Lost Art of Fishing -
I'll be honest. I didn't have clue what noodling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noodling) was until I read about it online - and after about a dozen co-workers told me I had no business doing it if I ever wanted to use all ten fingers again. Last week I finally went noodling, barehanded fishing that is, at Lake Thunderbird.
We watched our noodling guides go at it first. Out came a 25 pound flathead catfish. That was followed by a smaller bluefish. They may be smaller, but I quickly learned they carry a much more powerful punch, and bite. Only the flatheads are keepers during noodling, but you really don't know what your pulling out from underneath that flat rock in shallow waters until you get your hand on it; or it gets it's teeth into you.
Case in point, after a failing to capture a flathead which I had my hand on at one point, we moved to the next rock of choice, cornered the fish in it's once sacred little home. As instructed, I put my entire arm inside the fish-formed tunnel. Before I could see or feel anything, IT decided to reach out to me instead. Bluefish hate arms being stuck inside their houses without an invitation. They let you know that by biting down as hard as they can. I didn't lose any digits, but I did lose a little skin off my right hand and some nerve to boot.
But how awesome is it that, even though the fishing pole was invented during the ancient times in Egypt, China, Greece and Rome, that the art of noodling is stll around? Too bad everyone's fingers aren't because of it.
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