Noodling: The Art Of Fishing For Catfish

By Author: Brad Jorgen
Total Articles: 4
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Catfish noodling is the technique used to fish for catfish by allowing them to bite and grip your arm. Noodling usually occurs in shallow water as it's easier for a noodler to pull a fish out of the water when he's not himself completely immersed in it. The first step is to find a catfish's nest during the season when they are most likely inside it. This usually occurs during the warmer seasons, when catfish lay their eggs and hence usually stay in their nests to protect them. Nests can be typically found inside sunken logs, fallen trees, under rocks or in mud banks.

The next step once a spot potentially with nests is found is to isolate it using rocks or sandbags or other noodling partners so as to prevent the fish from escaping. Then the noodler must check the contents of the potential nest by jabbing a stick at it and, given the right amount of experience, he should be able to distinguish if he's poking at a catfish, a snake or a turtle. If it feels like a catfish then his next step is to block the hole using his hand. This can be sometimes achieved without going underwater but may sometimes require immersion. It's ...
... important for him to have friends around who can intervene in case something goes wrong.

If the noodler is lucky a catfish will swim out and bite his hand as a defensive move to protect its nest. The catfish may either bite at his fingers lightly or grab his whole hand. Catfish don't have sharp teeth but have a lot of them which together feel like sandpaper and, given that they have a tendency to spin around once they've bitten onto something, their teeth may cause the noodler's skin to bleed.

If the fish doesn't bite the noodler's hand then the latter must pull its jaws open to grab it better. The noodler must guide his fingers into the fish's gill cover, which is the opening found on either side of the fish's head used for breathing. Holding on to a catfish's gills is the best way to ensure that it doesn't slip away. Once the noodler has found his grip he can pull up the fish out of the water, although this is not always as easy at it sounds given that the weight of a flathead catfish can range from 20 to 50 pounds (9 to 22.7kgs) or more.

This is where the noodler's buddies, also known as spotters, will be of use. If the noodler is being held or dragged under the surface for too long by the fish, they will pull him out. They will also release the fish from the noodler's hand once he surfaces out of the water and will either throw the fish onto a boat, hang it on a rope using thread or free the fish back into the water. The state in which the noodling occurs dictates the action which may be taken with the fish. In Missouri, for example, noodlers must throw back any fish under 22 inches (55.8 centimeters), and they may only catch five catfish per day.

For more advice on Catfish Fishing or if your interested in a specific type WFN offers guides on Fishing Rods, Crappie Fishing, Bass Fishing and more. I used WFN as a main source for my information and I encourage all novices to continue learning from the WFN pros and experts.