# Noodling?



## Shrimptail_Hunter (Dec 20, 2008)

I have been wanting to go out and do some catfish noodling since they have passed the law that made it legal. Has anyone here hand fished before? Does anyone here do this for a living I would like to go with someone who knows what they are doing.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

I did it a lot in Oklahoma in the early 1990's It was fun. We targeted flat heads in Lake Reno just west of OK City. That lake has a rip rapped levee about 1/4 mile long. Lots of big spawning flat heads in the holes around those big rocks.
I think you would find the same situation on the LL state park break water. I am not sure if you can legally be on the main dam rip rap since they have a boat exclusion zone.
Areas in the creeks and river banks would be good noodling.
But there is one huge difference in noodling in OK and here in East Texas. Oklahoma does not have cotton mouth snakes or alligators.
Not to be an alarmist but I have seen three papa gators last year that would not hesitate to take on a noodler if he was busy searching a hole as the gator eased up behind him.
Cotton mouth will not normally bite under water because they are not real diving snakes. They just lay on limbs and logs along the creek banks await a misplaced hand.
Hope you find a partner. There should be some real virgin noodling grounds in our East Texas streams.


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## rubberducky (Mar 19, 2010)

I will go with you if you ever want to go on lake Livingston!!! I have never done it before but am willing to try 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk because Reeltime told me to


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## markbrumbaugh (Jul 13, 2010)

I'd be more afraid of big snapping turtles than anything else. No thanks.


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## rocket34 (Jul 7, 2009)

x2 on turtles.


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## Garagedoorguy (Mar 9, 2011)

Ive caught a few 3 1/2 to 4' turtles def put the hurt on a hand.


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## markbrumbaugh (Jul 13, 2010)

See there...I'm not a dumb as you all thought. My Grandpa used to noodle in Kansas back in the depression days. He recommended I not ever do that. And when HE was doing it, snappers were regularly 2 feet across. But he died of lung cancer....so I suppose it was a reasonable risk for him. 
That man could smell crappie, running across an unknown lake at 20 knots. He'd holler...STOP...back up...and we'd catch crappie until our arms hurt. No Lowrance, no GPS, no lake map, no nothing. Had a bit of Irish and ***** in there. RIP Fields. About 200 or so people owe their love of fishing and boats to this gentleman.


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## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

If you've ever battled a Cottonmouth on land, I'm sure they would have the advantage, in the water!


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## Gator gar (Sep 21, 2007)

I ain't doing it, but I'll hold your feet if you want to reach in a hole from the boat.


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## Yort69 (Jan 31, 2011)

You have got to have some serious size balls to be noodling for anything around here. These guys can sure bite underwater as i had one about 1 1/2 ' in diameter attack a Crappie on my stringer just Saturday and watched him snapping at my Gasper Goo under the water as i was pulling my stringer out of the water. They are slick and very aggressive. The damage to that crappie in the pic was done faster than i could lay my rod down and get the stringer out of the water so imagine what he could do to your hand! He kept after my fish and had no fear of me at all even after swatting him with my fishing rod several times.
These guys are crazy....


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## Shrimptail_Hunter (Dec 20, 2008)

I figured the turtles and snakes were bad here, that's why I probably wouldn't do it in shallow waters. 

I free dive so I would do it in safer water as far as snakes are concerned but the turtles are still a threat.


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## big-john (Jan 6, 2011)

I plan on trying this summer. Me and two friends discreetly set up about a dozen hollow waterlogged logs so there would be large holes when the water came back on Conroe, that are now in about 10-12' of water.We also tried to take notice of what would be the natural holes in the general area...

I'll probably will only do it a few times ,just to say I have... I have to try it at least once.


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## dang_ol (Jul 14, 2008)

i used to do it alot in louisiana, snakes are not that bad lol, i have had two come out on me, tell you what, both times i think i got up on top of the water running. if the hole is under water and i has no way to get air there is no worry about turtles snakes, beavers, or nutria.


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## tatchley (Feb 3, 2011)

Y'all have fun noodling, but no thanks. If you see me in the water, it means I fell out of the boat.


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## Lone Eagle (Aug 20, 2009)

Sunbeam, while I agree with you on Cotton mouths; (quote) "Cotton mouth will not normally bite under water because they are not real diving snakes"........I have a Late Uncle that was bit by a cotton mouth in a bayou in Louisiana that empied into the Calcasieu River back in 1961 underwater while we were "Noodling" catfish. I killed the snake ( killed it with my brothers's .410 shotgun after the cotton mouth came up and crawled up on a log about 25 to 30 feet from where it bit my uncle). We took him and the cotton mouth 20 miles back to Lake Charles...he did survive. Back then that river as well as the bayou was controlled by the tidal systems from the Gulf on Mexico....


