Super basic question here….however I haven’t been fishing for too long. So bear with me.

I’ve only ever targeted bass as a species. So beside that the only other species have caught were chain pickerel, 1 crappie and a baby gator. As I start to fish larger bodies of water I’m sure a catfish will be hooked soon. From what I’ve watched/read you can’t lip them and they have some sharp spines. Is this correct? So what would be the best method of getting one off? I’d rather research now before it happens. Thanks for the advice.