Editing Noodling

{{short description|Fishing for catfish using only bare hands}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Catfisting|catfishing}}
{{Other uses|Noodle (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Noodling champ.jpg|thumb|right|A man with a fish caught by noodling]]
[[File:NoodlingLegalityMap.svg|thumb|Map of the US states where noodling is legal in some form]]
[[File:60 lb catfish.jpg|thumb|upright|Enrique Serrano with a {{cvt|60|lb|kg}} catfish caught by noodling, on June 18, 2015.]]

'''Noodling''' is [[fishing]] for [[catfish]] using one's bare hands or feet, and is practiced primarily in the [[southern United States]]. The noodler places their hand or foot inside a discovered catfish hole in order to catch the fish. Other names for the same activity are used in different regions, primarily in the South and Midwest, and include hogging, dogging, grappling, grabbling, tickling, and catfisting.<ref name="NYTimes 2006">{{cite web |date=2006-04-21 |title=In the Jaws of a Catfish |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/travel/escapes/in-the-jaws-of-a-catfish.html |access-date=2022-07-02 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>

The term "noodling", although today used primarily towards the capture of [[flathead catfish]], can and has been applied to all hand fishing methods, regardless of the method or species of fish sought. The origin of the term is unknown.<ref>{{cite web|last=Waterman|first=Todd|title=Bitter Sweet|url=http://thelibrary.org/lochist/periodicals/bittersweet/fa80e.htm|publisher=N.D|access-date=2013-09-24}}</ref>  Noodling as a term has also been applied to various unconventional methods of fishing, such as any which do not use bait, [[fishing rod|rod]] and [[fishing reel|reel]], [[spearfishing|speargun]], etc., but this usage is much less common. The term has also been applied to the similar capture of [[Common snapping turtle|snapping turtles]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Tim|last=Evans|title=Indiana Noodling: Inside the Hoosier Tradition of Catching Snapping Turtles by Hand|url=https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/2019/07/14/noodling-indiana-hunting-fishing-snapping-turtles-by-hand/1681167001/|work=[[The Indianapolis Star]]|date=2019-07-14|access-date=2019-07-31}}</ref>

Due to concerns over the safety of noodlers and sustainability of fish populations, the technique is illegal in some states where it was once traditionally practiced. {{As of|2002}}, it was legal in some form in fourteen states, sometimes with restrictions on the species or sizes of fish, and on the specific methods that may be employed: [[Alabama]], [[Arkansas]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Illinois]],  [[Kansas]], [[Kentucky]], [[Louisiana]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/page/38217-recreational/2015recreationalfishinglow-res.pdf |title=Regulations brochure |website=www.wlf.louisiana.gov}}</ref> [[Maryland]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.eregulations.com/maryland/fishing/sport-fishing-regulations/ |title=Sport Fishing Regulations &#124; Maryland Fishing Guide &#124; eRegulations |access-date=2016-06-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616222904/http://www.eregulations.com/maryland/fishing/sport-fishing-regulations/ |archive-date=2016-06-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Mississippi]], [[North Carolina]], [[Oklahoma]], [[South Carolina]], [[Tennessee]], and [[Wisconsin]].<ref name=salazar>{{cite journal | author = Deborah A. Salazar | title = Noodling: An American Folk Fishing Technique | journal = The Journal of Popular Culture | volume = 35 | issue = 4 | year = 2002 | pages = 145–155 | doi = 10.1111/j.0022-3840.2002.3504_145.x}}</ref> It has since been legalized in [[Texas]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/New-state-laws-take-effect-on-Thursday-2145235.php|title=New state laws take effect on Thursday|website=chron.com|date=29 August 2011}}</ref> and [[West Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wvmetronews.com/2018/06/21/catfish-noodling-now-legal-in-west-virginia/|title=Catfish 'Noodling" now legal in West Virginia|website=wvmetronews.com|date=21 June 2018}}</ref>

==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 />

==In popular culture==
Noodling is just one name used for fishing with your hands or feet, but there are other names for it that are derived from different cultures. The activity is most common in the southern and midwestern United States. {{Such as?|date=July 2024}}

The sport of noodling in popular culture has been featured or referred to in various television programs, including ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'' (1989), ''[[Okie Noodling]]'', which was televised in two-parts on PBS (2001), ''[[Dirty Jobs]]'' on the [[Discovery Channel]] (2003), ''[[River Monsters]]'' on [[Animal Planet]] (2012), and ''Mudcats'' (2012) on the [[History Channel]].<ref name="Carolina Sportsman 2013">{{cite web | title=Catfish noodling and popular culture | website=Carolina Sportsman | date=2013-06-15 | url=https://www.carolinasportsman.com/fishing/freshwater-fishing/noodling-and-popular-culture/ | access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref> It also received media attention in the American sitcom ''[[Cougar Town]]'', and in the [[animated sitcom]]s, ''[[King of the Hill]]'' episode "[[The Redneck on Rainey Street]]", and the 12th episode of ''[[Ben 10: Omniverse]]'', "Gone Fishin". An episode of ''[[Bon Appetit! (TV series)|Bon Appétit]]''{{'s}} YouTube series titled "It's Alive" (2019) featured [[Brad Leone]] and [[Matty Matheson]] noodling.<ref name="YouTube 2022">{{cite web | title=Brad and Matty Matheson Go Noodling for Catfish Part 1 - It's Alive |publisher=Bon Appétit | via=YouTube | date=2022-07-01 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JkcZRBUNtw | access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref>

