did that back in my younger years
if you wear a glove they won't take as much hide off the back of your hand
stick to the smaller ones, stay in shallow water, anything over about 30 pounds is a better swimmer than you are
used to run hoop nets without a boat and swim out with the catfish. Gave a 40 pounder too much slack one day and he showed me how good a swimmer he really was. When I came back up my friend asked where I'd been. Told him I was checking out the bottom of the river and that it was his turn to take the fish
fortunately i've lived long enough to get smarter