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## Yort69 (Jan 31, 2011)

Cottonmouths will and can bite under the water and if you ever get near a nest of theirs while they are mating or have babies nearby they will have no problem with coming after you relentlessly. Snapping turtles burry themselves in the mud under the water all the time. They leave a hole "noodling hole" for their heads and neck where they can stretch out and get air when they want. To many times Ive seen guys noodling in water that is the perfect depth for a big snapper sticking their hands and legs in holes in shallow water is crazy down here in this environment.....If its what makes you happy then do it. I will stick with my fishing pole thank you very much....


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## dan_wrider (Jun 21, 2011)

Well, I did want to try it.....


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## waterspout (May 21, 2004)

maybe go do it in the guadalupe river or comal.. no way in these east texas lakes or rivers. I had a gator try to get in my boat on lake houston. no thanks


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

waterspout said:


> maybe go do it in the guadalupe river or comal.. no way in these east texas lakes or rivers. I had a gator try to get in my boat on lake houston. no thanks


You need to quit worring about fishing and go clean up your duck camp.


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## Gofish2day (May 9, 2006)

Shrimptail! I will take all the snapping turtles you catch  I'll even volunteer to cook up a pot of em at the next fish fry if you can get em. A crab trap with the holes cut larger will catch the you know what out of em!

Back in Louisiana we called then Cowan turtles.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Shrimptai_Hhunter, go get em and post us a report, with video if possible.
Did you see the snapper gcouville caught crappie fishing?

My dad and I used to seine trotline bait and once we caught a huge alligator snapping turtle in a small bayou, big as a wash tub, dad wrestled into the bed of the pickup while it was wrapped up in the net and said watch this. He unrolled it from the net, and took a mop with a wood handle and poked at it. 
The thing was fast as a rattlesnake and snapped the wood handle into so fast you could not see it happen.


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## Boomhauer75 (Jan 3, 2010)

Gofish2day said:


> Shrimptail! I will take all the snapping turtles you catch  I'll even volunteer to cook up a pot of em at the next fish fry if you can get em. A crab trap with the holes cut larger will catch the you know what out of em!
> 
> Back in Louisiana we called then Cowan turtles.


You know Karl I was not surprised to see you post up on this subject. You **** Arses will eat anything! LOL

For the record I ain't sticking my hand in no hole around these parts. I hate snakes!


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## BigNate523 (May 19, 2010)

yea i think i will just stick to catching them while i bass fish lol i have done enough to my hands dont need any turtle or gator help lol


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## Kickapoo Duke (May 15, 2010)

Shrimptail_Hunter, come to the fish fry and I'll point out some holes around my bulkhead for you to try. Course I never seen nuttin but snakes going in there but they was just ol Texas watersnakes (I think)


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## Yort69 (Jan 31, 2011)

Here's some of them swamp size snappers we have here in southeast texas and Louisiana . The 100+ pounder has your name on it Shrimptail


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## Gator gar (Sep 21, 2007)

Man that is awesome that those guys save those turtles. I wish I could buy then some beer or something they really like.


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## Shrimptail_Hunter (Dec 20, 2008)

Im down for an alligator snapper the turtles that scare me are the man hole cover sized soft shells they could hit me from any direction at least the alligator snappers only bite if you put your hand in there face. I use to do a lot of ditch fishing in my younger days and was always fascinated with turtles and have been bit by my fare share but never by an alligator snapper I know they will brake bones. Soft shells scare me the most though. That was the first turtle that I ever got bit by because I didn't know they could reach back almost to there tail and I had a hand on the top of the shell and a hand on the bottom and it reached back and bit one of my fingers on the top side of its shell.


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## big-john (Jan 6, 2011)

Thats a really cool video that I really wish I hadn't watched..lol


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## Texican89 (Oct 27, 2009)

Ill go give me a heads up.


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## big-john (Jan 6, 2011)

Noodling will be good money for the guides that learn the locations of the best fish holding holes.You can easily fit five noodlers in a boat that would only be comfortable for two people to fish out of and equipment needs are minimal .I think SS should get a long sharp stick sutable for poking ,anchor up where you know there are some decent holes and then explain to your son what his new job is..lol..with the sharp stick in hand of course .:slimer:


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

I am not that much of an adrenaline junkie. I pass.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

I was explaining noodling to the Filipino. She said y'all are crazy. Try these.

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/pasta/asian-noodles/


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