoral fin and my ring finger in front of the right pectoral fin with my pinky just behind the same fin. Give the fish a good firm grip! Once you have good control of the catfish, you can work out the hook with your left hand.

Answer 2

best thing is to go catfishing with someone else who can show you how to take them off the hook - you need to worry about the spines they have - two side spines near their gills and the one at the top of their back.

Different size catfish I hold different ways -their size...and how "active" or irratated they are...go fishing with someone who knows how to hold them and take them off the hook - then develop your own way on how to do it.   It's kind of like explaining what tapioca tastes like......

With any fish if you can't get the hook out of their mouth - you can push it thru the skin of the fish and cut the barb of the hook totally off - then the hook will slide out without catching on anything...then you will have to replace the hook... but sometimes you do that so you don't kill the fish for no reason.

Also with catfish sometimes their skin is so tough you have no alternative except to cut the hook to get it out...

Answer 3

If you do get poked don't worry about it.At that size it's likely a bullhead and their venom at that size is pretty much harmless.I doubt you'd feel any effects at all.

Answer 4

Being a Hydrologist, I would gester to say there are probably more than one catfish in the pond.  Fish eggs are transfered from pond to pond by migrating ducks and other birds.  

  As far as removing the hook, you can purchase a hook remover at most fishing stores.  This consist of a rod about 12 inches long with a hook on the end.  You slide this over your line and move it towards the hood.  After making contact with the hook in the catfish's mouth, you flip the catfish over the line and the hook will be removed.  I have made these myself, using coat hangers for years and this is a safe method for the fish.

Answer 5

it will most likey die if it was hooked on to your pole after loosing blood

Answer 6

Holding the fish is important, I can't quote it, but I have read that the points on the fins are toxic(mildly) and know from experience that even a small puncture can be very painful.   It also helps tremendously to have a pair of long nosed pliers(the fishing pliers sold at most fishing stores or walmart work great).    For just one fish it might not matter so much but it might make things alot easier if you use a hook without a barb on it.   Unbarbed hooks can be tough to find, so you might want to just file it off of your hooks, or at least bend the tip down with your long nosed pliers.