What are the basics of catfish noodling?
A noodler surfaces with a catfish. Most noodling takes place in shallow water. If the water is over your head, it can be difficult or even impossible to wrestle a fish to the surface. Noodlers search for likely catfish hideouts -- inside submerged logs, fallen trees, under rocks or in mud banks.
Is catfish noodle fishing illegal in California?
Catfish noodling, or Okie noodling hand fishing for catfish with your bare hands, is a popular pastime in some states, but it’s also illegal in others. California has outlawed the activity because of the danger involved.
Is noodle catfish immoral?
This technique of catfishing is known as noodling. Some anglers like noodling catfish because it’s been a long-time family tradition passed down through generations. However, many anglers disagree with the sport and feel it is immoral.
Does noodling affect catfish reproduction?
Noodling, a form of hand fishing that exploits the spawning behavior of catfish, is an adrenaline-packed competition between an angler (usually a large catfish) and an angler. Noodling is controversial because of its potential effect on catfish reproduction.
Do catfish bite when noodling?
Some catfish may just nip at your fingers, but others will clamp onto your entire hand. Although catfish don't have super-sharp teeth, those teeth are plentiful. They curve inward, and noodlers say they feel like coarse sandpaper. The sandpaper feeling alone might not be so bad.
Why is it called catfish noodling?
Noodlers reach into submerged holes, often several feet underwater, and wrestle out catfish that can weigh up to 100 pounds, with no hooks, rods or nets involved. It's called noodling because the fisherman wiggles his fingers like wet spaghetti to entice the fish to bite.
Is noodling bad for the fish?
A: Research shows that legalizing hand-fishing could severely deplete local catfish populations and put the abundance of a top Missouri game fish at risk. Catfish are very vulnerable during the nesting season (June and July) because they lay their eggs in natural cavities and then do not leave the nest.
Can you get hurt noodling?
Make no mistake about it; people can and do die while noodling. The most likely danger is drowning. If the water is too deep, and if you don't have a friend right there to help you out, a big catfish can keep you down far longer than you can hold your breath.
Do you wear gloves when noodling?
Some noodlers wear gloves to protect themselves. But others eschew gloves because they can be a completely different kind of dangerous. Gloves may snag on a catfish's tooth or a stray branch and trap a noodler underwater. Most noodlers don't wear sleeved shirts for the same reason.
Do catfish bites hurt?
It's not a sting you need to worry about. It's the dorsal and pectoral fins of the catfish. Both fins have sharp spines on them. In fact, the spines are sharp enough to pierce human flesh.
Who invented noodling for catfish?
One of the earliest accounts of noodling was written in 1775 by trader-historian James Adair, who described Indians grabbing for catfish.
Is noodling illegal in Texas?
DAY 18 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: The sport of catching catfish with bare hands, known as noodling, is now legal in Texas.
What is the biggest catfish caught noodling?
87.85 poundsGET LOCAL BREAKING NEWS ALERTS Jayson Spencer and Brandon Lamoni were noodling at Lake Konawa when they pulled a flathead catfish weighing 87.85 pounds from the water, according to Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation officials.
Why was noodling illegal?
Due to concerns over the safety of noodlers and sustainability of fish populations, the technique is illegal in some states where it was once traditionally practiced.
Has a catfish ever eaten a human?
No, despite what you may have heard, there aren't. This is a myth, along with age-old claims that giant anacondas or piranhas eat men. People, especially the Caboclos in Amazonia and natives of other parts of South America and in Asia, love to tell these blood-curdling stories!
Why is it called a noodle?
Perhaps from an alteration of German Knödel (“dumpling”), from German Knoten (“knot”) or from Latin minutulus (“very small, tiny”) in the sense of "to chop (food) into small pieces" or Latin nodulus (“little knot”).
Where did catfish noodling originate?
The ancient practice of noodling No rods, reels, hooks or lines are used. Noodling was used by Native Americans and perhaps other earlier people. One of the earliest accounts of noodling was written in 1775 by trader-historian James Adair, who described Indians grabbing for catfish.
What is noodling slang for?
To discuss, speak, or think about something in an idle, aimless, or purely speculative manner. ("Noodle" here is slang for head or brain.)
