Do catfish sting people? It depends on your point of view. The injury does feel like a sting often. The fin spines are stabbing you. They are not stingers.
How Does a Catfish Sting a Person
The term sting is not accurate but for clarity, it will be used. If you hold a catfish incorrectly it has a high chance to sting you. The dorsal and pectoral fins have sharply pointed fin rays. Smaller catfish have sharper fin rays. The larger catfish tend to have dull fin rays.
Holding catfish correctly will prevent being stung by the rays. When handling small catfish grab underneath behind the pectoral fins. This keeps the odds of the fish jabbing you low. Handling bigger catfish is safe by grabbing them by the mouth after removing the hook.
People have the misconception that the whiskers will sting you. A catfish’s whisker is soft and flexible. They cannot sting a person. The catfish uses the whiskers to search for food. The whiskers are sensory organs.
How to Treat a Catfish Sting
A sting from a catfish will hurt, some more than others. If you do get a sting from a catfish, use basic first aid. You should carry a basic first aid kit while fishing.
- Thoroughly clean the area to remove dirt and catfish slime
- Check and remove any spine broken off in the wound
- Soak in warm water for 30 minutes as soon as possible
- Apply an antibiotic cream
- Do not cover the wound
- Use Tylenol or Advil for pain if needed
- If infection occurs seek medical treatment
If you treat the wound, infections are rare. You do not cover a catfish sting. This allows a fin ray to come out if tweezers cannot grab it. Soaking in warm water helps speed up the process. Sometimes the ray is not visible.
Keep the wound clean and uncovered. Watch for infection. If you do get an infection it does need oral antibiotics. Go to a medical professional for proper treatment of the infection. You may need a tetanus shot in some instances.
Conclusion
Catfish can cause an injury. Using a proper holding technique reduces injuries from being stung. If a catfish does sting you treat the wound. If infected, seek medical treatment.