For those who have heard through the grapevine or have seen some crazy rednecks on television somehow pulling fish out of the water without a fishing rod, I am here to tell you that catfish noodling is indeed a sport. Some say it is a “Redneck Sport”, but what do we care? It’s not for the faint of heart that is for sure, and involves some of the most unique, out-of-the-box, dangerous fishing in the world. Catfish noodlin became known to most Americans in 1989 when a noodler named Jerry Rider appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman and showed the audience how to catch a catfish using only his hands. As you can imagine, the audience was stunned, everyone was stunned which resulted in great publicity. After the show, the act of catfish noodling became synonymous with Jerry Rider and the sport gained an increase in popularity that it never before enjoyed.
Catfish noodling consists of catching the fish with the fisherman’s arm. This is accomplished in water as shallow as a few feet to up to more than 25 feet. There is no such tool as a fishing rod, hook, and bait for noodlers. You are the bait. The fisherman will put his arm into the tunnel in which the catfish lives. When the catfish swims forward and clamps down on the fisherman’s arm, he withdraws it, usually grabbing onto the gills. When in deeper water, the fisherman will usually be assisted by a spotter, as many catfish can weigh in excess of 70 pounds. Occasionally, when the fisherman is noodling, reaches into a catfish hole and finds the catfish, he will realize that the fish will not immediately bite his hand. This happens particularly often during the months when the fish are not spawning. The fisherman will attempt to coax the fish near his hand by wriggling his fingers and then prying the mouth open to catch the fish that way. Now do you see how this sport can be classified as a “redneck sport.” Don’t you want to go out and try it?
Before you go out in that river across the way, please note noodling is currently only specifically legal in Kansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Missouri allowed an experimental noodling season from June 1st through July 15th in 2005, but only in three rivers. Noodling is specifically illegal in eleven states and fishermen caught doing it can face fines up to $500. So there is a gray area there as 11+5 does not equal 50 states, or 51 for that matter. So I leave it to you on deciding if noodling is right for you, but I do recommend every country boy try it at least once, but I don’t recommend doing it illegally.
If you try it in Nebraska or Kentucky you might here the natives calling it stumping or dogging, they are referring to noodling. The term “noodling” has also been used to apply to any type of fishing that does not use conventional methods, but not as frequently.
As previously stated, catfish noodling can be a very dangerous proposition for anyone that is not taught by an experienced noodler so don’t just jump in one of these rivers and stick your arm in any old hole at the bottom. Otherwise you might have your arm chewed off by a water moccasin or beaver. Or better yet, how about having a snapping turtle latch onto your arm. Yeah, it doesn’t sound fun does it? I’m not joking either, there has been evidence of noodlers’ arms being gnawed to the bone by beavers, hands being snapped off by snapping turtles, and hands and arms being fatally bitten by water moccasins. So as I said, if you try the sport, please use caution and have a professional to show you the ropes and guide you. Many of the professional noodlers claim that noodling naked is by far the safest method for the sport since there is no loose clothing to get caught on rocks, stumps, and underwater vegetation. Drowning is a possibility, since most of the time noodlers have to dive 20-30 feet down to reach a catfish that can weigh as much as a small child, grab it and swim back to the surface while the fish is trying to escape. The act of utilizing a spotter helps to reduce this risk but does not totally eliminate it. For many of us, these factors are part of the excitement of catfish noodlin, and we accept those risks. Happy noodlin!