Posted by Guts on 06/12/09 - 1:35 PM
#1
Question: I saw a story on a morning news show this week talking about
“noodling for catfish” in Oklahoma. This reminded me of when I lived
in South Carolina where it was legal to "noodle." I know it sounds crazy
but it is a lot of fun. I would like to try it again but cannot find
anything in the California fish and game laws covering this. I do not
want to be in violation if it is illegal. Any information you could
provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. (S. Freeman,
Riverside)
Answer: Good question. I have both good news and bad news on this one
for you.
First the bad news ... despite how much fun it probably is, noodling
for catfish is not legal in California because catfish (and nearly every
California fish in inland waters) may only be legally taken through
angling. That means: "To take fish by hook and line with the line held
in the hand, or with the line attached to a pole or rod held in the hand
or closely attended in such manner that the fish voluntarily takes the
bait or lure in its mouth" (CCR Title 14, Section 1.05).
The following are the only exceptions allowing for freshwater fish to
be taken by hand: 1) bait fish, 2) lamprey, 3) crayfish, 4) live carp in
the Colorado River District that will be used for bait, and 5) suckers,
but the exceptions only apply to you if you’re a registered member of
the Pit River Indian Tribe in Shasta County.
Now for the good news ... you get to keep your fingers!
What is Noodling? “Noodling” is a type of hand fishing for catfish
that is legally practiced in rivers, lakes or ponds in a handful of
southeastern states. Noodling is when a person wades or swims into water
at least chest deep and inserts a hand down into holes under mud banks,
rocks, or inside of hollow logs. Then, using bare hands as bait, the
noodler wiggles their fingers in the hole in hopes that they find what
they’re looking for. If the noodler is lucky, a monster catfish will
strike and attempt to swallow their hand. The noodler then must pull the
fish out onto land or onto a waiting boat without being pulled under
water.
Such fish are most aggressive during the nesting season when the males
will chase the females off their nests, and then take over. The males
then lurk protectively over the nests, guarding them intensely while
waiting for their brood to hatch.
In the states where noodling is common, catfish can weigh more than 100
pounds, making this a very dangerous sport. People in pursuit of these
enormous whiskered fish have drowned trying to land them, or have lost
fingers or been badly bitten when they’ve tangled with snapping
turtles or snakes encountered in the murky waters by mistake.
By the way, there are goliath-sized catfish in our state, too - you
just have to use a hook and line to catch them. The largest California
state record blue catfish was taken by an angler from San Diego in July
2008. The fish weighed in at more than 113 lbs.!
(Photo of an angler with a large channel catfish available at
www.dfg.ca.gov/QandA/2009/20090611.asp)