Same phobia here, too
We were on a pedalo while on holiday, pedalling quite nicely across some freshwatermass or other, when suddenly a large fish- a catfish, I believe- jumped INTO the pedalo and onto my then 7-year old lap. Now, I'd never seen a live decent sized fish before- dead, skinned and battered yes, goldfish in a tank yes, but never something on this scale. And it was just so inhuman, so different to anything I'd seen before, and so well facially-barbed that I was actually terrified.
If I'd been much more scared, I'd have had a story for a fortnight ago's QOTW.

And about a decade later, just as I was beginning to get over it, I decided to give windsurfing a go on a similar watermass. And what should brush past my neoprene-covered leg but some sort of unseen demonic feeling scaley thing, followed by those face-barbs that distinguish catfish...

Since then, I've kept out of the water. In those depths Catfish lurk.
( uberdeity Wondered why Owen Lars knew of the term "hell" on, Fri 11 Apr 2008, 9:58, Reply)