# Catfish bite strength



## Bassthumb

I've caught many cats, mostly channels fishing for bass. I am not a cat guy but thought myself fairly experienced dealing with them. Yesterday I took my 4 yr old nephew fishing in the Maumee river and we caught some. This maybe 3-4 lbs cat did a number on my thumb. It had a stronger bite than cats triple it's size. I know they usually will bear down when you lip them, but I tell you this thing had a vice grip felt like he coukd snapped my thumb. This was about 30 seconds after I was coaxing my nephew to grab him, I'm glad that wasn't his first fish handling experience. What are your experiences with this? I always lip cats no matter their size, I of course have gotten bear'd down on, scraped up, and a little bloody but nothing serious. Should I be more cautious?


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## Salmonid

a big channel has the worst bite of the 3 cats, channels, blues and flatheads.. they like to clamp then go into an alligator roll frenzy which is the part that tears your flesh, LOL Blues do it a little too but usually you can feel them tense up and your more prepared for it, Flats grip but then shake the tails so they don't get you as bad (normally) Ive had all them tear plenty of flesh but I respect a big channel the most, LOL once lipped, they go nuts.... Teach your nephew how to hold them around the fins with both hands, safest for young uns, if they freak, they will drop them without getting hurt, teach them to watch all three fins as well, especially on fish that are less then maybe 2 lbs, the little ones are more trouble then the big ones when it comes to sharp fins with the barbs on them. 

Salmonid


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## whodeynati

I got me a good glove to hold them with now. I had a 40# blue go absolutely nuts on my hand.. that won't happen again, we'll it will but it won't hurt next time.


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## Gone Wishin

Caught a pretty big channel recently and it closed up on me but didn't freak out. I was wearing a glove but I don't think it would have done damage bare hand. I'm still going for the lip every time, I'd take a bite over a stab

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## Mr. A

Growing up cat fishing I learned to grab catfish around the body behind the fins (as long as the fins are locked out. It always made taking the hook out easier because you didn't have to worry about your thumb.

On the few occasions I have thumbed them I have always regretted it because of the chomp and roll they do, every dang time. Of course, the ones I have decided to thumb have always been larger, and better at skinning you thumb and trying to break your fingers! 

Still, I caught a baby channel once that was maybe 6" long, maybe; and when I tried to release it back in the water it started fluttering and stuck a barb through my thumbnail right in the corner of the quick. That freaking hurt!

Horrible luck, but I think of it every time I release a catfish. Bigger ones cause me less stress! LOL

Mr. A


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## Nightcrawler666

Haha they do have the tendency to bite pretty hard. My grandpas got some 10lbers in his pond that really put the clamp down. But, if you can't get your hand around them securely enough, grabbing them by the lip is the only way to go. Separates the men from the boys. 


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## katfish

I suggest you wear a Kevlar glove to handle catfish.










With big flathead we often recognize successful catmen by observing cat rash on their forearms.










At some point you have to decide how much you will endure for catfish


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## Nightcrawler666

Cat rash. Hahaha


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## Dana.Birrell

I've noticed the smaller ones are the worst because it's not as easy to get control over their bottom jaw. The bigger ones don't seem to be AS bad if you don't show weakness to the fish (yes, they can and will sense weakness, which is when they roll), and when you show them weakness, be prepared to get torn to shreds. We were out of a net last weekend and I was forced to jaw a 17lb Flathead out of the water. Be quick, precise and confident.



Nightcrawler666 said:


> ... Separates the men from the boys.



This, and this.


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## Dana.Birrell

Double posting. It's great.


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## andrewsowinski

Bogagripp lol


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## katfish

> The bigger ones don't seem to be AS bad if you don't show weakness to the fish (yes, they can and will sense weakness, which is when they roll), and when you show them weakness, be prepared to get torn to shreds


Dana
On truly big flathead, confidence is not enough.










If you attempt to land fish this size by hand you could end up with broken fingers or maybe a broken arm.










We receive our wounds handling fish for pictures and release.










I have my hands in bait buckets and handle lots of live baits and I will use gloves to decrease chance of the open wounds becoming infected. Losing some blood and skin is inevitable if you catch many flathead.


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## FlashGordon

Katfish, I wanna fish with you sometime. lol

Those things are ridiculous.


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