Anyone Know how to Noodle?

I was gonna post this question in general chit chat, but figured it would be a good topic for discussion in the survival forum.

For those who don't know, noodling is a very old catfishing technique where a person seeks out a catfish hole and uses his/her arm as bait for monster cats. It is a very dangerous endeavour, peopke die every uear noodling for fish.

So my question is, do we have any resident noodlers? I am gonna learn this summer and I am looking for tips. My plan so far...I will not dive to noodle. I intend to stay in 4' of water. I am undecided on whether or not to use gloves, and I am considering wearing a long sleeved button down shirt to slip off in case things go south on me.

I also do not plan on using two hands. I want one free to pull my diving knife if need be.

The reason I posted in Survival should be obvious. This fishing technique, once learned, will last a life time and can be used without any tackle.

I think anyone attemptng should also be sure to have at least two friends with them for safety reasons.

Any advice would be appreciated.

My dad's side of the family does it up in Missouri. All I can say is be careful. A glove won't save your fingers from a snappin' turtle.

reply to post by iamhobo


That's a good point! I hadn't even considered turtles. I guess it is a good thing I watch Turtleman every time he is on. Haha. yeyeyeyeyeye!!

reply to post by JayinAR
I have a few friends that go noodling. Number one rule: never noodle alone. Rule number two: always have a knife handy (I see you have that covered). Rule number three: never cut open a snake bite wound and suck out the poison like you see in the movies. Rule number four: using fish boxes is cheating! That ought to get you started. Watch out for water moccasins and gators and have fun!

I figured I woukd post a little more info for those who may not quite understand what makes noodling so dangerous.

So catfish are like alligators in the fact that when they get ahold of something they go into a death roll. They have two plates of very small teeth on top and bottom. Each plate is like a piece of hardened steel and when they clamp down they have a very strong hold. A 20+ pound catfish can do serious damage to your arm or leg. To compound matters, when they are in their hole they can "buck", if you will, in such a way that they become lodged in their hole. If you happen to be under water and this happens, you can be in serious trouble. Every year people drown with their noses barely under the surface.

Although I always wonder why those people don't have friends to help pull them out...or a knife to kill the fish.

reply to post by littled16


I appreciate the reply.
Thankfully we don't have gators this far north. I am also very familiar with snakes. It was a job hazard of mine while I was surveying, so I am pretty well studied on both identifying snakes and proper first aid for bites.

One of my buddies actually used to breed snakes and I have picked up quite a bit of handling tips from him. That dude is crazy. He will chase cottonmouths into the rivers at night and catch them bare handed.

ETA: I don't think cottonmouths are quite as aggressive as they are made out to be. They run away from mag lights at night. I think they get that reputation because when they see something in the water they rush towards it for two reasons. 1. To intimidate. 2. To see if it is a potential source of food. I have noticed that if you stand your ground, they get close and then turn away. Pretty scary either way.

Quite a few good noodling tips from YouTube videos as well:

(Also search YT for Hillbilly Handfishin...)

Gordon Ramsay earns the redneck epithet by learning how to catch a wild catfish with his bare hands in Oklahoma.

WARNING!!! Don't go in deep water when noodling catfish , don't go alone,don't go into water with a strong current and don't go in the water if you live in a state with alligators or crocodile poisonous snakes. Be aware of snapping turtles,muskrats,beavers,leaches. Never tie yourself to a fish (many have died)

reply to post by Murgatroid


Sweet! Thanks for the videos. Although I am curious about the advice of not going into the water if there are venomous snakes in your state. There are venomous snakes indigenous to 49 out of 50 states in the US. The lone exception is Hawaii. Venomous snakes are everywhere. Generally if you don't fuss with them they'll leave you alone. They don't eat hooman.

I live in a state where catfish is king, and I can say that you will have much better luck bottom fishing with chicken liver than you ever will noodling.

If it's a matter of survival, I've found that if the fish don't bite......the frogs are plentiful.

Never saw the point in noodling.

ETA: Don't worry about snakes. A couple slaps on the water and the meanest moccasin will run off.

reply to post by sheepslayer247


Well, I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I imagine pulling out a 20 pounder by hand will be a hell of a rush. Plus, if you learn to do it, there is no cheaper way to catch fish. Unless you end up in the emergency room. And with my track record that is a distinct possibility.

I actually think that snapping turtles probably pose the greatest threat other than the catfish itself. My plan is to noodle in the lake though. I don't feature running into too many snapping turtles in the lake. They are generally found in ponds.

Originally posted by JayinAR
reply to post by sheepslayer247

 

Well, I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I imagine pulling out a 20 pounder by hand will be a hell of a rush. Plus, if you learn to do it, there is no cheaper way to catch fish. Unless you end up in the emergency room. And with my track record that is a distinct possibility.

That's why noodling is popular. Not because it's a practical way to catch fish, but because some people like the rush of fighting a big one. If that's your goal, you will get it....but it's hard.

I know people that have more scars from doing it than actual fish caught.

My opinion, if you want to catch fish easy for a survival situation, use a seining net and boil the minnows with leftover root veggies.

I've found that most of my large catfish reels are usually pregnant females....and I let them go.

Its the small box turtles that hurt and they are all over. Lakes are no safe haven and they dig in the mud like a catfish.

reply to post by sheepslayer247


Yeah, I do a lot of seining as well. Also, catching crawdads at night is real easy if you have a flashlight...and oh so delicious.

reply to post by JayinAR


If I find a crawdad I hook em and toss them in the deep water. They are coming up for a reason.

reply to post by sheepslayer247


You don't eat them? I mean, I like to use them as bait too, but man are they tasty. And they don't need any seasoning. I just roast them over the camp fire.

reply to post by JayinAR


I eat em if I am doing a southern boil on the campfire and am lucky enough to catch a bunch. But if one or two come up near the shore..... I'm going to gamble for a bigger meal by letting him dangle in deeperwater hoping a bottom feeder will suck him up with my hook.

Catfish is much better than a mudbug.

I think those dumb little rock lizards that run around river banks would make great bait too, but those damn things are IMPOSSIBLE to catch.

Perhaps I will do a little research into how many people are turtle bit while noodling. I really don't want to lose a finger. Haha

Originally posted by JayinAR
Perhaps I will do a little research into how many people are turtle bit while noodling. I really don't want to lose a finger. Haha

Yes, be wise about how you do it. I've found the "big'ns" are usually much too deep to catch by hand.

Most noodlers catch bullheads, which are the smaller breed. Channel cat are deeper and I myself have caught many over 30lbs in a fast flowing river.

reply to post by sheepslayer247


I think it actually depends on the time of the year. I was watching River Monsters the other day and dude went noodling with a couple of kids in Kentucky or Oklahoma and they pulled 3 50 pounders out of four foot of water in a river. Small river too. I was amazed. Flatheads.