In Nigeria, fishing is taken very seriously. Thousands participate in the annual Angunga Fishing Festival which has taken place since 1934. The 2008 winner was stripped of his title and thrown in jail after officials learned that he cheated by using a fish he had caught prior to the festival.
On the final day of the festival, a competition is held in which thousands of men and women line up along the river and at the sound of a gun shot, all of them jump into the river and have an hour to catch the largest fish. The winner can take home as much as 7,500 US dollars. Competitors are only allowed to use traditional fishing tools and many prefer to catch fish entirely by hand (a practice also popular elsewhere and known as “noodling” ) to demonstrate their prowess.
Okie Noodling is a film by Austin-based filmmaker Bradley Beesley about the art of “noodling” in the state of Oklahoma. For those who may not know, noodling can best be described as handfishing. You jump in the water and start feeling around with your hands and feet for holes, logs, and other structure that may hold catfish. When one bites down on your fingers or toes you’ve got it, and its got you. Grab on and rip that fish to the surface. Now, you can show off your fish and battlescars. The chicks will be all over you.
There’s nothing quite like the thrill of catching 60-pound catfish with your bare hands, and that’s just what Oklahoma fishermen have been doing for hundreds of years. Diving into creeks, rivers, and lakes in search of bank-dwelling catfish, the tradition of “noodling” originated as a Native American hunting practice, but has survived as a rural sport with a unique and colorful subculture. OKIE NOODLING is a one-hour documentary which catches the excitement and sense of community that has hooked three Oklahoma families on handfishing.
Cabelas has a great field guide article on the tactics of catfish noodling and what its like to be a “Noodler”.
Well, granted, you have to be two McNuggets short of a Happy Meal to try this stuff, but for the sake of journalistic integrity, I felt it was my duty to participate–at least once–so I could write a realistic account. And so, one day I found myself taking a deep breath, diving underwater in a lake and reaching into a dark hole while several noodling enthusiasts cheered me on topside. A catfish was home. And when I realized it was indeed a catfish–not some critter that might bite off my fingers–I was, at least initially, happy.
Yesterday I went fishing again with Fishermen’s Fleet I didn’t have a partner so I was randomly setup with another guy who was alone. My partner ended up being Mike, pictured holding the two massive tuna (click the image to enlarge), not the same Mike in the featured article below. Anyway, Mike was only here [...]
Cabelas has a great field guide article on the tactics of 