What does noodling mean?
Meaning of noodling in English to do or think about something without giving it full or serious attention: I just sat at the piano noodling.
Has a catfish ever eaten a human?
No, despite what you may have heard, there aren't. This is a myth, along with age-old claims that giant anacondas or piranhas eat men. People, especially the Caboclos in Amazonia and natives of other parts of South America and in Asia, love to tell these blood-curdling stories!
The History of Noodling
Where and when catching catfish this way started is not known. Different people likely discovered it at different times.
An Extreme Sport
People have caught fish by hand for thousands of years. Trout tickling is similar to noodling and is mentioned by Shakespeare and the Greek writer Oppian. With how easy it is to get food nowadays, these arts are done more for sport.
State Laws and Regulations
As more people have become aware of Catfish noodling, the sport has been both banned and legalized state to state. As of right now, 16 states have legalized it:
First Time Noodling
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Summary
Catfish noodling is a cool way people catch fish without anything but their bare hands. The term “noodling” is unique to the southern U.S. and has grown there as an extreme sport. Though seen as an oddity, it’s a brave and useful skill that’s been passed down by generations.
Method
Although the concept of catching fish with only the use of the arm in the water is simple, the process of noodling is more complicated. The choice of catfish as the prey is not arbitrary, but comes from the circumstances of their habitat. During the spawn, catfish will dig or enter a hole underneath a structure submerged in the water.
Noodling as a sport
On Late Night with David Letterman in 1989, Jerry Rider climbed into a tank with a catfish and caught it using his bare hands. For a time Rider became the face of noodling, and appeared in countless news stories and numerous newspaper articles around this time as well.
Dangers
Noodling can result in superficial cuts and minor wounds to the noodler. This can be reduced by wearing gloves and other protective clothing. Losing fingers is also a risk, whether from the bite or infection. Most holes are deep enough that diving is needed, so there can be a danger of drowning.
In popular culture
Noodling has often featured in or been referred to in popular media, including for example, the King of the Hill episode " The Redneck on Rainey Street ", an episode of the TV series Cougar Town, the 2009 movie Leaves of Grass, which featured Keri Russell as a noodler, the 2009 film Fish Tank, the Ben 10 Omniverse episode Gone Fishin', and the 2016 movie Deepwater Horizon.
Overview
Noodling is fishing for catfish using one's bare hands, and is practiced primarily in the southern United States. The noodler places their hand inside a discovered catfish hole in order to catch the fish. Other names for the same activity are used in different regions, primarily in the South and Midwest, and include hogging, dogging, grappling, grabbling, and tickling.
Method
Although the concept of catching fish with only the use of the arm in the water is simple, the process of noodling is more complicated. The choice of catfish as the prey is not arbitrary, but comes from the circumstances of their habitat. During the spawn, catfish will dig or enter a hole underneath a structure submerged in the water. The female will lay the eggs in the hole and the male will guard the eggs. When the eggs become fry, they will leave and the male will also leav…
In popular culture
Noodling is just one name used for fishing with your hands, but there are other names for it that are derived from different cultures. The activity is most common in the southern and midwestern United States, and may be referred to as hogging, dogging, grappling, grabbling, or tickling.
The sport of noodling in popular culture has been featured or referred to in various television programs, including Late Night with David Letterman (1989), Okie Noodling, which was televised i…
Dangers
Other than drowning, or being snagged and injured by underwater hazards, noodlers face other physical threats, including the potential for fatal injury caused by other forms of aquatic life that may be residing in the abandoned holes of cavity spawning catfish, such as snapping turtles, snakes, beavers, and alligators. Loose fitting clothes may get tangled or snagged on roots or rocks, and various physical injuries may be incurred while underwater, ranging anywhere from s…
See also
• Hillbilly Handfishin' – Television reality show about noodling
• Okie Noodling – 2001 film by Bradley Beesley
• Trout tickling – Method of fishing by hand
External links
• New York Times article on noodling and anecdote from the writer
• Okie Noodling Documentary Website
• ESPN Article on Noodling
• Long Arm of the Law Penalizes Texans Who Nab Catfish by Hand Wall Street Journal