Many noodlers keep their fishing spots a secret, but Lake Eufala and Cimarron River are among the popular noodling destinations in Oklahoma.
What happens when you go fishing without a rod, bait or even a simple tackle box?
Most fishermen would think you are going to sit in the boat all day and fulfill the job title of official re-filler of the cooler, but that is not the case with hand-fishing.
Better known as noodling in Oklahoma, hand-fishing is the art of catching unlucky catfish by using only brains and fingers. The idea of noodling might sound dangerous, terrifying and can easily be classified as the most Redneck sport on the planet.
Not only is noodling all those things, but it is also so much more. It is a sport for the brave and adventurous in spirit. It takes a keen understanding of catfish to appreciate the sport.
Catfish live in homes just like humans, though their living rooms are slightly damper and completely submerged underwater. Nonetheless, catfish have strict schedules to follow.
Every morning females find a hole under extended riverbanks or destroyed highways and lay eggs. Next, in the afternoon, males find the eggs and fertilize them for several hours. Watch the opening scenes of “Finding Nemo” if any of this is too hard to picture.
Finally, noodlers find their way to a catfish hole, use sticks to feel around to make perfectly sure the mouth of a catfish is what their hand enters, and then they pull like there is no tomorrow.
It is not easy to make noodling seem like a very good idea because no one really knows what can be lurking under the water of murky lakes and rivers. Snakes, turtles and beavers are among the most unfriendly creatures that hang around catfish holes.
However, it is unfair to quickly judge noodling as insane just because something unsavory like a beaver might mistake a hand for lunch and snap off a few digits. If doctors, lawyers or surgeons thought like this, then none of them would ever get their hands dirty enough to get any work done.
Facing danger is just part of the job description when it comes to noodling. Until just this past summer, even I was too terrified to step inside a Red Lobster. However, any fear of fish vanished after I ran into a group of noodlers at Lake Eufaula.
Without shirts, gloves or fear, they quickly pointed out a few unharvested holes and left with a half dozen catfish the size of my refrigerator. Ever since then, I have been hooked.
Loading ...
All Articles