Noodling: Difference between revisions
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The term "noodling", although today used primarily towards the capture of [[flathead catfish]], can and has been applied to all hand fishing methods, regardless of the method or species of fish sought. Noodling as a term has also been applied to various unconventional methods of fishing, such as any which do not use bait, [[fishing rod|rod]] & [[fishing reel|reel]], [[spearfishing|speargun]], etc., but this usage is much less common. |
The term "noodling", although today used primarily towards the capture of [[flathead catfish]], can and has been applied to all hand fishing methods, regardless of the method or species of fish sought. Noodling as a term has also been applied to various unconventional methods of fishing, such as any which do not use bait, [[fishing rod|rod]] & [[fishing reel|reel]], [[spearfishing|speargun]], etc., but this usage is much less common. |
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==Method== |
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Although the concept of catching fish with only the use of the arm in the water is simple enough, 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. Flathead catfish live in holes or under brush in rivers and lakes and thus are easy to capture due to the static nature of their dwelling. To begin, a noodler goes underwater to depths ranging from only a few feet to up to twenty feet and places his hand inside a discovered catfish hole. If all goes as planned, the catfish will swim forward and latch onto the fisherman's hand, usually as a defensive maneuver, in order to try to escape the hole. If the fish is particularly large, the noodler can hook the hand around its gills. |
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Most noodlers have [[spotter]]s who help them bring the catfish in, either to shore or to their boat. When a catfish bites onto a noodler, it holds on for quite a while. |
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With some of the biggest fish caught weighing in at up to 50-60 [[pound (mass)|pound]]s, very few noodlers are strong enough to attempt noodling by themselves. Although carrying the fish after they have been subdued is not difficult, trying to secure a fish and remove it from one's hand at the same time can be a challenge. |
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==Noodling as a sport== |
==Noodling as a sport== |
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Revision as of 18:58, 2 December 2009
Noodling is fishing for catfish using only bare hands, practiced primarily in the southern United States. Many other names, such as catfisting, grabbling, graveling, hogging, dogging, gurgling, tickling and stumping, are used in different regions for the same activity. Noodling is currently legal in eleven of the United States.[1]
The term "noodling", although today used primarily towards the capture of flathead catfish, can and has been applied to all hand fishing methods, regardless of the method or species of fish sought. Noodling as a term has also been applied to various unconventional methods of fishing, such as any which do not use bait, rod & reel, speargun, etc., but this usage is much less common.
Noodling as a sport
In 1989, Late Night with David Letterman 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. Rider even traveled to India to demonstrate noodling while visiting the country for the weekend. Most of these stories were light-hearted variety pieces with little information — very few of them looked at the practice as a serious sport, as noodlers may have wanted.
The closest thing to a serious examination of noodling accessible to popular culture was a documentary released in 2001 called Okie Noodling, directed by local documentarian Bradley Beesley. The documentary covers the history and current practice of noodling as it is practiced in Oklahoma. During the course of the documentary the realization that there were no official noodling contests spawned the First Annual Okie Noodling Tournament held in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. The tournament brought in young blood from across Oklahoma to a sport mostly passed down from father to son. The release of the documentary and its subsequent airing on PBS affiliates has, if not made the sport more popular, raised its profile to more than just a local phenomenon.
Although not mentioning women in noodling explicitly, through interviews Okie Noodling helps to explain women's relationship to the sport. Although some women relate stories of times they have noodled, the majority of practicing noodlers were and are men. Many of the male noodlers explained how they began noodling when their father took them out, and how they planned to bring their sons into the world of noodling. Also, as others who have written on noodling have expressed, if noodling is to be considered a sport, then (at least to outsiders) it is most definitely an extreme sport, which tend to draw a disproportionate number of male followers.
Noodling was also featured in a pilot episode of the Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs, which premiered on November 14, 2003. In this episode, host Mike Rowe joins two men from Oklahoma as they noodle for flatheads. The segment ends after Rowe noodles a fish and the men clean and enjoy the catch.
Noodling outside of the Southern US
The Argungu Fishing Festival in northern Nigeria is perhaps the biggest noodling contest in the world.[citation needed] This yearly festival held in late February or early March consists of up to five thousand fisherman catching catfish with their bare hands. Small fishing nets are used to secure the fish, but most of the fish are noodled from beneath a vast spread of water hyacinths and then placed in a floating gourd attached to the fisherman.
Small scale experimentation is currently underway near Elbow, Saskatchewan on the South Saskatchewan river in Western Canada to determine if noodling is a viable method of catching Goldeye (Hiodon alosoides). While noodling is not normally practiced in Western Canada, due to the mostly clear rivers and (at times) extremely cold water temperature, the value of Goldeye is currently making a commercial noodle fishery a potentially viable operation.
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. A person with confident swimming abilities may be caught off guard by the sudden added strain of carrying a large fish to the surface. Spotters can alleviate this danger, but it is still present. A wounded noodler ten to twenty feet underwater might not be able to return safely to the surface, and drown. Clothes may get tangled or snagged on roots or rocks, so some noodlers wear only shorts.
The largest danger posed to noodlers are other forms of aquatic life found in catfish holes. Far more dangerous than catfish are alligators, snakes, beavers, muskrats and snapping turtles, who will take over abandoned catfish holes as homes of their own.
See also
Notes
References
- Brunvand, Jan Harold (1996) American Folklore: An Encyclopedia Taylor & Francis, page 130f. ISBN 9780815333500
- Hall, Yancey (2005) Using Hands As Bait, "Noodlers" Stalk Giant Catfish National Geographic News.
External links
- New York Times article on noodling and anecdote from the writer
- Okie Noodling Documentary Website
- ESPN Article on Noodling
- Snopes Urban Legend Website on Noodling
- Noodling a 65lb flathead catfish Youtube.
