Fish can hurt you.

[Bushwhacker]

Thought I'd highlight one of the perils of fishing - being injured by your quarry.

If you can't ID the fish, check it over first - teeth, fins, gill plates and skin.
A lot of fish have small sharp teeth and can open you up to infection.

Saltwater UK Fish.

Bass.
Razor sharp gill plates and dorsal spines.
Handle with gloves or large towel. Smaller fish can be mouthed.

Weever Fish.
Lesser Weever lives in shallow inshore waters whereas the Greater lives in deeper offshore waters. Both have venomous spines on the dorsal fin and on the gill covers.
Treatment should involve immersing the affected area in the hottest water bearable which will help neutralise the venom. Medical advice should be sought immediately.
Handle fish with a leather glove or by wrapping a towel around it.

Cartilaginous Fish - Shark, Tope, Spurdogs, Smoothhounds, Rays, Stingrays.

Shark and Tope
Have very sharp teeth and can easily inflict serious wounds.
Unhooking should be done in the water using a long disgorger and fish released.

Spurdogs
Have large spikes at the front of the dorsal fin.

Dogfish and Smoothounds
Have very abrasive skin and improper handling can result in the removal of your skin.
Dogfish should be held bent round with the tail and head in one hand.

Rays
Most have sharp thorns on the back and tail. Skin is very abrasive. There are no teeth but the crushing plates can cause harm with bigger fish.
Pick up from the nose end, you'll be able to feel an indentation either side of the nose so get your thumb dug in there and a firm grip from your hands.

Stingrays
Have a venomous spine on the tail, they can whip it with great speed and repetition.
They could possibly pierce footwear so don't put your boot on it. Unhook in water with a long disgorger.

Conger Eel.
It's all muscle with a big mouth to back it up. It will react to anything in its mouth by clamping down.
I've seen people lucky enough to only get the soles of their boots ripped off. The head has the potential to still be dangerous even if severed.
Even small eels can bite hard.
Unhook in the water with a long disgorger or cut the line if you're not keeping it.

Other fish with various spines include - All of the flatfish, Wrasse, Scad, Gurnard, Trigger fish, Bream.

 

[Totumpole]

Good idea, my ex stood on a Weever fish once, nasty!

 

[jonnie drake]

evil weavers! caught one at brid pier when I was younger, seen a few rock pooling too. Most of the perch family (inc. bass) have the same spiny fins and sharp gills. Pike obviously have teeth pretty much any place in their mouth, you can cut yourself very easily even when chinning them out. Trout have sharp teeth so dont be tempted to lip them. Not a lot else I can think of tbh? I've never caught one but im pretty sure wrasse have a cracking set of gnashers... and conger are not to be trusted!

 

[johnnytheboy]

Been pike fishing for the past 16 years and had a few wee knicks here and there but nothing major, one of my friends did get a tendon severed in his thumb by the pikes teeth, and has never had proper movement in it since, even after a few operations!!

Pike have anti-coagulant in there mouths that means you bleed like crazy when you get cut!!

 

[mountainm]

Caught a few American Brown Catfish in france - they have a vicious spines at the base of their pectoral and dorsal fins

 

[Shewie]

Caught a few American Brown Catfish in france - they have a vicious spines at the base of their pectoral and dorsal fins

Are they the 300lb+ ones in the rivers?

 

[mountainm]

Are they the 300lb+ ones in the rivers?

nah, they're Wels Catfish - American Browns are a pest fish - but good eating if the water is clean.

 

[santaman2000]

nah, they're Wels Catfish - American Browns are a pest fish - but good eating if the water is clean.

I've caught Channel Catfish, Bullhead Catfish, Flathead Catfish, and probably another half dozen or so freshwater species of catfish but I've never heard of "American Brown" catfish. Can you tell me more about them?

BTW, ALL of them (catfish) that I've encountered have vicious spines. Especially the saltwater species.

 

[lannyman8]

dogfish have a barb / spine at the dorsel fin...zander are like pike but meaner...

 

[mountainm]

I've caught Channel Catfish, Bullhead Catfish, Flathead Catfish, and probably another half dozen or so freshwater species of catfish but I've never heard of "American Brown" catfish. Can you tell me more about them?

BTW, ALL of them (catfish) that I've encountered have vicious spines. Especially the saltwater species.

I think it's a variety of Bullhead (goes to check book) - Yeah American Catfish - Black or Brown bullhead. Not easy to distinguish between the two depending on the water clarity but the brown has a barb on the dorsal spine.

 

[gregor-scott]

not really a natural hazard on the fish but caused a nasty injury, I caught a lovely big smooth hound and as my mate grabbed it and started to take the hook out it kicked, forced the hook straight through his thumb, right through! middle of the nail and out the other side, he wasn't a happy boy lol

 

[Teepee]

The humble Perch can cause some damage apparently. I've read somewhere that they carry a nasty fungus on their spines, heard of a match fisherman who lost his hand after it got badly infected after getting a minor spiking.

 

[Harvestman]

I know of numerous reports of injuries cause dby dead congers biting people after their nose is touched. A reflex action apparently. Don't know if they are true.

My mum suffered an injury after standing on a dead conger that had been left in a bin bag in the kitchen. The slippery body moved, she lost her footing, and went over on her ankle.

 

[Bushwhacker]

There's a couple mentioned already. Good stuff.

 

[salad]

I caught a horse mackerel off chesil in dorset once and it had a spikey thing by it fin which stuck in my finger when I was gutting it.

 

[Silverhill]

Zander are probably one to watch out for, especially if you're fishing in East Anglia. Like the Perch, they have a spiny dorsal fin, although it isn't thought to be poisonous. The Zander's teeth are probably the largest of the UK predatory fish, but there are significantly less that the Pike.

Where I grew up, there was folklore of Lampreys attaching themselves to your skin in certain areas, but I've never seen or heard this occurring in real life

 

[Bushwhacker]

Updated in first post.
Freshwater fish to follow.

 

[MandaPanda]

Interesting thread here. Never been hurt by a fish but caught a hook in MY lip whilst fly fishing in windy conditions!
Couldn't get it out and felt like a right twit down A&E!
My non-fishing friends had a field day with this one! "hehe caught yourself" and "now you know what the fish feels" etc
I was just glad I was wearing sunglasses. I would definately recommend eye protection whilst fishing and polarised lenses help see under the surface too.

 

[andyBruce]

I worked at an outdoor centre a few years ago teaching kayaking. One of the kids on a kayak lesson (not mine thankfully!) was wiggling her hand in the weeds at the side of the canal, a lare pike must have thought they looked tasty and came up for a snack.
Poor lass needed 5 stitches in her thumb!

 

[Chasing Rainbows]

Where I grew up, there was folklore of Lampreys attaching themselves to your skin in certain areas, but I've never seen or heard this occurring in real life

A friend of mine's little brother got gouged on the back by what I believe was a lamprey. He said it looked like a big leech, and the wound looked like a rasp and pull rather than the work of traditional sharp teeth. I'm sure it hurt the poor wee guy quite a bit.

As for congers, the head may very well still be concious when it bites. Eels just don't seem to want to die. I seen a Japanese chef preparing eel on TV, the heart was still beating long after being removed from the body. They swallowed the beating heart in a cocktail with saki and eel blood.