# Noodling



## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

Never tried it but watch both women and kids pull Blues and Flats from river banks. Looks fun! Dont know about the mess though! Watched a few boys clean some. They bleed them by cuttin the tail. Any one do this? Might try a Fatty Flatty one day.


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## neocats1 (Oct 14, 2006)

To me, noodling is a little on the crazy side. I think I will stick to my rod and reels. I hear they even have noodling tournaments.


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## bigcats28 (Jul 23, 2006)

yea it sounds fun until you reach up into a hole and pull out a 20 lb snapping turtle clamped to your arm


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Earlier today the Show "Dirty Jobs" with Mike Rowe ( ??) did a segment on Noodling , filmed where its legel, in Oklahoma, ( lake Eufala). Mike did get a 10 lb or so flattie, was kinda cool except the cleaning and eating part. 
My Uncle used to do this as he grew up near Peebles Ohio on Ohio Brush and Scioto Brush creeks back in the late 40's and early 50's, of course back then, things were different and this was done durring the spawn to put food on the table, Unlike todays methods. Oh yeah, he had a paper clipping of a friend of his who drowned doing it, apparently grabbed one too big for him to handle.

BTW, Im pretty sure its illegal in ohio to take catfish this way. I do think you can take turtles but not cats and at least there is the trophy cat regs to help.

For me, you wont ever catch me putting my hands into underwater holes in the banks...  

Salmonid


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## peple of the perch (Sep 13, 2004)

Ya I do not believe it is leagle for cats in ohio. I was reading in the outdoor news that there were a couple of guys fined for doing this. It is something I would like to try in my life though. But snapping turtles face away from the entrance, until they are comming out of the hole or log.


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## Micro_Mini_Angler (Jun 15, 2006)

peple, u r right, i was at buckeye and a guy got caught doing it. but i saw a guy that had a big one and the thing crushed his hand.


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## neocats1 (Oct 14, 2006)

I've heard that turtles will go in head first, but what about snakes, gars, beavers, muskrats, etc. Just not worth the chance to me!


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## peple of the perch (Sep 13, 2004)

Micro_Mini_Angler said:


> peple, u r right, but i saw a guy that had a big one and the thing crushed his hand.


That would suck. lol


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

I watched it too! Pretty good. What a mess afterwards. Still wouldnt mind pullin a cat out of the banks but I think Ill stay with the smaller rivers. Mahoning has some good spots when its down I bet. Still the thought of a 200lb cat pullin you under isnt good! :B  :C


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## BottomBouncer (Jan 20, 2005)

I've never tried it and don't see the sense in it. Intentionally targeting fish that are spawning(trying to make more fish for you to catch) seems a bit unethical. Same as holding bass tournaments during the spawn, like B.A.S.S...always advertising those 100lb. totals....I thought those guys were in the business to make bass fishing better and here they are taking the fish off their beds....

The Dirty Jobs show kinda made me sick. There's no sport in it....blindly reach into a hole and let whatever's in it bite you.


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

Not something I would make a habit of!


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

I knew some guys that used to noodle. I have never tried it, I am kind of curious to try it, but the whole putting my hand in a hole I cant see doesn't really appeal to me.

Some of the guys used a stick and prode around in the hole first to feel for the cats and then they put their hands in. This way they can tell if its a turtle or what not. There is still always that chance.

One of the guys I talked to was missing 3 fingers between his two hands from where they had been crushed by the cats mouth and they had to amputate them. That is another reason I think I might stick to the rod and reel method.

That and I agree that you should not be pulling cats out when they are trying to spawn, ecspecially the larger older cats. Just my opinion though.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

neocats1 said:


> I've heard that turtles will go in head first, but what about snakes, gars, beavers, muskrats, etc. Just not worth the chance to me!


My dad used to hunt turtles this way and I can assure you that the "headfirst" rule is not always followed. He did it primarily in streams and the turtles had more of a tendency to face upstream but again not a guarantee. He pulled quite a few out after finding their shell with his hand and feeling their nose on the underside of his forearm. He even pulled a few out by the head when he was feeling really gutsy. He pulled out muskrats and tossed them on a couple of occasions that I recall. He regularly flung large water snakes out and even thought it would be funny to toss one at me and it draped over my back when it landed. I was not real happy with that one. He also pulled out small catfish every now and then and quite a few carp and suckers. He always wanted to get me started on it to pass it down through the family but I declined the offer and simply carried the bag. I don't think he ever tried targeting flatties because he had no idea where to try it. But I am sure if he knew he would have loved to give that one a try.

As someone stated noodling is indeed illegal in Ohio although there is no restriction on hunting the turtles.


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## ShakeDown (Apr 5, 2004)

I think it's only legal in 4 states...TN, LA, OK, and can't remember the 4th? I think it's absolutely nuts myself, but if someone is crazy enough to do it, more power to em.


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## BowKat04 (Feb 27, 2005)

Man, they sure alot braver than I ever will be. That is cool though.


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## WISH IT WAS YOU (Jul 25, 2006)

ya ihad a topic on this during the summer i would love todo this but again its not ligit in ohio but all you would have to say is you were going for snapers but i not say todoing anything justgoout of state if youwant to do it like alabama this was the post look here you will find every thing that every one said http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53806


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## buckifan43221 (May 27, 2006)

That's definitely crazy stuff. i would try it once though. I stuck my hand down in a log on the darbly after I hooked into something large. My buddy would sware that it was the log I hooked LOL, but I was guessing large channel or flattie. It got the hook off when it went back in the stump, so I didn't get it. Amazing what a big fish would make me do.


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## dinkbuster1 (Oct 28, 2005)

....one time, never again! was invited to come along by my neighbors to go "grabbin" over on the Scioto near Chillicothe when i was about 13yrs old. first and last thing i will ever grab from an undercut bank........A BLACK-SNAKE!


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## WISH IT WAS YOU (Jul 25, 2006)

dinkbuster1 said:


> ....one time, never again! was invited to come along by my neighbors to go "grabbin" over on the Scioto near Chillicothe when i was about 13yrs old. first and last thing i will ever grab from an undercut bank........A BLACK-SNAKE!


lol thats sounds funny i have caught many snakes i love snakes lol


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## fishon (Apr 20, 2004)

yeah... i dont think im a big fan of that either......


frank


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

You wouldnt want to pull something out like this! :B Sorry about the pic. Bad throw away camera and this is all I get.


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## rblake (May 12, 2005)

I know some pretty hard arsed dude's and there is now way in hell they'd stick their hands up holes they didn't know what was in the bottom of. Me neither for that mattter of fact, talk about large kahoona's.


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## BowKat04 (Feb 27, 2005)

very very large kahoonas lol


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

the first fish i ever noodled came over a dam when it flooded and into my chub creek, after i got pissed about the chubs getting eaten of my line i waded in pinned it under a ledge and got it by the mouth, 10lb flathead kicked my ass. its a fun sport but it crazy


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

I once thumbed a bull-head. Thumb hurt for 2 days. It was only 14in.


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