How To Safely Hold & Unhook Catfish Without Pliers [VIDEO]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Inshore Fishing
Want to know the safest way to hold and unhook catfish without pliers?
Want to make sure you don’t get spined next time you have to get a catfish off your line?
If you are an inshore angler, at some point you will most likely catch and have to release a catfish.
If you already didn’t know this, catfish have barbed fins on their sides and top fin. These bards are venomous and can cause inflammation and severe pain.
Once these barbs are in your skin, they are also hard to get out and it is not a fun time for anyone.
I put together this article to show you how to safely hold and unhook catfish without pliers.
You can also see a video tutorial on how to unhook catfish at the bottom of the article.
How Do People Get Spined By Catfish?
Many anglers are scared or do not want to touch catfish after they catch one for fear of being spined.
The most common way many anglers get spined is for this reason. Instead of controlling the catfish to unhook it, they use pliers to shake the catfish off their hook. This is not recommended!
By shaking the catfish off the line, you have no idea what direction the fish is going to fly off at. Many times, people get hooked this way when the catfish comes flying at them and spines them where it hits.
Another way people get barbed is stepping on the catfish to stop them from flailing. Catfish spines are strong and sharp and can penetrate the sole of a shoe like nothing.
The best way to hold and unhook a catfish can be found in the next section.
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How To Hold And Unhook Catfish
In this section, I tell you the four steps to unhook and release a catfish safely. The steps are:
1. Secure The Hook
The first step is to secure the hook or jig so it doesn’t move. You can do this by pinching the hook eye between your thumb and index finger.
2. Put Two Fingers Below The Spines
Go from underneath the spines put your middle finger under one and your thumb under the other on the opposite side. Put your index over the top of the base of the spine and hold the fish tight enough so that it cannot shake its upper body.
3. Twist The Hook Out
Remove the hook from the catfish’s mouth while maintaining a strong grip on the fish.
4. Release The Fish
Twist the catfish upside down in your hand and allow it to flick off away from you and into the water.
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How To Hold And Unhook Catfish Video
In this video, I show you each step to hold and unhook catfish safely.
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Conclusion
Getting spined by a catfish is not a pleasant experience and some common practices can end up getting you spined.
Using the tips above, you can safely hold, unhook and release catfish without getting spined.
If you have any questions about this post or another way to safely unhook catfish, let us know in the comments section.
Tight Lines!
Related Posts:
1. How To Unhook A Saltwater Catfish With Or Without Touching It [VIDEO]
2. Saltwater Catfish: The Worst Fish Ever OR Amazing Tarpon And Cobia Bait?
3. The Best Catch and Release Techniques (Backed by Science)
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Freshwater catfish have a strong taste and smell that comes from the fact they eat anything. If you get farmed catfish, they are mild and don’t taste like what you’d expect from catfish. I have fed farmed catfish to people who say they hate catfish, without telling them what it is until after they ate it. And they enjoyed it and were surprised. For anyone who has eaten some of our local catfish from the saltwater and the creeks and canals, do they have that strong taste same as wild freshwater cats?
What if it’s a big 60 cat how u gonna hold that one handed?
Great video- I’ve been on the receiving end of the salt cat barb and it’s awful to say the least!
Thanks Alison! Sorry to see that you got barbed by one in the past… they sure do hurt!
How about don’t go fishing without pliers. There is no safe way to unhook a catfish by hand. It takes only one unexpected move to ruin your day.
I’ve seen it a hundred times.
Thx for the info
I think I’m a catfish magnet. Thanks for the advice.
Nice. I have been stuck trying to grab the catfish, good information.
Fred
Yes! I had a spline go completely through my pinky! Yes, I made the mistake to use pliers to try an unhook it.
Sorry to hear about that. Hopefully it never happens again.
Lesson learned! Thanks for the video!!!
I am really glad you made this video, we always just do the pliers flick. It sounds kind of stupid, but I never thought to pinch the hook to keep em still like that.
I am glad to see that this catfish unhooking video was helpful. Fish On!
Thanks for the great tip and demo.
My pleasure Roger! Thanks for making time to leave the nice comment.