Over the last few weeks. I have discussed catching catfish in Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee using standard rod and reel equipment. Those articles generated emails from readers of those columns asking about other ways to catch catfish like noodling and jugging. This week I will discuss noodling.

The majority of anglers are likely not familiar with noodling except what might have been seen on videos or programs on TV. Few anglers in Georgia can define noodling and even though noodling became legal in Georgia in 2006, I also bet very few anglers have attempted the art of noodling.

Noodling involves the taking of catfish without benefit of hook and line or boat. All that is required by the angler to noodle is his arm or leg and I’m not kidding. You can legally noodle for catfish in Georgia between March 1 and July 15 during any hours of the day or night.

Noodling is called by many different names but the practice dates back to the time of the Native Americans. Some of the other names given to this sport are grabbling and tickling.

Looking at some of the surrounding states, I found that the sport is legal in most of the local states including Kentucky (tickling), South Carolina (grabbling), Tennessee (grabbling) and Alabama (noodling).

To noodle, a person simply wades out into the water and sticks either his arm or leg into a promising catfish hole. The idea is that if a big old catfish is in that hole, maybe protecting its nest or a brood of young catfish that it will instinctively grab hold of the arm or leg and all the person has to do is pull the catfish out! Doesn’t that sound like great fun?

Noodling in Georgia gives you the right to legally catch catfish with your bear hands or your leg if you are so inclined to do such a thing. Now you may ask who on earth would want to reach up under a shoreline bank or log and feel for a big old catfish? There are some folks who are adventurous enough to try anything and I guess noodling qualifies as anything.

It is a very inexpensive way to catch a good mess of catfish but you do need a Georgia fishing license to engage in noodling. All you have to do is feel around with your hands and when you find the catfish is at home just thrust your hand or foot in his mouth, grab him by the throat and pull him out. Now that might sound real exciting to some folks but exciting is not the word I would use.

Noodling might sound simple at first but after considering this sport for about ten seconds, I came to a whole different conclusion. The definition of stupid is lacking in normal intelligence. I do not think someone engaging in noodling would be considered completely normal. I say that based on some of my own actual experiences I had as a young boy.

I went gigging for red horse suckers at night as a young boy with my daddy. We waded several creek and river banks and I saw so many snakes and snapping turtles that I swore that I would never do that again if I had a choice and if I was in my right mind.

Now where do you think those great big old snakes and snapping turtles that I saw while gigging like to hide? You guessed right, under the creek and riverbanks and around logs where the catfish also hide. The same place where these normal and intelligent folks are planning to noodle!

In addition to snakes, there are other creatures that use the undercut banks and logs as a sanctuary or hiding place. Maybe not a major concern here in middle Georgia but where I was born in south Alabama, alligators also liked those same locations.

I do not have any statistics on noodling injuries but I have seen photos of some noodling injuries that make me cringe. Now maybe there is some sport and fun to noodling but why would anybody in their right mind risk arm and limb when you can sit safely in a boat and catch those same fish with a rod and reel?

My IQ may not be real high but I do not think I will be engaging in noodling anytime soon. Now maybe I am wrong and there may be many anglers out their just chomping at the bit to wrestle a big old catfish out of some hole with their bear hand or leg. I think I will take a pass. Good noodling and see you next week.

Outdoor columnist Bobby Peoples can be contacted via e-mail at brpeoples@windstream.net.