OUCH!!!

[Simple Man]

A while back the wife, my dad and I were fishing in the gulf off of Crystal river FL and we had been catching hammerheads and catfish (sailcats I think). We had been doing real well, pulling in either sharks or cats on nearly every cast for the a few hours. It was about time to go and I wanted to catch one last fish :wink:  and I pulled in the nice cat - it is flopping everywhere while I am trying to grab him - all of a sudden he flops to my hand and stays there :shock:  I instantly grab him and pull as hard as I can but my hand just stays with him. I look at him and my hand and I have pulled out a part of tendon or muscle or something out of my finger (his barb is stuck into my finger pretty deep) So I tell my dad what is going on and he brings out some nail clippers and starts gnawing at this fish's barb until it is severed from the fish. I had to push the barb into my finger until it came out the other side and then I grab it with my teeth and pulled it out the rest of the way.
Now I don't know but I would swear this fish had poison or something in it's skin, barb or something cause it was a bad, burning pain. My hand swelled to double it's size and hurt for at least two months afterwards. I was later told that I should have taken the slime off of this fish and rubbed it onto the wound cause this helps ease the pain. Sounds like a wise tale to me. Anyone ever heard of this?

[obxmike]

CZ
I am no doctor, but they're probably about like a sting ray....some amount of venom, but a lot of bacteria and other goop to complicate the issue. Tetanus, subsequent infection and all.I guess some people are more sensitive to it than others. I had a run-in with a ray several years back and had no real reaction, other than a nasty gash and some initial pain.  Some people have been hospitalized and lost limbs due to the same. Cats have a nasty barb that'll mess you up if you ain't careful!
Rubbing even MORE slime into the wound is definitely a no-no.
Any long-term residual effects you're suffering?

[HUNTERTED]

no it is not a story or mith or whale tail it is true being a florida boy and fishing all the flats
in florida i have done this many time the slim on their body reacts to the poision in their
fin and clears up the wound faster and a whole less painful but it must be from the same fish
that sticks you.

[FW Conch]

I think if I catch one of them I'm gonna just take the dikes & cut the leader ! 

HUNTERTED, that's a good lookin "channel bass" you got there !  - obx , "what da ya think" ?

"Good Catchen" !       Jim

[Oldshooter]

We call them gaff tops here! We dont ever keep them and when we actually hook one I use a tool with a handle and a small open loop on the other end.  Catch the leader close to the hook with the open loop and give the fish a flip (not toward you but over the side) he will flip off with out you having to touch it!

If its too big to flip cut the leader!

Now as to the barb in the skin, never heard of the slime approach but what ever works.

They hurt like a son of a gun! hence the no touch tool!