Noodling was also featured in the 2009 movie ''[[Leaves of Grass (film)|Leaves of Grass]]'' with [[Keri Russell]] as a noodler, in the 2009 film ''[[Fish Tank (film)|Fish Tank]]'', and in the 2016 movie ''[[Deepwater Horizon (film)|Deepwater Horizon]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://corporate.discovery.com/blog/2012/04/01/jeremy-wade-goes-in-search-of-catfish-big-enough-to-swallow-a-man/|title=Jeremy Wade Goes in Search of 'Catfish Big Enough to Swallow a Man' – Discovery, Inc.|date=2012-04-01|publisher=corporate.discovery.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.history.com/shows/swamp-people/season-2/episode-8|title=Watch Rising Sons Full Episode - Swamp People {{!}} Season 2 Episode 8|publisher=HISTORY|language=en}}</ref>

The Noodler's brand of [[fountain pen ink]] was named in reference to noodling, described as "a southern sport that attempts to equalize the struggle between man and animal in the quest for a sense of fair play", and included bottles of ink with images of catfish on the label.<ref name="noodlersink.com 2019">{{cite web | title=Why Noodler's? | publisher=nNoodler's Ink | date=2019-04-23 | url=http://noodlersink.com/why-noodlers/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423051450/http://noodlersink.com/why-noodlers/ | archive-date=2019-04-23 | url-status=dead | access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref>

Noodling on guitar is freestyle, in the moment playing, where one explores seemingly random notes and relies more on trial and error and intuition than rigid musical systems and rules.

==Dangers==
Other than drowning, or being injured by underwater hazards, noodlers face other physical threats, including the potential for fatal injury caused by other forms of aquatic life that may be residing in the abandoned holes of cavity spawning catfish, such as snapping turtles, snakes, beavers, and alligators.<ref name="Scott 2021">{{cite web | last=Scott | first=Ray | title=Do Catfish Have Teeth? | website=OutdoorsNiagara | date=2021-09-25 | url=https://www.outdoorsniagara.com/do-catfish-have-teeth/ | access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref><ref name="B 2021">{{cite web | last=B | first=John | title=Catfish Noodling: Dangerous, Exciting, and Crazy Fun | website=USAngler | date=2021-06-01 | url=https://usangler.com/catfish-noodling/ | access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref><ref name="Newsroom 2013">{{cite web | title=Fisherman bitten by venomous snake while noodling | website=FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | date=2013-07-11 | url=https://fox4kc.com/news/fisherman-bitten-by-venomous-snake-while-noodling/ | access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref> Loose fitting clothes may get tangled or snagged on roots or rocks, and various physical injuries may be incurred while underwater, ranging anywhere from superficial wounds to losing fingers. Several articles suggest precautionary measures, such as using the buddy system, wearing tight clothing that hugs the skin, and inspecting potential holes with a stick.<ref name="Griffin 2014">{{cite web | last=Griffin | first=David | title=News 9's Lacie Lowry And Lacey Swope Learn The Art Of Okie Noodling | website=Home | date=2014-07-15 | url=https://www.newson6.com/story/5e34cecbe0c96e774b350ebe/news-9s-lacie-lowry-and-lacey-swope-learn-the-art-of-okie-noodling | access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref> Other recommendations include noodling shirtless or while wearing a short sleeve shirt, to wear gloves that offer some level of protection for one's hands, and to not wear any jewelry.<ref name="LiveOutdoors 2016">{{cite web | title=Step-by-Step Guide to Noodling | website=LiveOutdoors | date=2016-07-22 | url=https://www.liveoutdoors.com/fishing/238587-noodling-step-by-step-guide-how-to/ | access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref> 

The mortality rate per capita for noodling indicates that it is extremely dangerous in comparison to other forms of fishing.<ref name="ProQuest">{{cite web | title=Human Mortality Rate of Noodling Catfish in Oklahoma | website=ProQuest | url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/f25cb99f7d0913c05dee916aa9995352/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y | access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref> Noodling related deaths have been reported.<ref name="B 2021" />

==See also==
* {{annotated link|Hillbilly Handfishin'}}
* {{annotated link|Okie Noodling}}
* {{annotated link|Trout tickling}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.ethantw.com/noodling.html New York Times article on noodling and anecdote from the writer]
* [http://www.okienoodling.com/ Okie Noodling Documentary Website]
* [https://www.espn.com/outdoors/general/columns/story?columnist=sutton_keith&page=g_col_sutton_noodling ESPN Article on Noodling]
* [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703864204576321940917861336 "Long Arm of the Law Penalizes Texans Who Nab Catfish by Hand"]—''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''
* Brunvand, Jan Harold (1996). [https://books.google.com/books?id=l0N_sedAATAC&pg=PA131&dq=%22Mark+Twain%22+tickling+catfish&ei=lRybSZrIEaWQkASIue3lCQ ''American Folklore: An Encyclopedia'']. Taylor & Francis, page 130f. {{ISBN|978-0-8153-3350-0}}.
* Hall, Yancey (2005). [https://web.archive.org/web/20050910064508/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0908_050908_noodling.html "Using Hands as Bait, 'Noodlers' Stalk Giant Catfish"]. National Geographic News.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120522231829/http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/documents/FishingRegs12-13_web.pdf Rough fish may be caught by hand in Wisconsin... Catfish are considered a Gamefish and may not be caught by hand.]

{{fishing tackle|expanded=techniques}}
{{fisheries and fishing}}

[[Category:Fishing techniques and methods]]
[[Category:Recreational fishing]]
[[Category:Freediving]]