# Gafftop Sting vs Hard Head Sting



## BIGMIKE77 (May 2, 2009)

I have not been stuck by a gafftop, but the few times a little hardhead has wreaked havoc on my flesh i still remember the pain. I also remember the catfish puncture i had when i was 8 years old. I had a good friend this past weekedn get stabbed in the leg by a 5 lb gafftop and he said the pain was unreal and far worse than a hardhead or catfish. What are the 2cooler thoughts on this:question:


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## bubbas kenner (Sep 4, 2010)

I have been hit by both I think the sting poison are the same wipe the slime on the wound from the fish.


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## Team Burns (May 6, 2008)

I prefer neither! :biggrin:


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

back in the old days, fishing one night off clarks bulkhead in POC, a friend and I started punting the hard heads we caught over Clarks fish house... well, when my friend kicked one wrong and it stuck to his foot (back fin through his shoe and into the top of his foot) we decided not to play that game anymore. He ended up putting a lot of chewing tobacco on it and I don't remember him having any kind of difficulties after that healing.


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## patwilson (Jan 13, 2006)

You are to lick the slim of a gafftop....



bubbas kenner said:


> I have been hit by both I think the sting poison are the same wipe the slime on the wound from the fish.


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

bacteria on barb...carry bleach water spray in boat


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## a couple more (Mar 19, 2009)

Prefer neither, IMO both hurt about the same. little ones with really sharp barbs sting bad....the big ones just hurt kinda like a nail in the finger.


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## fishNwithfish (Aug 17, 2011)

I say the lionfish is worse. Gaftop and hardheads are for babys. When i move down i will give demonstrations with lionfish in my fishtank just need a guinea pig any takers?? Lol


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## coachlaw (Oct 26, 2005)

Dang y'all. Get a catfish flipper and never touch one again. They cost less than $2.


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## troutredfish (Apr 18, 2005)

coachlaw said:


> Dang y'all. Get a catfish flipper and never touch one again. They cost less than $2.


Amen..........I call them the Jaws of Life. After a hard weekend of fishing and being stuck in the hand a couple of times by those hateful things. My left hand refused to grab them and take them off the hook. So I made the best purchase of my life for my left hand:biggrin:


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

don't catch many hard heads or gafftops on lures these days


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## troutredfish (Apr 18, 2005)

InfamousJ said:


> don't catch many hard heads or gafftops on lures these days


x2...........but fishing with two little girls and shrimp the jaws of life are busy:biggrin:


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## Tate (Aug 25, 2005)

You have to be careful with the hardheads and gafftops. 100% of them tested positive for Vibrio.

Read this...

http://www.gbep.state.tx.us/hot-topics/Concurrent Session J_abstracts and bios.pdf

Tate


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## trodery (Sep 13, 2006)

I used to have a next door neighbor who DIED from a hard head wound! BE CAREFUL!!!


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## Tate (Aug 25, 2005)

I try to carry Hibclens with me when I go fishing.

http://www.hibiclens.com/


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## REELING 65 (Aug 18, 2009)

Hey'...troutredfish,I have a pair of those....lol.
I prefer not to get poked by both. I have had a dorsal fin through my thumb into my hand. Had to drive to Bay Front medical center for care. Driving with the poison affecting me. :mpd: Made it to the hospital. The the doctor had to cut me open and remo0ve the fin w/barb.
They had the best orange juice..Ice could and I drank about a case of it.
I could not stop. :biggrin:


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## fishin shallow (Jul 31, 2005)

InfamousJ said:


> don't catch many hard heads or gafftops on lures these days


 They will still hit an occasional paddle tail :fishy:


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## fishNwithfish (Aug 17, 2011)

here is my protection for them darn hardheads, I personally don't mind catching Gafftops.


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## CentexPW (Jun 22, 2004)

While catching Bull Reds we will occasionally catch a Gaftop. I was showing one to a friend newbee and ole Mr Gaftop flipped around and stuck me in the finger about the time I said look out for the Pec and dorsal barb. I took me to my knees, it hurt so bad. I always carry first aid supplies. I cleaned it with Alcohol and peroxide and then packed the wound with neosporem. In about 20 minutes the pain was gone. There was a hole in my finger like someone drove a nail in it. Be afraid, be very afraid.


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## Duck (Feb 21, 2005)

No kidding, I've caught slimers on topwaters and fatboys too. Had one stick me in the finger and felt kinda like a dull wasp sting for a couple of hours. My kids were perch jerkin hard heads in POC and had one get me in the hand between thumb and forefinger. No comparison, hurt like heck and went from my hand all the way up to my neck in fairly short time. Next morning hand was swollen and draining. Had a knot in my hand for a couple of months. Haven't touched one since.


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## flatsmaster14 (Mar 25, 2011)

Y'all all hate the gaftop till it wins you a boat in the star tournament lol


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## Raider Red (Sep 15, 2009)

Got stuck in the side of the foot by a gafftop once. It hurt like a mother!! Didn't have anything to treat it with. Turned the motor on and held it under the water discharge for about 15 minutes. That took the sting out of it and about an hour later couldn't even tell where i got stuck.


