Catfish Noodling - Urban Legends Reference Pages
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/noodling.asp
Passage from the Snopes Article:
"Noodling" (also known as "hogging") is indeed a real pastime pursued by some sportsman, a form of fishing in which the quarry (usually catfish) are caught not with rod and reel or with nets, but by hand. Enthusiasts plunge into waterways, pulling up fish directly from the water, scooping them up from along river banks, or hauling them out of hollow logs. According to a December 2004 Associated Press article, "So secretive are handfishers that they have formed a club called Noodlers Anonymous. A University of Missouri-Columbia professor who got the group's cooperation in surveying its members found that most are men, average age about 40, living in rural areas."
You know what, in spite of the dangers of finding a snapping turtle or snake instead of a catfish, in spite of the injuries caused by catfish spikes, and in spite of the fact that a few people die yearly noodling when a monsterous 100 pound catfish latched on and prevented them from surfacing, I still want to try.
I really, really want to give noodling a try. I wonder if it's legal in Ontario, or Canada for that matter? If it isn't, guess it's time for a border hopping fieldtrip. I know there are States down south that legalized it.
Passage from the Snopes Article:
"Noodling" (also known as "hogging") is indeed a real pastime pursued by some sportsman, a form of fishing in which the quarry (usually catfish) are caught not with rod and reel or with nets, but by hand. Enthusiasts plunge into waterways, pulling up fish directly from the water, scooping them up from along river banks, or hauling them out of hollow logs. According to a December 2004 Associated Press article, "So secretive are handfishers that they have formed a club called Noodlers Anonymous. A University of Missouri-Columbia professor who got the group's cooperation in surveying its members found that most are men, average age about 40, living in rural areas."
You know what, in spite of the dangers of finding a snapping turtle or snake instead of a catfish, in spite of the injuries caused by catfish spikes, and in spite of the fact that a few people die yearly noodling when a monsterous 100 pound catfish latched on and prevented them from surfacing, I still want to try.
I really, really want to give noodling a try. I wonder if it's legal in Ontario, or Canada for that matter? If it isn't, guess it's time for a border hopping fieldtrip. I know there are States down south that legalized it.