# Topsail Catfish



## nctrader03 (Jun 21, 2004)

In an article that was recently published in North Carolina Sportsman I read where these Topsail Cats are actually very good to eat and that if you ever tasted one you would never throw another back.

Now, a couple years ago while fishing on Jekyll I caught a decent size cat and had no problems getting him off, then I caught a much smaller one and thought that he would be no problem getting off.....low and behold he whipped around and caught me with his dorsal fin in my middle finger. Talk about INSTANT pain. Stayed swollen for at least a week and sore for about a month. Now the only thing I wanted to do is get him back in the water and had no intentions of eating him.

Anyone ever tried them? Also, do you clean them just like a regular cat? I know from reading on the web that even their slime has some toxicity to it.

Looking forward to your responses.


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## SHADE12 (Oct 12, 2004)

*Sailcat Slime*

Nctrader03. I Have Never Eaten One, But Some Good Info On The Sting. An Old Fisherman Told Me Once A Long Time Ago That If You Get Stung By A Sailcat. Take Your Pocket Knife And Scrape Some Of The Slime Off Of The Cat And Rub It On The Sting Real Good. Repeat In About 5min. Never Got The Chance To Put It To Use Unti'll Last Fall At Tybee Island Fishing. We Were Catching A Lot Of Cats. Like You A Small One Popped Me Between The Fingers, Man Was It Burning. Remenbering What The Old Fisherman Had Told Me. I Thought I Would Try It. After About 1hr The Burning Went Away And Never No Swelling, Never Got Sore. The Next Day My Brother Got Popped By One. Wouldn't Use The Slime. The Side Of Had Turened Reddish Colored And Had Swollen Up Big Time By The Next Moring. He Said It Still Hurt Like The Dickens. Lasted For About 2 1/2 Days. The Old Man Said The Toxin In The Slime Was What Healed The Sting. Next Time Try It  Shade12


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## nctrader03 (Jun 21, 2004)

What Healed The Sting. Next Time Try It  Shade12[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info and hopefully there won't be a next time! lol


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## Bear-60 (Jun 7, 2004)

I caught several a few years ago down in Florida. Cooked up very well.


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## nctrader03 (Jun 21, 2004)

Bear-60 said:


> I caught several a few years ago down in Florida. Cooked up very well.


Do you skin them just like a regular cat and then fry or grill them? Any special instructions on how to cook.

Thanks for your help!


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

NCT...

I'm told that they are good eatin'...And I'm gonna find out next time I get into 'em. An old lady at Ft. Clinch pier was catching them the other day and kept them ALL. Said they are better than a freshwater cat...

I'm gonna clean them the same way as any other cat. I will try and wash the slime off first, though.


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## lazy fisherman (Jul 1, 2006)

Hey, all. My first post.  Make sure you distinguish between gafftopsail catfish and the common sea catfish. Very easy to tell the difference, as gafftopsails have a long first spine on their dorsal fin, hence the name gafftopsail. As I understand it, sea catfish aren't worth feeding to your dog. Gafftopsails, OTH, are extremely good.

I visited Jekyll Island this past May, and had an experience with both types. I caught a good sized sea catfish off the beach, and threw it back. Unfortunately I didn't catch a gafftopsail; however, as I was leaving Jekyll pier with a pretty good mess of whiting a man offered me one. I of course accepted. My mom, who despises most fish, really liked the catfish fillets. 

A real devil to clean, though. I had never cleaned a catfish before, although I had seen it done. I skinned it and filleted it, and it took forever.


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## jbrown (Apr 30, 2003)

I skin them like any other cat and deep fried they are pretty good. Jim


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