Donaghadee Pier, Co Down, 20th August 2014 : WEEVER ALERT!

Guys,

Just back for a wee 2 hour session at Donaghadee. We caught a good variety.

Rocking, Ballen Wrasse, pouting, pollack, Poor Cod, Scorpion (lots of wee Scorpions) & WEEVER!

Yes, Daniel caught a WEEVER off Donaghadee pier! Fortunately I spotted it before he grabbed it to unhook it. Unfortunately when I was showing it to him I managed to cut my thumb on its gill plate. I can only describe it as being twice as bad as a bee sting! Agony! Pain wore off in an hour or so.

Ouchhhhh,nasty little critters.
At least ya got a few other species to dull the pain.

How exactly did you manage that? You know they have gill plates and a spine and warned your mate but still managed to get your thumb around his gill plate..?

How exactly did you manage that? You know they have gill plates and a spine and warned your mate but still managed to get your thumb around his gill plate..?

I never claimed to be a genius!

I didn't actually know about the gill plates, initially thought it was just a cut (ie. sharp plate like a bass) the sting kicked in after about a minute.

Unlucky! Any after effects man? Wouldn't fancy it myself!

Unlucky! Any after effects man? Wouldn't fancy it myself!

Well, I'm still typing.

The effects wore off about an hour, very like a bee sting (but worse).

I genuinely didn't know about the poisonous spine on the gill plates. I've just ready an article about them on Irish Angler and even it's a bit ambiguous as to whether or not the gill spines are poisonous. I can confirm that they are, but maybe not as bad as the dorsal.

I read on here a while back, that if you apply heat to the sting it will destroy the proteins in the venom and stop the stinging; the more heat you can stand the better.

cool (if you know what i mean.. )
thanks for taking one (a hit) for the lads nobuzz and thanks for sharing - interesting to find out how sore it was and how long it lasted..

I've heard that the venom actually coats the whole body. The spine pierces the skin and the venom is then able to get into the body. So the gill plate piercing the skin would have the same affect. I've also heard of people puncturing skin after handling the fish, and they have the same reaction as you would if you were stuck with the dorsal fin. So wash your hands well after handling weevers.

We told one guy you had to pee on the wound straight away to take away the venom , no research or knowledge of this being correct , but funny to stand back on the beach and watch your mate trying to be discreet about pissing all over their hand , think he twigged it was a wind up as we rolled about laughing , then run like hell !!

We told one guy you had to pee on the wound straight away to take away the venom , no research or knowledge of this being correct , but funny to stand back on the beach and watch your mate trying to be discreet about pissing all over their hand , think he twigged it was a wind up as we rolled about laughing , then run like hell !!

That's Jellyfish stings! Lol