Grasping the Craft of Noodling

By Robert Loewendick

Have you ever had the desire to try something new and exciting? Something that would give you another reason to enjoy the outdoors and assist in avoiding the time consuming ‘Honey-Do-List’.

If you’ve tried just about every type of fishing there is available, then you must add the craft of ‘Noodling’ to your outdoorsman’s resume.

From the flathead catfish to the American snapping turtle, water dwelling creatures offer many adventure filled opportunities for the outdoors person looking for new quests.

Noodling

This means to locate, grapple, and remove a catfish or snapping turtle from its underwater habitat -- by hand.

Who in their right mind would try this? One can’t help but to think of a stubby fingered, swamp dwelling individual cruising through creeks and small rivers on foot attempting to wrestle the quarry to the water’s surface.

If I didn’t have a noodler in my family, my older brother, I would have the same impression that I just described. Not that my brother isn’t a stubby fingered, swamp dwelling….nah, just kidding.

It does take a special breed of human to attempt the craft of noodling. Brave? Yes. Intelligent? Yes, some knowledge is needed, but intelligent? One must wonder, but it is an exciting sport.

Catfish

To noodle a catfish successfully you must narrow down the possible locations. The spawning season offers the most opportunities for the noodler. The catfish spawn depends on the geographical location, but in the Ohio Valley is usually at the end of May or early June.

As soon as the females lay their eggs, the males stand guard over the nest. The males are reluctant to leave their guard posts even if a human foot is about to tromp them into the mucky river bottom. This fatherly devotion displayed by the catfish presents the noodler the best opportunity for a catch.

During other times of the year, different locations or structures provide target areas. Under dock edges, rock piles, or any underwater structure that gives the catfish a quality hideout should be researched.

Shallow water is looked at the most because of a couple reasons. The first is that most habitat structures are close to water edges. The second is that when a catfish or snapping turtle is caught, a heavy weight will break out between the noodler and quarry on the ascent to the water’s surface.

Once a nesting hole is located a slow approach upstream is the preferred technique for attack. By going upstream the mud that is stirred up will float downstream, offering the noodler the clearest view to the bottom of the creek or river.

Besides, if the noodler is not sure what they have grabbed with their bare hand, the sooner the identification the better. Snakes and muskrats visit or share the same structures as the catfish and snapping turtle.

I can imagine how badly I would injure myself if I were to pull a water snake out of the water only inches from my face.

After a fish is located the event gets really interesting. Veteran noodlers feel around for the mouth or gill cover and then attempt to entice the fish to nibble on their fingers.

This may sound crazy, but the best scenario is for the fish to bite the noodler’s entire hand. Most of the time though, the noodler has to work his fingers into the tight-lipped catfish, but then a real safety issue arises.

The catfish will clamp down on the noodler’s hand with its sandpaper-textured lips and begin to spin. Ouch! Getting the catfish to the shore as quickly as possible is best so the fish doesn’t harpoon the noodler with a flipping fin.

Depending on the size of the fish, the noodler may be knocked off of his feet. This is one of several reasons a person should not noodle alone. Other reasons for not noodling alone include: having a “land man” transporting equipment and catches, having an eye on the noodler if help is needed in exiting the water, and having a set of eyes on a higher elevation for spotting structure ahead of the noodler.

Snapping Turtle

Now this creature is a pure beast of excitement with razor sharp jaws. There is not many ways to get your adrenaline flowing quicker than to reach under a creek bank with your arm extended and the side of your face resting on the water surface, searching for a finger-eating reptile.

Noodling season for snapping turtles is about the same as the catfish. The exception is that the snapper behaves in the same manner whether it’s egg-laying season or not.

The snapper has its preferred habitat structures that are similar to the catfish. Medium to shallow water with plenty of soft bottom material: making an easier access into its bedding den. The snapper will be found under the creek bank edges, mainly around tree roots and overhanging sod.

Mostly the turtle will crawl in headfirst and remain that way until it’s ready to leave -- but not always. Simply slide a hand under the bank and feel for the snapper’s tail. Once the tail is found (if the head is found first, there’s no need to explain how one should react), get a firm grip on the tail and pull. The quicker the pull, the easier the retrieve.

When the pole and lure fishing is slow and the temperature is rising, jump in the water and give noodling a go.

Besides, when the mate asks, “Going fishing again?” and after answering yes, you’re told to go jump in the lake, you won’t be letting anyone down.

Writers Note: Contact me at rrloewendick@yahoo.com