Noodling

So I was reading something or other last night with the TV on in the background on mute. I usually don't do that. When I read, I like to read. No distractions. But I wasn't reading anything important and the Yankee game was on, or so I thought. I actually had the wrong channel on, so ESPN was going instead. Whatever.

I looked up at one point and I saw the strangest thing. A dude wrestling with a huge catfish in some lake or river. Took me all of 1 second to put down what I was reading and re-wind to the beginning of the segment to see what I was missing.

It's called noodling, by some. You go down into a river or lake and you root around underneath rocks and logs to find catfish and you wrestle them out of the water with your bare hands. Seriously. And other stuff lives in those nooks and crannies. Like poisonous snakes, alligators or beavers who will BITE YOUR FREAKING FACE OFF! And those aren't the only dangers.  A number of noodlers each year will drown during their battle with the big fish.  Or by having a piece of clothing snag on a rock or downed limb.

My favorite part of the feature was about Lee McFarlin's daughter.  A young woman who took up noodling when not very many women were.  She proved her mettle by catching a 52-pounder!  And her father talked about how his father (a great old character) thought that women shouldn't go noodling, but after her big catch he changed his mind.  "I didn't think she'd be that stupid" the old man laughed.  Ha!

I'm a little torn on this one.  Whenever I see or read about man killing animals for sport or food, I feel a twinge of guilt.  Then again...catfish tastes gooooood.  And I guess it's more sporting to go after that food with your bare hands than a rod and reel.  I can't imagine how difficult this must be.  I've caught a few catfish with a rod and reel and those bastards are fighters.  Catching them with your bare hands, at the sizes up to and over 100 pounds, must be insane!

Another thing is that noodling is illegal throughout much of the country.  There is some environmental concerns, but it also sounds like it might be just a bunch of politics.  I don't know.  Have to look into it a little more to be sure.

All of it's right here on the embedded video.  Enjoy!

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Note: Remember to play the Badgerdaddy Trivia Challenge every day. Wanna noodle with me?