Stick your hand in a hole under the water and hope something big bites down on it, you say? Sounds a little far fetched? Well, there are a group of fishermen who do just that, and often come up with some big fish for their effort. Tales of fingers bitten off by snapping turtles, snake bites, giant catfish inflicting hurt, and sometimes death by drowning are not enough to stop those adrenaline junkies who pursue this strange kind of recreation.
This is a mis-understood sport, and at times, it is illegal, too. It depends on when and where. According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission handbook of Fishing Rules and Regulations, hogging and noodling are defined as "grabbing fish by hand and only rough fish and catfish may be taken for personal use by this method. Open season is August 1 through October 31, north and west of U.S. Highway 67; June 1 through October 31, south and east of Highway 67 and the Arkansas River; and May 1 through July 15 between the main levees of the Mississippi River." It appears that a person wishing to engage in this activity needs to invest in a good map and a calendar as well as having nerves of steel and the right equipment.
Another assumed fishing method which is illegal and often confused as noodling or hogging is gaffing. According to the AGFC Fishing Regulations Book, gaffing is defined as "taking or attempting to take fish with a hand held hook. Gaffing is not allowed unless the fish is caught on a hook and line first (or bow and arrow)." Though, I have known a lot of fishermen who participate in noodling and grabbing fish, I have never seen a "gaff hook" as such in this part of the world. A gaff hook, as you might find on a salt water fishing vessel is a big hook permanently attached to a long handle and used primarily to help land a large fish that has been brought to the boats side by a rod and reel or other method first, and which is legal in Arkansas as an aid to landing a fish.
I have a friend who is also an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Wildlife Officer (normally called Game Wardens by the general public). This friend told me one day that what he really wanted to do was to "catch someone gaffing a big catfish". As the story goes, he had his opportunity to find a certain person whom had a very big catfish in his possession, and there was little doubt that this person had caught the giant fish from under a set of falls on a local river. A citation was written to the fisherman, a court date set, and an appearance by the warden and the fisherman in front of a local judge. When presented with the opportunity to plead his case, the fisherman presented a rather big hook in the 8/0 range, a red piece of cloth, and a short length of heavy braided nylon line.
The fisherman then approached the judge and asked "Your Honor, is it legal to catch a fish on an artificial bait in Arkansas?"
The judge answered "Yes, Sir, it is legal to use artificial bait in our state."
"Well, Your Honor, here's my hook and this here piece of red rag is my artificial bait that ole catfish hit when I put it in front of him, so if it is legal to catch a fish on artificial bait, I am not guilty of anything wrong".
The judge dismissed the charges against the fisherman, much to the dismay of the Wildlife Officer. This has not always been the case when this situation has been addressed (and of course, I am not giving you legal advice on your fishing activities).
In noodling/grabbling you can use a hook and a line, but the line has to be four feet or shorter, as I understand the regulation book, but you can just use your hands if you want. It is common knowledge that a big catfish is defensive of their resting places in holes, logs, beds, etc, and they most often will attack any intruder that dares enter their lair. This is exactly what a noodler wants a fish to do. "Bite me, bite me hard, so I can get a good hold and wrestle you out of that hole!" This sport is not for the faint of heart and the weak of back as a giant catfish is a very powerful critter, not to mention that they have teeth. Not teeth like a walleye or gar, but stiff, bristle like spines on their gums. The blue cat has longer teeth than a flathead and they also have stronger jaws to go along with an aggressive attitude which can spell disaster (or at least some pain) to someone who has just stuck their hand in front of them. As for me, I'm going to stick to the rod and reel, trotline, jugs and limblines, but if you are in the notion to go one-on-one in hand-to-hand combat with an unseen assailant, be sure to check the current regulations, read your map and have at it. The only other thing that you might need is a lot of nerve and a buddy that can swim good should you get a hold of one of the giant cats that have helped Arkansas gain the reputation of being a place to catch a world class fish.
reprinted by permission Paxton Media Group
