Rock fish spine protection

Got poked today by a rockfish dorsal spine. Pain and swelling definitely way more than would be expected from the microscopic puncture wound alone (i.e. - the venom). Are you all fishing with some kind of stab-proof landing glove(s)?
-Jonathan

Up here we use lip grippers and keep body parts away from the spines, we also lip grip them. I have had a few get me in the filet table before but for some reason even a fresh poke from a live fish doesn’t swell on me or really hurt beyond the little stick in the skin.

I keep Benadryl on hand and take some if poked.  It relieves allergic reaction pretty darn good!   

Some rockfish are worse than others. Browns are the absolute worst.

Take Benadryl for sure. The other thing the old timers do is take the eyeball of the fish that spined you squish it and rub it on the sting.   

I use those gardening gloves that giving away at the Albions. So many newer better cut resistant gloves (Kevlar/Dyneema) are out there nowadays and they pretty cheap too. They're not spine proof but much better than bare hands  If you get the thin ones, they're dexterity enough that you can even tight some knots too.
& I use Boga grip.

I would suggest that you never hold the fish until it’s dead. I net the fish, then use the net as a pouch to immobilize the fish, and poke the fish brain (ikejime). You can use a screwdriver or any sharp long metal piece for that. If done correctly, the fish will twitch and then stop moving completely. The muscles and the dorsal fin will relax.
Then I take off the hook and put the fish on the stringer.
I’ve done that to large lingcod, cabezon, salmon, and any type of rockfish.

Fairly quick remedy: Put your hand in a bowl of water as hot as you can stand (without scalding yourself), for as long as you can stand it.   
   And +1 for gloves while fishing and cleaning.  I use the thin nitrile coated ones (the slick-textured ones are better for paddling than the rough-textured ones, and consider going down a size so they are snug and you can still tie knots with them on) and  while fishing, and a thick rubberized one on my off hand for cleaning.  They also help to prevent sun damage to the backs of your hands.

Fairly quick remedy: Put your hand in a bowl of water as hot as you can stand (without scalding yourself), for as long as you can stand it.   

+1000!!   Nature's antidote for saltwater venom = heat

Some rockfish are worse than others. Browns are the absolute worst.

Are browns worse in the sense that that are more likely to poke you, or worse in the sense that if they do poke you it is more painful, or both?

Some rockfish are worse than others. Browns are the absolute worst.

Are browns worse in the sense that that are more likely to poke you, or worse in the sense that if they do poke you it is more painful, or both?

If they do poke you, it’s more painful.  Quill backs are pretty bad too.

I got stabbed pretty deeply by a Blue once in my thumb. It was throbbing for hours afterward. It would be interesting if there were studies on the venom toxicity of different species. They are all in the scorpionfish family after all.

I always wonder if anyone has been killed by a rockfish sting due to an allergic reaction.

I've been stabbed by rockfish a few times. Usually I'm over the pain in a few hours. I've also had the displeasure of getting poked by a sculpin at Catalina island. That pain was nothing like any rockfish I've encountered before. I got poked right near my thumb (light scratch and not a real stab) when handling the sculpin and I remember not being able to move any of my fingers for 3 days.

good info

I remember not being able to move any of my fingers for 3 days.

Ouch   

The more your hands hurt from fishing all day , the happier I am. It is kinda like knowing you had  great day fishing by the soreness in my hands from getting spined!