Big ol Nasty Catfish

[RyDogg]

Hey guys,
Alright so yesterday I was fishing my buddy's pond for bass. I was use about a 6 inch lizard on 6 lbs test and I hooked up on about a 12lbs catfish. Big ol sucker. The thing fought pretty hard, And where I usually fish there arent any catfish so this was my first one. I was pretty amazed at the fight it gave me. After a few minuites I got it up next to the boat and I was like...nice.. now what, this nasty looking monster is gonna bite my hand off. I didnt have a net (left it at home...oops) and since Ive never caught a catfish, I remember hearing that the barbs can sting you. So I was like..now what?... I decided, what the heck, it aint gonna gurt me. So i went to grab it and the thing shook so hard it broke my line. Anyways, just to be sure, whats the best way to pick up a catfish. (I hope this isnt a dumb question. haha)