Anyone heard of Noodling?

[86ranger]

I just watched a documentary on the Documentary Channel called Okie Noodling. It was about guys sticking there hands into holes and coming out with Catfish on their hands. Anyways, the show said that noodling is only legal in 4 states, Missisppi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Louisiana.... Not that I would want to do it ever, but is that really illegal in California?

[Hollywood]

Those rednecks are NUTSSSS...

No way Im sticking my hand in a cats mouth, let alone one close to 50lbs or more!

[Lance]

What isnt illegal in California

[L.Hackney]

Ranger,
What do you want to know about it. All my family is from back east and are experts at it. I'm actually a transplant but choose to fish with a pole instead. No-way I'm stickin my body under a submerged boat ramp begging a big cat to swallow my arm. Not to mention being neck deep in cotton mouth infested waters while your doin' it.
We were swimming one time back there and out of nowhere a huge cotton mouth started chasing after my grandma. My uncle shot it and all was well but those things swim alot faster than I do.

[Lance]

Damn that sound like fun

[Hollywood]

cotton mouth? what the heck is that? besides what i got when i got a hangover the next morning

[L.Hackney]

A very big snake that likes to swim and bite when feeling threatened.
Hey Hollywood, what time is it over there rite now?

[Hollywood]

Screw that, remind me never to go swimming anywhere in the south!!!

It is 154pm on Thursday......

[L.Hackney]

Thats cool, so you are a day ahead of us. So I can call you up and ask you sometime what tomarrow will be like and you could tell me?

[Hollywood]

You betcha, I see the future before you do! Tomorrow it's going to RAIN! Theres a hint... Well it will rain on the 9th for you!! Ha...

It's neat when I fly back cause I gain a day!

[86ranger]

My favorite moment of the show was when the commentator asked an old timer if he noodled. The old timer responded, " Not any more...Not my favorite thing to do, cause I can afford a fishing pole now". Classic...

[Hollywood]

ya, screw all that, ill stick with a rod and a reel, rather than my arm!

[Steve]

...and its spider rigging. Every redneck east of the rockies would puke if they knew they couldnt spider rig for crappie.

Two rods, and you have to pay to use a second rod? Give me a break. Another great reg aimed at trout/salmon that affects those whose chase warm water species, yet has no management/biological applications to warm water species

[mark poulson]

Like a rattlesnake with no rattles and a bad temper.

[Hollywood]

Oh great, how did you forget to mention that part!!!

[Bill K]

All the inlaws in MO noodle. In Ak it is also good sport. Not only do they locate a cottonmouth on occasion. You also will locate(more that one finger/hand has been bitten off) for those little old Snapping turtles.. Some of them grow really, really big. Great sport if you have the nerve (polite word for balls). Bill K

[Hollywood]

Sorry Bill but your people can keep that sport, I will continue to dive with the big sharks in the deep blue but you will NEVER catch me diving under some dock in muddy water and sticking my hand around and hoping the thing I want to find (catfish) is there and not some deadly cottonmouth or even better yet a big turtle!!!

No thanks, Your crazy relatives can keep that stuff!

[Bill K]

Kevin.. I remember the first time I open water dived (back when I was young and had a full head of hair) and saw my first shark, I can tell you the hair on the back of my head raised up (even under water).. You get used to it and those little things just become part of the sport. Know what I mean? You stay well and keep your head down.. Bill K

[Hollywood]

my second passion is diving with the big sharks, but ill still pass on the noodling, unless it is ramon and ill eat away!

I am keeping my head down, 3 more months to go and im a free man!

[lionkiller]

Woo-hah!

I taped that video. It is awesome. Who needs expensive gear? boats? H3ll, shoes for that matter? Long as yer hungry & there's fish in da crik...

Where I'm from, the noodlers'pole' the heads of their catch on fenceposts out there by the hi-way, so's ye'll know there's a catfish hole nearby.

My stones ain't big enough to try it, but how's about Cache Creek?....

[basstamer]

I BELEIVE it is illegal in California because DFG regs state that you can only catch a fish by means of rod and reel or something to that affect.Not sure of the exact wording but I am thinking that is the reason. I dont believe I could do it either I'll catch em on a hook Thank You-there is a "Redneck Videos" show on like CMT or one of the country music channels hosted by Bill Engval and he recently had some young......ladies doing it...I mean noodlin' They I mean it was pretty cool
Scott

[MikeSouza]

I said I would never do it when I lived in Nor-Cal. Since I moved to Lake Texoma in Oklahoma 2 years ago, I have tried it. It's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, but we only do the rock piles in the lake. The guys that do it in the creeks and rivers have some balls because of the beavers, turtles and snakes.

I'll explain a little to everyone a little about the sport(or whatever you want to call it)

The catfish will find a hole under a flat rock. When they get inside the hole, they then fan out under the rock so there is room for them to move around. The bigger the hole the bigger the fish in most cases. The catfish then lay their eggs under the boulder, boat ramp, etc. We all know how aggessive bass are when on the nest, well the catfish are a lot worse. When you stick your hand in that hole a find a sack of eggs, you are about to get nailed. It doesn't hurt to get bit by the fish, but the first time is always the worst. I screamed like a little girl the first time I got nailed last year. It's fun and just something different to do, but I will stick with the Loomis and fish from the front of the boat instead.

[L.Hackney]

Here's the thing that I never understood. Iv'e seen these guys bear hug cats that the fish's head was bigger than their's.
Getting stuck by one of those fin's would be like being gigged with a pitch fork.
Iv'e gotten stuck by a 6 pounder that I caught in the bypass and thought I was gonna pass out.
I dont know how to explain it, but when I go back to visit my family they look like me but I dont act like them.

[Hollywood]

You guys can still keep your noodling. I will keep my evergreen rods.........Even the caveman era they used spears or a type of rod and reel, not the noodling idea.. Then boys from the south are just loopy!

[Mitch]

Hey Hollywood !!! How's Yokouska these days. I was there in '66-'69 and had one HELL of a good time. Do they still sell Akadama in the Typhoon 5th's .. LOL LOL Have one for me.!!! Never did any fishing there then, but did play a little golf inbetween tippin' a few.

[350V RGR]

AHH the good old Cotton Mouth,

I was in Fase 1 of Army Ranger School.(Class 13-85) We were doing a small obstacle course, when some stundent saw a cotton mouth in the water below a small rope swing.
Well the Ranger instuctor saw the cotton mouth and told ALL of us to get into the water.
He told us just watch it, as long as it's head was above water we could not get bit. But as soon as the snake would dive get out ASAP.
we played THAT game for 4-5 minutes then went on with the day.
So I dont know if the whole head above water thing is true. But I guess it didnt matter anyway, No one got bit. O ya it was in Georgia.
Will Mathers

[Mikey]

My grandad (JK Loomer) used to take me down to the Marmaton river in Nevada, Mo to his cabin and tell me all kinds of stories about noodling while him and his friend Mr. Cartwright would get obliterated on vodka and orangejuice. He was a real story teller. He had an awesome lake in front of his house about 5 acres. This lake had some trophy crappie 2-3#ers! He was in the merchant marines and he would wake up when he was home and start drinking vodka about 5am. If he seen a snake or snapping turtle out on his lake he would just shoot it with his 30-30 right from his chair at the kitchen table! I used to long for my parents to take me down there(2 hour drive from home) so I could fish my brains out!!!

[TOPSTICK]

HERE i found a little video theres a few but funny
hope the link works


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOjA8Puh1BM

copy and paste it

[jack morris]

Never heard of spider rigging, what is it??? Jack