# Noodeling



## Starky

Do any of you southern boys do any noodeling. The thought of wading in snake infested water and feeling along the bank for a 20+ pound fish and then grabbing it's lower lip just sounds like a beer drinking game to me.


----------



## njsimonson

Not to mention snapping turtles or worse, alligator snapping turtles that live in those holes. There's a mouth I'd never want my hand near!


----------



## Turner

I grew up living by the Mississippi in Southern IL and watched my grandfather and his brothers do this. They jerked their hand out pretty quick when they touched something that didn't feel like a cat. I also saw the after math of a guy's arm that panicked when a big cat closed his mouth around his arm, he jerked back and it peeled the skin back to his wrist.

I think I will just stick to a good'ol fish'in pole and stink bait.


----------



## Starky

I'm with you, give me a fishing pole a frog and a can of beer and life is good.


----------



## rdneibch

i got a buddy that does it here.he was always telling me about it so i had to go try it with him.it is very effective and quick.the last time i did it i was about 4' under the water and up to my armpit in the hole and gashed my arm on something.that was last june haven't been this year.still got a scar on my forearm.


----------



## stevepike

We used to do it in a clear lake out west. The nice thing about that is you could see the whiskers sticking out and knew you were not going to be grabbing a turtle or worse. Never got any monsters tho.

I don't have the nerve to try it around here in cloudy water when the snapping turtle population is doing so well.


----------



## PanfishHunter

My friend did it and almost lost his hand to a huge snapping turtle. I wouldn't recomend it.
:sniper: PanfishHunter


----------



## Forstner

ok...id have to be drunk to do that!! ive seen it on tv a couple times and it dont look to bad!! they make nesting boxes or w/e for the fish to go in and they grab in those!! id only be scared ofnot coming up!! lol


----------



## smitty223

I watched a show on the TV just a couple days ago, called "Okie Noodling". Was pretty interesting, but I'll admit I too would probably have to have a belly full of liquid "bravery" to even think about it too...........

I believe it stated "noodling" is (was) only legal in 4 states, but don't know if any laws have changed since the film date, as I believe it was an older film. It had Danny King (Punch Bait) in it as an Announcer at a contest.

Smitty


----------



## Fallguy

That "Okie Noodling" is probably a 4 or 5 year old video. I have it on DVD. It's a pretty fun flick to watch.


----------



## schultz345

haha noodling


----------



## hunt4P&amp;Y

I went Muskie noodling, got a few, but now my arm is plastic?!?!

:lol: I think you would have to be crazy to stick your arm in the water with anticipation of a fish biting it.


----------



## Gildog

I have seen a guy who "noodled" a big northern from an ice fishing hole--no one believed that he stuck his hand into the fish's mouth, we all thought he used a gaff--until he pulled up his sleeve and we saw the teeth marks!


----------



## dlip

I've noodled a couple holes, but never was successful. I've never been as amp'd up as I was when I stuck my arm in that hole. There wasn't a fish in there and it was still the most intense thing I think I've done.


----------



## live_4_quack

I used to do it a lot when I was younger. It is actually pretty fun. It's not the turtles, muskrats, beavers,...etc that you have to worry about. It's the big blues. Flatheads will let you pet them like a dog until you start to pull them out of the hole, but those big blues will try to kill anything that get's in there with them. Still have a slight scar on my left hand from a 8 pounder. It was fun though. Talk about adrenaline.


----------



## sixgun45

But turtles and other animals other than fish have to surface to breath so, why would they just sit in a hole underwater, I mean what purpose would just sitting underwater serve them? :beer:


----------



## ForeverAngler

sixgun45 said:


> But turtles and other animals other than fish have to surface to breath so, why would they just sit in a hole underwater, I mean what purpose would just sitting underwater serve them? :beer:


 The holes are in the embankment, often not very far from the surface. A snappers neck is VERY long and if its not too deep, IE, anything under 2 feet, it could easily go up for air just by extending its neck. Muskrats often have burrows that come up above the water level inside. Turtles use them as ambush spots for fish and other fare.


----------



## sixgun45

so could you say that most holes about 3 feet and under are safer?


----------



## sixgun45

so could you say that most holes about 3 feet and under are safer?


----------



## dlip

From what all the old-timers that I have talked to, there is no such thing as a 100% safe hole.


----------



## ForeverAngler

Correct, sticking your hand in any random hole in the side of a body of water is asking for trouble.

Going noodeling is like getting a box of chocolates, never know wutcha gunna get.


----------



## Ac_EsS

yea a long the Ohio River guys do this. heck i know guys that do it in smaller rivers and marshes but they build boxes then flood them and do that


----------

