Editing Noodling (section)

==Method==
Although the concept of catching fish with only the use of the arm or foot in the water is simple, the process of noodling is more complicated. The choice of catfish as the prey is not arbitrary, but comes from the circumstances of their habitat. During the spawn, catfish will dig or enter a hole underneath a structure submerged in the water. The female will lay the eggs in the hole and the male will guard the eggs.<ref name="Bil Morin 2018 p. 169">{{cite book | last1=Bil | first1=J. | last2=Morin | first2=F. | title=Ship to Shore: Straight Talk from the Seafood Counter | publisher=House of Anansi Press Incorporated | year=2018 | isbn=978-1-4870-0414-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n1BtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA169 | access-date=2022-07-02 | page=169}}</ref><ref name="Brantley 2020">{{cite web | last=Brantley | first=Will | title=The Family Guide to Noodling | website=Field & Stream | date=2020-12-10 | url=https://www.fieldandstream.com/story/fishing/fs-classics-family-guide-to-noodling-catfish/ | access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref> When the eggs become fry, they will leave and the male will also leave the hole. To begin, a noodler goes underwater to depths ranging from only a few feet to {{convert|20|ft|m|spell=in|0}} and places their hand inside a discovered catfish hole. If all goes as planned, the catfish will swim forward and latch onto the fisherman's hand, usually as a defensive maneuver, in order to try to escape the hole. If the fish is particularly large, the noodler can hook the hand around its gills.<ref name="Valdez 2011">{{cite web | last=Valdez | first=Andrea | title=How to Noodle | website=Texas Monthly | date=2011-08-01 | url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/how-to-noodle/ | access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref>

Noodlers often have spotters who help them bring the catfish in, either to shore or to their boat; noodling in pairs is considered important for safety, and also makes it a more social activity, with noodling partners often forming long-term partnerships.<ref name=salazar /> 

The Oklahoma lake record catfish that was caught by noodling weighed 87.85 pounds (39.85&nbsp;kg), was {{convert|53+3/4|in|cm}} long, and {{convert|38+1/4|in|cm}} in girth.<ref name="KFOR.com Oklahoma City 2019">{{cite web | title=Men set new record after noodling nearly 90-pound catfish from Oklahoma lake | website=KFOR.com Oklahoma City | date=2019-06-19 | url=https://kfor.com/news/men-set-new-record-after-noodling-nearly-90-pound-catfish-from-oklahoma-lake/ | access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref>  A typical weight for a flathead catfish caught by noodling is 40&nbsp;lb (18&nbsp;kg).<ref name=salazar />