Fishing for Catfish the HARD way...

[Mrs.Finsallaround]

Check this out... :shock:

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f97/Tggr514/th_catfishingthehardway.jpg (http://s45.photobucket.com/albums/f97/Tggr514/?action=view&current=catfishingthehardway.flv)

[Scott V]

Nope just for the fact I have watched programs on noodling and they talk about the many times they stick their hands in holes only to find snapping turtles and snakes.

[davkrat]

My grandpa grew up in Illinois durring the depression. He used to tell us about "noodlers". He said you could tell right away as they were often missing several fingers. He said they often would pull their hands out of a hole with a water moccasin attached and would lop the finger off. Maybe he was just trying to scare little boys but I don't have any desire to shove my hand in any holes just for a stupid catfish.

[Ed Wahl]

I've seen snapping turtles in the Kankakee river in Illinois when I was a kid that discouraged this sort of thing.
These guys have built boxes and sunk them for the catfish to nest in. Yanking out the adult leaves the eggs and babies vulnerable to predation. Seems to me to be a good way to lower your lakes catfish population. Somehow I don't think they really care about that though. Ed