Well, while they are busy protecting those eggs, thats when the noodling pros hit the river, ready to snag some catfish! The Swamp Donkey Noodling team helped us to find holes and drag big catfish out of them. This activity is legal in 16 states, which are mostly within the South and Midwest regions. The most unnerving part about noodling catfish is when you break a finger. Most trips abound with 15 to 50 pounders. http://www.chriskopf.com/not-pristine-mountain-fly-fishing-trout/. Noodling also known as handfishing, hogging, tickling, grabbling or stumping, is best done during the spawning season in spring and summer when the catfish are more prone to staying in their holes to protect their eggs, so the right time to wrestle catfish is when the water reaches about 70 degrees. Attempting to wrestle a 40lb fish out of a small hole while you are partly submerged in water will come with its own set of risks. It is even possible to get punctured by one of its three spines. By then, noodling was better known and even becoming a part of pop culture, thanks to the 2001 release of Okie Noodling, an hourlong documentary that profiled legendary handfishermen like Lee McFarland against the backdrop of the Okie Noodling catfish tournament an event that still goes on today. Email: rendlakefishingguides@gmail.com. You dont have to go noodling with no protection. 2021 Fishing Rates: Full Day (8 Hrs) $400.00 3/4 Day (6 Hrs) $325.00 Half Day (4 Hrs) $250.00. The only species of fish that may be taken by hand, without the aid of any device, hook, snare, net or other artificial element and without the use of any scuba equipment, air hose or other artificial breathing apparatus are flathead, channel and . All you need is two hands and a whole lot of guts! Get Bit Noodling Catfish Guide Service; GetBit Blog; Noodling Guide Tours; Recent Posts. It may barely fit and hes out to beat you, so it may require quite a fight to get him out. We are one of the premier catfish noodling guide services in NC. Its worth the stretch if theres a lunker in there. This allows you to grab the fish and bring it to the surface . Finally, many states have laws against hand fishing without a license. Whether you want to catch numbers of blue catfish or try your hand at catching a trophy class blue catfish, this is the time of year to do it! There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Whether youre at home or in the wild, were ready and available to help you navigate the bumps along the way. But these guys have been doing this for years. We are happy to answer any questions you might have. 2022 Catfish In-Sider Guide. North Texas Catfish Guide Service This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. When you hear the word fishing, you probably imagine standing knee deep in the water, lazily throwing a line and hoping to hook a few trout for dinner. Cody from Swamp Donkey dove 14 feet with an oxygen hose and spent several minutes underwater in order to pull TWO huge flatheads from the bottom of the lake! Rusty 50-gallon barrels, concrete slabs, leftovers from old bridges and homes, and other dangerous objects are often where you find the big ones. Secure the Fish with a Stringer. Plus, noodling is a group sport - for safety reasons and just for fun - so youll find yourself laughing and sharing stories with your fishing buddies for years to come!If you search the internet for information on noodling, youll find a whole lot of videos of prize winning fish and noodling catches but it is a lot harder to find information on how to go noodling yourself. Catfish noodling is illegal in most states, but it is legal across the majority of the SOuth and Midwest. Stick your hand in the hole, wiggle your fingers so they look like noodles - see what we did there? Your IP: Okie Noodling: Directed by Bradley Beesley. When reaching the surface, immediately call out the name of your closest friend and let him save your life, and your fish! Season usually ends about the middle of August. When you toes dont reach the back of the hole, you may have found yourself a catfish den! More states are starting to legalise this every year, and the most recent addition was West Virginia, who made it legal in June of 2018. Accommodations can be made for up to 6 people, check with us for pricing. In fact, you should probably check that out anyway because hillbilly handfishing is only legal in about 16 states! We encourage you to dig deep into your inner wild side and charge out into the water, ready to capture a fish of your own. 2,642 people like this. Heres a list of the things we recommend you bring along on every noodling adventure. Heres our answer find the baddest hoodlum in the midwest. In typical Groove style, we decided that we wanted the best noodling expert in the universe as our instructor, so, naturally, we chose noodling champion Marion Kincaid. Noodling catfish is dangerous for both the angler and the catfish. Also known as Hillybillly Handfishing, noodling is most common in the midwestern and southern states. That being said it takes a whole lot of skill to get those big fish! Don't worry we won't let the Catfish eat ya!!! Youre sticking your hand in a hole, waiting for a massive, 50lb fish to attack you. They protect the eggs from attackers. Recently a video of her catching a 30 pound catfish went viral, gettin. He also broke numerous water body record breaking six records total. Marion learned his hand fishing techniques from his father and grandfather, and he passed those skills along to our Groove Adventure team. Noodling is not only useful for fishing, it also provides a habitat for catfish and other freshwater fish. 2022 Catfish In-Sider Guide Buy A Copy. This adventure is not worth the risk of your life so make sure you take every precaution. Okie Noodling is 20 years old now but as . Ed Godfrey. A prohibition on special devices to coax the catfish into a hiding spot. Yep, you heard us right noodling is only legal in 16 states! We decided to fix that for you, because we want you to be able to experience the mess, sweat, and pride that comes from an afternoon of noodling. Chances are, you could get some cuts and scrapes from your adventures capturing a fish. The catfish nesting period for each group of eggs is