Okie Noodling is a little documentary released in 2001. If you aren't familiar with the term "Noodling" it's basically catching fish with your hands. I enjoyed this documentary; It had a very Foxfire feel to it. Very "lost Art"-ish. If you get a chance to sit down and watch it, you should. I caught it on the documentary channel, and it was one of the few things Ive seen on TV that I think may have actually lowered my blood pressure. Most of my life has been spent in the city actively avoiding my rural relations. Now that I'm older, I really get a feel for some of the things I missed out on. Oh well, there's still a little time.
It's neat, but I've had friends do it, and NO WAY am I stickin my hands in a hole in the river bank...... snapping turtles!
I usually don't read the blogs. What time I have for the Monkey is usually limited so I stick to the main pages. But I saw this and had to comment. I have been "noodling" since I was a kid. It is a great sport. Once you overcome your initial squeemishness it is a blast. And if you learn from an experienced noodler. The only problem I had with the documentary was the idiot they featured in the beggining of it. The guy that was noodling in the brush piles and up inside the banks. Any experienced noodler knows that is STUPID! No wonder the idiot was accustomed to snake bites. You never noodle in brush piles or closer than 5 feet to the bank. There have been wannabe noodlers who have had their hands nearly bitten off by reaching up into a beaver dam. I have been doing it for over 20 years and have never touched anything but a fish. I try to make it to the annual contest in Pauls Valley every July. It is a great time and you get to see a lot of big fish. Last year I was there and kept hearing people talk about the lost art and the last of the breed. BS, there are a lot of noodlers out there. All my noodling buddies have taught there kids just like I did mine. If you go out on one of the rivers in my area in late June through the end of July you will see a lot of noodlers. So much so that a lot of my old holes are noodled out before I get to them some years. They just aren't the type to go to the contest and try to get on TV. I have wanted to enter the contest but because of the area I have access to I could not compete for largest fish with the guys that noodle the lakes. But I might have a chance at largest stringer. The fish in the river that we noodle rarely get over 50 pounds. Also the guys I fish with are purists. We only use our hands, no scuba gear or graff hooks. If you ever want to try it then PM me this summer and I'll take you. But be warned, It is addictive! When you get a hold of a 20 or 30 pound fish and it is just you and him, no hook to set, no line to break, just brute strength against brute strength, it is an adrenaline rush that you will want to experience again.
One of my Uncles use to reach up in snapping turtles holes and pull them out. I wanted him to teach me how to do it but he never did, my Dad did go with him once but never got anything.
