It may barely fit and hes out to beat you, so it may require quite a fight to get him out. You'll need to be good swimmer to noodle, even in shallow water. huge flatheads from the bottom of the lake! We catch and release all our Catfish. We use ultra-light tackle and a highly effective catfish rig we have developed called the Secret Channel Catfish Rigfor fast and furious catfishing action for channel catfish on area lakes. Make sure you release the fish you arent going to eat (and thats probably most of them if youre being honest) so noodling can continue and the fish can thrive. Were a fully licensed and insured professional fishing guide service and are FULL-TIME fishing guides located in the Dallas Fort Worth area and have been in operation for over 13 years. This is catfishing action like you have never seen before and some trophy blue catfish mixed in as well. But anglers don't have to take up "noodling" (as the practice is known) to catch cats in our state. Its also a fantastic opportunity to try something new and challenging and as long as you are very careful and go with a professional it should be safe, too! Thats the size of the average 16-year-old male human! You are about to have the time of your life. Want to learn more or have questions? Accommodations can be made for up to 6 people, check with us for pricing. Three Person All-Weekend Trip -- $900. Lake Limestone, Lake Granger, Lake Waco and Lake Belton are just few of the lakes offered. Heres the good news Noodling is probably one of the safest adventures the Groove Team has been on so far. Whoppers! Now, you might not be able to go with Marion Kincaid - although if you can, we highly recommend him as an experienced teacher - but here are a few places you can find a skilled noodling instructor! In fact, one flathead catfish was discovered in the Arkansas River that weighed a total of 139 pounds and was close to 6 feet long! Just make sure you are ONLY reaching for fish in the darkness, and if you grab something that feels like a snake or a turtle, get the heck out of there! Phone: (618) 472-4763. Have your friends stand in the way of open spaces to block the catfish in so it cant easily escape! invites you to share an unforgettable experience with your friends and family. The lakes we fish are full of trophy blue catfish in big numbers and these fish are known to grow well over 100 pounds. Again, if you notice any type of fever or strange reaction after getting a cut, make sure you check with a medical advisor in the unlikely case that some bacteria from the water could have entered through the scrape. A big fish is never worth throwing caution to the wind. However, for most people, the issue is that hand-fishing is dangerous for those that take part in it and for the fish. Sounds simple enough, right? A post shared by Hannah Barron (@hannahbarron96). Now that weve shared a few of our favorite Noodling experts with you, youre probably wondering how we picked these specific folks as potential guides. 70 people checked in here. Catching fish in their domain with your bare hands and feet may seem impossible to some, but unto the Bivins family, it has become a family tradition and a passion. in 34! Thats where leggin it comes in. This might not sound like the most ideal way to fish, and it isnt for many people, but it is a common occurrence. Plus, when someone has an knee-slappin sense of humor, they have just the right personality to keep you relaxed and motivated! Here is what they do: 1) If it is man-made structure, the guide places a board in front of the hole of the box. Performance & security by Cloudflare. More states are starting to legalise this every year, and the most recent addition was West Virginia, who made it legal in June of 2018. Whether you want to catch numbers of blue catfish or try your hand at catching a trophy class blue catfish, this is the time of year to do it! Unfortunately, this is something that happens in many remote places, which means that people will keep doing it, even when it is illegal. Dive next to the hole and stick your hand in the catfish nest. Noodling, which is when one catches catfish with their bare hands, is legal in Louisiana as of Monday. When water levels are low or during droughts, these areas serve . Jerry Schwartz has been fishing Kentucky Lake for over 20 years and has provided expert guide services for more than 10 years. Oklahoma City lawyer Chris Box can testify to the awesome catfishing available at Texoma. The Family Guide to Noodling Cut off some jeans, round up the wife and kids, and head for the water. Just keep reading to find out more. Rusty 50-gallon barrels, concrete slabs, leftovers from old bridges and homes, and other dangerous objects are often where you find the big ones. If you dont go quick, someone will push you out of the way and get it for you. In most parts of the world, this extreme sport fishing is known as "noodling", but folks in Southeast Tennessee refer to the excitement as "grabbling" and rightly so, since you'll be grabbing catfish with your own two hands. A big fish is never worth throwing caution to the wind. Catfish noodling is a controversial act that many anglers and people are divided on. See our Gallery. BIG FISH ADVENTURES, LLC: HOME Pictures Pricing Lodging Possibilities Media Contact Page Contact Home of Skipper Bivins - Star of Hillbilly Handfishin' -International face of noodling-We are booking for 2023 season. Led by Private Guide Josh Bennett, S.B.G. The Huntress Hannah Barron. If you arent able to drop by a tournament, it can be hard to know where to find a skilled noodling instructor! When the fish bites, you pull it out of the hole and onto the river bank. 1401 N Union Ave Shawnee, OK 74801. Dont worry, your buddy will help get you on your feet when the fish is secure. If you know anything at all about Catfish, you wouldnt think that it would be the best fish to manhandle. The Most Common Types of Shad That Anglers Fish For. Okie Noodling: Directed by Bradley Beesley. Readers offer a variety of ideas about origins of noodling. This is particularly uncomfortable, but a great place to get attacked by the big ones (which is ironically a good thing.) The bite is good all year round but the peak season for catching huge numbers of blues is in the spring from March through May. Well S.B.G. If your clothing was to get caught under the water, you could easily drown. The smallest creeks will usually be home to the biggest Catfish. It can also be quite dangerous, and numerous noodling . Youll want to make sure you have a guide that is familiar with the state laws and can keep you from accidentally stumbling into trouble. After all spending so much time digging around in the muddy river for catfish tends to lend itself to a few jokes! When you feel that hammer strike, grab the fish by the bottom lip (Marion calls it the suitcase handle) or gills and pull it out! Those 7-10 days are prime time for noodling because the catfish will attack your hand when you reach into their hole - creating a prime opportunity to catch them! Just give us a call at 817-522-3804 to book your trip today! Wrap the stringer around your arm 2-3 times to make sure he doesnt get away. Keep in mind, Noodling is only legal in 16 states, which means its illegal in 34! Marion learned his hand fishing techniques from his father and grandfather, and he passed those skills along to our Groove Adventure team. The most unnerving part about noodling catfish is when you break a finger. You can go noodling for a wide variety of catfish, but the most common fish to catch with this method is the flathead catfish. It involves sticking your hand into a hole in the river bank where a catfish lives and waiting for the fish to bite. There is no law against catching Catfish in general, but hand-fishing does have its fair share of criticism and controversy. If you look for a bit, you will most likely find a momma catfish guarding her nest or a pappa taking care of those unhatched little ones. Also, youll probably want to be on the hunt for flathead catfish only, as the other types of fish have a real hard bite! While these complications are not too common, you should always go with a few friends so they can make sure youre safe. We recommend that you never go noodling alone. Yep, you heard us right noodling is only legal in 16 states! Louisiana's loaded with catfish from one end of the state to the other. You do have to be a little bit crazy and a whole lot of fun to get out there and fish for some crazy-huge catfish with your hands! We catch tons of catfish between one and ten pounds and trophy catfish are common all year long outside of the peak season for trophy cats. We know the sport as Noodling. No matter what you call it, the essentials are the same: dive into murky water, reach into a dark hole, try to get a catfish to attack you, grab it, and hold on with all youve got until you jerk it out of the water and hoist it over your head for a moment of sweet victory! Everyone put down the devices (except for cameras) and have some fun on the lake. Its worth the stretch if theres a lunker in there. Its especially easy to muster up courage when youre noodling because your noodling team will know for sure that there is a fish in the hole. When you are standing there looking down into the water and trying to take the plunge, your faithful friends will probably be yelling at you to go get the fish! Yep, you heard us right noodling is only legal in 16 states! Larger Catfish are known for putting up a fight, and they are even capable of breaking your bones. Get Bit Noodling Catfish Guide Service; GetBit Blog; Noodling Guide Tours; Recent Posts. While its good to be conscious of our roles in nature and care for the earth, (we take that very seriously) keep in mind that noodling has been going on for hundreds of years and the catfish are still thriving. Fishing Guide Rates (Prices) All prices include all fishing equipment, bait, tackle and fish cleaning. Click to reveal Canton Lake is located in Northwestern Oklahoma and once held the state record with a 34-pound channel catfish. Were including a list of the states that are currently a YES for Noodling. Youre probably thinking, Why would anyone want to do that?. In fact, you should probably check that out anyway because hillbilly handfishing is only legal in about 16 states! If youre worried about the safety of the catfish eggs, you shouldnt be too concerned. In order to catch the catfish you wade into the water to root around to find holes where a catfish is likely to be nesting. Catfish noodling is not for the faint of heart. We meet you at the lake on the day of your trip at the specified time and go out and catch catfish. When will he bite? Like when Iron Man restarted the jet turbine on the flying aircraft carrier. A bonus to that method is noodling is such a fun - and infinitely safer - sport to do as a team. When you toes dont reach the back of the hole, you may have found yourself a catfish den! Sounds familiar to us *wink*. Those tree branches are out to get you! Brad Durick Outdoors LLC is your choice for Guided Channel Cat FIshing on the Red River of the North. On rod and reel fishing trips for catfish, we follow the current pattern for blue catfish using rod and reel baited with fresh-caught shad, cut bait, or even prepared bait at times Most of these cats will average between two and ten pounds with some bigger ones mixed in! North Texas Catfish Guide Service | Fishing Charter. When reaching the surface, immediately call out the name of your closest friend and let him save your life, and your fish! So, here are a few noodlin tips that will keep you as safe as possible. Book a trip today. 1Source.basspro.com, Readers offer a variety of ideas about origins of noodling. Were North Texas Catfish Guide Service. Standing in the water, reaching into a muddy hole, waiting for a fish to try to eat your hand on purpose? Flathead catfish get big, they bite hard and they fight even harder, but the best action typically comes in the evening, at night or early in the morning. Again, we catch trophy class blue cats on our trips all year long but the cooler months are the time when they are much easier to pattern and we catch the biggest numbers of trophy class blue catfish on our catfish guide trips. Click here for a checklist of items to carry in your first aid kit. If you cant feel a fish or if your arm is too short to get to the back of the hole, you may have a hole big enough for a big one! Luckily for you, we are here to help! 2022 Catfish In-Sider Guide Buy A Copy. Adrenaline Rush Noodling is a guide service operated by Nate Williams and family. Now that you have the inside scoop on where to look for catfish here are a few bonus tips! This documentary by Bradley Beesley features interviews with hardcore handfishing veterans as well as footage of real noodlers in action. It all depends on weather, water temperature and which lake we feel will be the most productive that day and for your group and travel time. Dale's Guide Service. It gives you the opportunity to spend an afternoon with a group of buddies, laughing and living life, and then enjoy the spoils of your catch in the evening, fresh-caught and delicious. Drift fishing and jugging are the best ways to catch the reservoir's big channel cats as well as blue cats. This activity is legal in 16 states, which are mostly within the South and Midwest regions. If you want to experience some extreme fishing, try noodling! North Texas Catfish Guide Service offers guided catfishing trips to the following lakes that are all within a short drive from the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex.