Why Is It So ?

[Ken A]

I'm sitting here typing with yet another throbbing thumb caused by a Flattie spike

I don't know why it is but I always get spiked by the little ones of 30cm or less. I have no problems whatsoever with 40cm plus fish & handle them when I'm waist deep in water without pliers & hardly ever get spiked badly.

The little ones I always seem to have problems with & always seem to get hit & most of the time deeply. If anything I am more watchful of the little buggers than the big ones.

I don't have any problems with them on dry land at all but they are little buggers when your wading.

Anyone else have the same problem or am I just a clumsy bastard ?

[ankles]

yep count me in the same club. they get me every time..... fatties + ankles= blood

[OWZAT]

G`day Fellas ,

I always use an old Napkin , or towel when handling flatties of any size , but the little buggers seem to have an inbuilt radar dont they.

If you rub your spiked area along the belly of the flathead the slime on its belly has a detoxifying effect on the poison in the barbs of their spikes.

Ya still bleed like buggery , but the pain is less severe.

Mick

[the_lure]

Ken

its because they are stil green and jump around all over the place on you, pain in the butt, i guess the option is to let them fight longer, but not a good option if you are going to release anyway.

cheers

Chris

[Guest madsmc]

I always keep a gardening glove handy for handling flatties. It can be a bit cumbersome fighting a fish and trying to fit a glove at the same time but its better than the alternative. I did manage to get spiked under the thumb by a Bream on Monday and bled everywhere. That's probably my worst fishing injury to date, touch wood.

madsmc (Shane Carroll)

[CB88]

Doesn't it give you the irrits . Don't they realize things would be far more pleasant for all concerned if they just kept still for 5 seconds?

Seriously though, a tip I got the other day was to wear a bit of bicycle tube over your thumb. It lets you grab them with a jaw grip without ripping your thumb to shreds, (which is also very painful and to be avoided)

Dave

[Clarkie]

a tip I got the other day was to wear a bit of bicycle tube over your thumb. It lets you grab them with a jaw grip without ripping your thumb to shreds

Great tip Dave.

[Lightweight]

As Shane said a gardening glove works wonders, or if you want to go to the next level, get a glove that the fishmongers use. They are available from most kitchen and cutlery type places and are made from stainless mesh. They are really handy if you want to fillet or handle spikey fish without tearing your hands to shreds.

I have not got one, but my fishmonger mate swears by one... at this stage the garden glove is all i use, but the mesh glove is very high on the shopping list. It is a small investment to save your fingers from over hyped lizards and wayward knives at the cleaning tables...

LW

[Jethro]

Don't you just love the little buggers. The best place they get you is right in the joint of a finger

Have to agree with The Lure. I thinks its because they are a lot more active when you grab them.

I like the idea on the bicycle tube.

[Ken A]

If there are a lot of flatties around of decent size I put a couple wraps of Elastoplast around the base of my left thumb before I go & it doesn't interfere with your fishing & you can slip your thumb well in the mouth & get a good grip & the teeth only hit the tape. It works very well on fish to 65 cm or so. When I get larger fish I generally walk them into land. If you keep the head under water you can lead them for miles no dramas.

The littlies are the problem cause you can't grab them that way & I think most of my problems are caused from being in a hurry to release them unharmed. I might try splitting a short length of thin plastic pipe so I can slip it on the line & then slide it down the line & tap the hook out while the fish is still in the water. Its a similar method to what we used to use for knocking hooks out of Marlin.

Its worth a try anyhow. Thanks for the suggestions fellas.

[Guest Jocool]

I heard somewhere that if you flip em upside down they go docile. And also covering their eyes has the same effect. But I dont know if that is doable while wading.

[patl]

We camped at wivenhow dam one easter and done a heap of bait fishing off the bank and out of a canoe.

We where there with the in laws and I ended up being the "deckie" all easter.

We caught a heap of little catfish some only 100mm long, well after taking these off half a dozen peoples lines all weekend I felt like a pin cushion.

But its the same as flatties, the smaller the fish the better chance you get spiked

[Bashir]

the thumb on bum thing works great. But you place your thumb in front of the vent, it sort of 'fits' into an area of the belly quite well. But yeh I usually just use a wet towel for them.

[aussiebasser]

the thumb on bum thing works great.  But you place your thumb in front of the vent, it sort of 'fits' into an area of the belly quite well.  But yeh I usually just use a wet towel for them.

38692[/snapback]

I've found that the thumb on bum works well, but then again I reckon if someone flipped me on my back with their thumb jammed you know where I'd settle down too. Sorta the Hopoate effect!!!!