Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking flathead catfish declining?

I had the pleasure to do a little noodling/grabbling when I lived in TN. The guys that invited me built hollow rock piles when the water was down in the winter and visit them when the cats were spawning. We'd wear heavy gloves and stick our hands in the entrance. If there was a fish in the hole it'd almost immediately hit your fingers....quite un-nerving to the inexperienced. Then you'd just have to keep messing with it till it finally latched onto your hand then wrestle it out.

We also used the stick/hook method, but we'd have the end of the stick split, and the hook was tied to heavy fishing line on a rod back in the boat. Once the fish was excavated, you pull the stick off and let the guy on the rod have him.

We never caught a flathead noodling, just CC and BC. A 20# BC with half your hand in his mouth is one heck of a rush!! Just unlucky on the flatheads on the trips I made, but I got some good stories to tell!

I wouldn't dare try noodling down here in the swamp....for obvious reasons.