around 7-10 days so youll find the fish that are guarding their eggs right during that time period. It is up to you to make your own decision surrounding whether or not this is something that you want to take part in, but you should carefully consider the implications of doing so. Our spring shallow water trips produce fast and furious action that will blow you away! Can accommodate additional people for a fee. Channel catfish are plentiful in all of the lakes we offer our catfish guide trips on. If you look for a bit, you will most likely find a momma catfish guarding her nest or a pappa taking care of those unhatched little ones. Sorry, no keepers. Will Goodman has been grabbling since he was around 12 years old, and still remembers the exhilaration . Buy A Copy. Fishing for flathead catfish with us is best during the warmer months typically from March to October. Catfish will roll under the water while fighting and can be difficult to let go of. Noodling tournaments are a lot of fun. ), Noodling is one of the craziest ways to catch a fish that you could imagine! Catfish guide service for blue catfish, channel catfish and flathead catfish on North Texas area lakes. Book your next adventure today! For those unfamiliar, catfish noodlingalso known as grabbling, hogging, catfisting, graveling, or stumpingis the art of wading or swimming out into the water and probing underwater holes with your bare hands so that an angry catfish can chomp down them. You can do the same with logs in the bottom of the lake and other debris. It all depends on weather, water temperature and which lake we feel will be the most productive that day and for your group and travel time. Now that we have experienced a full-fledged noodling tournament, its time for us to share some of our seasoned wisdom with you all, so you can have the best noodling experience possible! During peak times it is not uncommon to catch as many as 100 channel catfish in a morning of fishing. The one thing that set the Swamp Donkeys apart was their willingness to go the extra mile checking holes and diving into some scary (but relatively safe) situations. Book a Noodling Trip and experience fishing a whole new way! When you know hes cleared the hole go to the next step. Guests need a valid Illinois Fishing license. Come experience the Ultimate Adventure Catfish Grabbling with Southern Boyz Grabbling. This might not sound like the most ideal way to fish, and it isnt for many people, but it is a common occurrence. 4 hour trip is $600 per boat. When the right time comes the payoff is huge but this type of fishing is not for everyone. A Hand Grabbing History. In this guide, well give you the absolute best information on the history of noodling, safety tips, training information, advice from the pros, and more! On rod and reel fishing trips for catfish, we follow the current pattern for blue catfish using rod and reel baited with fresh-caught shad, cut bait, or even prepared bait at times Most of these cats will average between two and ten pounds with some bigger ones mixed in! MDWFP News. Catfish spawning season will typically last for the duration of the summer, so as soon as the weather turns warm, people will usually start Catfish noodling. Nathan Williams of . A fishing experience to last a lifetime. Dive down or dig in the mud a little bit until you find a hole that is catfish-sized (the bigger the better.) The Swamp Donkey Noodling team helped us to find holes and drag big catfish out of them. It takes someone thats just a little bit crazy to use their hand as bait for a 70lb catfish! Phone: (618) 472-4763. Catching Catfish does have an impact on the waters that these fish typically live in. Oklahoman.com, The Art of Noodling Catfish How I Became a Noodlin Ninja. Anglr.com. It may roll and rip your hand up if you dont have gloves on, so you better hold on hard, the blood will be worth it. Not many people can catch them this way. Season starts June 1st. While some people enjoy that kind of fishing, others prefer fishing with an adrenaline rush. Dec 5, 2011. Run your hands in until you find the back and sweep from side-to-side to see if you feel a fish. Book now for the best availability. Sometimes those holes are BIG! A requirement that noodlers have a general fishing license. By Jerry Brown. appearances, production, and more. Make sure you release the fish you arent going to eat (and thats probably most of them if youre being honest) so noodling can continue and the fish can thrive. 50 were here. View our Privacy Policy & Terms. All-Day Trip 9am-3pm. We hand fish several lakes around NC, including Badin, High Rock, Norman and Gaston. Besides the #1 reason that its a ton of FUN, noodling is a unique kind of experience that you just cant find every day. There arent too many types of noodling. Are they respectful of the earth and the creatures that live on it? Well get back to you as soon as we can. Compared to the likes of a shark attack. If you were paying attention when we gave you all the info you ever wanted to know about flathead catfish, you probably remember that they are very protective of their eggs! Catfish live in ponds, rivers, and lakes basically wherever there is muddy freshwater! And dont forget, this is the perfect time to get that wall hanger photo of you with your trophy catch. Thats where leggin it comes in. This method involves capturing the fish while theyre relaxing by the rocks in the water and pulling them out by hand! Youre probably going to get a few bruises and scratches along the way, but if you make sure they are disinfected and cleaned as soon as possible you should be just fine. Catfish are very strong, especially when they're fighting for their lives, and they can easily pull a person underwater. You want a guide that can take your adventure to the ultimate level of success, and that probably means someone who is willing to do things that most people would call slightly insane! 15 Things You Need To Get Started Catfish Noodling. After all spending so much time digging around in the muddy river for catfish tends to lend itself to a few jokes! The lakes we fish are full of trophy blue catfish in big numbers and these fish are known to grow well over 100 pounds. How many years have they been noodling?