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## coachlaw (Oct 26, 2005)

The Jaws of Life are a little over-engineered compared to a flipper, but whatever works for you. For some unknown reason nobody in Texas carries these. I get a case each summer in La. and give them away here, along with lessons. It takes you one flip to become an expert. I've never touched a live hardhead with one of these around. Here is a pic. They cost less than $2 and one will last you for years if you don't lose it. - Sandy

It's the pinnacle of coonarse engineering. Just one flip and the hardhead is gone.


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## patwilson (Jan 13, 2006)

Hey Sandy, we have been making the "hook outs" (so we call them) out of stainless welding rods for years. They work great when you use them;-)


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## Mini-x Fan (Jun 9, 2011)

Please explain the uuhhh... flip.

Tight Lines


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

Hurt about the same if memory serves me right.

TH


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## lordbater (May 21, 2004)

Tate said:


> You have to be careful with the hardheads and gafftops. 100% of them tested positive for Vibrio.
> 
> Read this...
> 
> ...


Wow, I did not know that.

I've always thought that the Hardheads were worse, maybe because they are better at getting you than gafftops..

I grew up catching (freshwater) catfish and handle them with great ease without a thought of getting hit, since turning my attention back to saltwater about 10+ years ago, I think I've been hit less than 5 times, and believe me, I've caught some danged hardheads.. As long as they aren't so big I can't get a grip on them, they are easy, the few times I've been hit was releasing them, then only a scratch..

hah, my most recent hardhead was trolling with a sprite off the back of my Hobie Cat at surfside.. (to be fair, it was my buddy doing the fishing, I was doing the sailing) As with fishing offshore, I'm usually the captain, so I get to take credit for 'the catch'.

My brother once jumped into our 10' jonboat from a bulkhead (we were 11 & 15 running trot lines on Conroe) and landed with a foot on top of a 5+ pounder, went right through the flip flop and into his foot, not through though his foot entirely.. it hurt like hell, but he was trying to be tough like big bro, put some slime on it, walked/cussed it off and went to run the lines again..

a


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## coachlaw (Oct 26, 2005)

The hook outs I've seen do not work like the flipper. The flipper has a very small area between the tine and the shaft. 

To flip the hardhead off, you hold the leader up with your off hand and you hold the flipper with your dominant hand. You hook the flipper onto the hook and pull the line so that it is taught and straight bedtween your fists. Then you flip the fish over and out. Good for other fish you don't want to touch too. Slings 'em right off. Takes about 5 seconds to do the whole thing. You can get really good and call where the fish will land, how many flips it will take, and if you get really good, you can sling them so they stick into a piling. 

Every time I show folks one and use it, they ask me where they can get one. I just give it to them. I've populated Texas with about 60 of them so far.


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## Charlie2 (Aug 21, 2004)

*Flipper*



coachlaw said:


> The Jaws of Life are a little over-engineered compared to a flipper, but whatever works for you. For some unknown reason nobody in Texas carries these. I get a case each summer in La. and give them away here, along with lessons. It takes you one flip to become an expert. I've never touched a live hardhead with one of these around. Here is a pic. They cost less than $2 and one will last you for years if you don't lose it. - Sandy
> 
> It's the pinnacle of coonarse engineering. Just one flip and the hardhead is gone.


X2 on a flipper. My hands never touch them. I bend my wire around a piece of wood for a better handle but yours is all that you need.

Thanks for the post. Roger on the engineering. I think that the first one that I saw was being used by a coonarse. C2


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## Tate (Aug 25, 2005)

lordbater said:


> Wow, I did not know that.
> 
> I've always thought that the Hardheads were worse, maybe because they are better at getting you than gafftops..
> 
> ...


Considering probably most anyone who has done even a basic amount of saltwater fishing has been poked by a hardhead or gafftop, I think the risk is low. It seems to get the flesh eating bacteria you must be predisposed to it somehow. That being said, I don't take any chances with them now and handle them very carefully.


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## Lafitte23 (Jun 25, 2008)

coachlaw said:


> The hook outs I've seen do not work like the flipper. The flipper has a very small area between the tine and the shaft.
> 
> To flip the hardhead off, you hold the leader up with your off hand and you hold the flipper with your dominant hand. You hook the flipper onto the hook and pull the line so that it is taught and straight bedtween your fists. Then you flip the fish over and out. Good for other fish you don't want to touch too. Slings 'em right off. Takes about 5 seconds to do the whole thing. You can get really good and call where the fish will land, how many flips it will take, and if you get really good, you can sling them so they stick into a piling.
> 
> Every time I show folks one and use it, they ask me where they can get one. I just give it to them. I've populated Texas with about 60 of them so far.


I remember being introduced to the flipper back in Louisiana when I was a young chap. A friend of mine went for his first hard head flip and over rotated the flip and the flying hard head stuck him right in the thigh. We were probably in the 5th grade at the time. Epic flip FAIL!


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## mtaswt (Aug 10, 2007)

I still prefer to be poked in the eye with a sharp stick.....


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