05-27-2005, 09:52 AM
[cool][#0000ff]Well, if you are resigned to sharing your space with the fishies, there ain't much else I can say. The one piece of advice I will offer is to carry a good pair of pliers or sidecutters, for the catfish. I learned a long time ago that the first thing to do when handling catfish was to "neutralize" the potentially nasty spines. They are not as sharp, on larger cats, but they can still cause some damage.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I break or cut off both the dorsal spine and the two pectoral spines. If you cut them cleanly, they leave no ragged edges that can still do damage. Sharp things and inflatables (or flesh) are not compatible. I have also found that leaving the spines on large powerful cats can be hazardous to your fish baskets. They can get those stiff (but dull) spines tangled in the wire mesh and when they thrash and roll, something's gotta give. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Having the heavy pectoral spines removed also makes for easier handling at the fillet board later.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I break or cut off both the dorsal spine and the two pectoral spines. If you cut them cleanly, they leave no ragged edges that can still do damage. Sharp things and inflatables (or flesh) are not compatible. I have also found that leaving the spines on large powerful cats can be hazardous to your fish baskets. They can get those stiff (but dull) spines tangled in the wire mesh and when they thrash and roll, something's gotta give. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Having the heavy pectoral spines removed also makes for easier handling at the fillet board later.[/#0000ff]
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