“Noodling”, a weird sport which sees participants using their arms as bait to catch large catfish has become an internet hit.
So called “Noodlers” stick their arms in riverbed holes and when they have a “bite” they then wrestle the fish to the surface.
The catfish which can weigh up to 27 kg can cause serious injury with their sharp teeth. Some noodlers end up with their arms cut to ribbons and some have been killed leading to the sport being banned in some areas.
Jason Cook, from the angling website fishingloft.com, said: “Catfish noodling is considered to be dangerous. People have drowned, lost fingers and many suffer deep lacerations entangling with these beasts.”
But US Noodling enthusiast Tim Jones shrugged off the danger telling the Daily Mail: “Most noodling takes place in shallow water.
“If the water is over your head, it can be difficult or even impossible to wrestle a fish to the surface.
“Noodlers search for likely catfish hideouts inside submerged logs, fallen trees, under rocks or in holes in banks in creeks or rivers….’Once you locate a promising spot, you’ll want to barricade any possible escape routes, using rocks, old logs or your noodling buddies.
The sport originally became popular in the 1990s in the sourthern-most states of the US but has since become a worldwide phenomenon via videos posted on the web.
Personally, we can think of better ways to entertain ourselves.
