2011 St. Jude Auction - CATFISH NOODLIN' TRIP - The story

[Bel007]

2011 St. Jude Auction - CATFISH NOODLIN' TRIP

Noodling (Noodlin' or Hogging) - the act of hand fishing. No hooks. No strings. Just you, your hands,and the fish.

Yesterday I experienced Catfish noodlin' (I should say, MONSTER catfish noodlin') with Dixie Noodling.  It was the trip I surprisingly won in last year's St. Jude's auction.  In all honesty, I never expected my winning bid last year to actually WIN the auction.  I was just trying to bump it up a bit to get some more money for the kids.  Imagine my shock when nobody outbid me.  But noodling had always been on my bucket list and I think this was just the nudge I needed to check it off the list.

The trip was for two people to spend a day with Eric Almy (Spurhunter) with Dixie Noodling on the lake grabbing big ol’ catfish outta their holes and wrestling them up to shore.  Sounds easy, right?  I just needed to find someone crazy enough to go with me.  I called up my buddy Steve from Kokomo IN, whom I have known for nearly 18 years, and said “Hey, let’s go noodling”.  After explaining exactly what that was, and convincing him I was not insane or intoxicated, Steve finally agreed to be my wingman on an adventure of a lifetime.

Eric and I set a date for spring of 2012.  The catfish are in holes spawning from late May thru early July.  That is how we find them.  Eric knows where the holes are that hold the catfish, and he knows which holes most likely have some smaller “starter” fish and which holes usually have the MONSTERS.  

We met Eric and his son Hunter at the boat ramp early in the morning before the fog burned off the lake.  It really added a bit of an eerie sense of mystery as we pulled out into the misty lake to reach into unseen holes for who knows what might be lurking in them.

Eric gave us the low down on where we were going and what we were going to do when we got there.  He explained that since this was new to both of us, if we wanted (heck yes), we could start off prodding holes that usually contained only smaller fish.  Smaller fish meant 8 to 15 pounds by the way.  When we got to the quiet cove that contained the first holes on Eric’s list ( which is locked away in the recesses of Eric’s diabolical mind) I quickly volunteered Steve up to be the guinea pig (read first victim).  After all, he was my guest on the trip and any good host would let their guest go first.  Right?

[Bel007]

HOLE #1

Eric guided Steve into the water which still had a bit of a nip to it this early in the year.  The cool morning made the water seem even cooler and less “refreshing”.  But once the boys were submerged (yes, you know what I’m talking about) Steve and Eric made their way toward the hole.  Eric cleared a bit of debris that had conveniently camouflaged the hole from others.  Gloves were snugged  up tight.  Final instructions were given.  And courage was roused up.  

Steve started reaching into the hole.  After quickly exploring the first few inches of the hole Eric encouraged Steve to “get down in there” with his whole arm.  I guess Steve thought that meant up to his elbow because Eric kept saying “a little deeper”, “a little further”.  Finally Steve got down in there far enough and the fish said hello.  Steve’s eye widened, part fright, part adrenaline rush, and Steve was wrestling up a fish.  

As Steve got the fish out of the hole and started standing the battle commenced.  The fish thrashed wildly as it’s tail broke free of the hole and Steve’s arms jerked around like noodles (hmmm).  As the fish neared the surface , I tried to stay something encouraging to Steve but my lower jaw was still resting on the deck of the boat.

The fish flopped, Steve flipped, and the white bellied monster was away.

[Bel007]

HOLE #2

After getting Steve back on the boat we were off to another prime area.  Eric glided the boat into an area between two private boat docks and anchored.  He and I slipped into the water.  It was my turn to learn first hand what grabbing a fish felt like.  We found the first nesting hole and we went over the instructions again.  I felt the hole with my feet, knew its location, and all I had to do was go down there and grab that old catfish outta that hole.  I got ready and took a deep breath.  I took another breath.  I asked Eric another question or two.  I got ready and took another  deeper breath.  Wait, wait, I wasn’t quite ready yet.  I had to ask again... "what was I supposed to do"?  Steve hollered  for me to quit stalling and get down there and grab me a fish.  

OK, maybe I was stalling.  Maybe I just wanted to make sure I was not dreaming, hoping the frigid water would help me wake up again, back in my bed, at home, toasty warm and safe.  No, I was stalling!  OK, a couple more deep breaths and false starts and I was almost ready.  The first time is always the scariest, right?

Down I went and into the hole my arm shot.  I waved my hand around in there partly hoping something would grab hold of it, partly hoping it wouldn’t.  Nothing!  Back up to the surface. I told Eric no one was home and hoped we could get back on the boat.  I tried right?  Eric took a dive down with his mean old stick and came back up and said “Oh, ya, it’s in there and I just made it angry”.    “GREAT!!!”  I thought.

I mean that was good news, right?  There was for sure a fish in there.  The expert just confirmed it.  And he riled it up.  Fantastic.  Now it is gonna bite me for sure.  Super DEE Duper!

A couple more tries at filling my lungs with air and down I went again.  This time I felt it.  Like the side of it as it moved to the far side of the hole.  The slimy, slick, side of the behemoth.  It was there and it was awake.  I was intruding on it’s home and it was repositioning to strike at the intruder.

Down again.  I felt its head.  The nose.  Fingers now found themselves in its mouth.  “Grab hold of the lower jaw” I remembered.  Got it.  Now let’s go up.  As its tail cleared the hole I rose to the water’s surface and my arm flung around like it was caught in a fan motor.  I saw Eric.  I still had hold of the fish with my right hand, and only my right hand.  I began to pull it to the surface and got it into the morning air.  Then somehow my hand and then arm and then body and then feet were flung backwards as I splashed one way and the fish splashed the other way.

Noodling 101 - First lesson. Grab the fish with both hands around its lower jaw.

We tried another spot at this location.  I managed to find a little fish in the next hole but as it tried to get out of the hole all I could do was grab it with both hands behind the head and try to squeeze hard as I lifted it up and out of the water.  The fish made a perfect arch as it squirted out of my grasp through the air then back into the murky lake.

Noodling 101 - Second lesson.  You can’t hold onto a catfish with both hands around its “neck”.  See 1st lesson.

I was 0 for 2 and we were 0 for three on the boat.

I was ready to climb back onto the boat once again with my ego deflated but still having 10 digits attached to my hands.  As I turned to the boat and Eric moved further away he ask, “where ya going ?  There are more holes here”.  GREAT !

We found the next catfish lair.  A fair bit deeper and under a labyrinth of tree branches that touched the water.  I crawled through the tangle to meet up with Eric who was already at the hole.  Down I went.  FISH ON.  It grabbed my hand.  I grabbed its jaw.  I pulled it to the opening of the hole but NO FURTHER.  Before taking the fish out of the hole I forced my second hand into its mouth and grabbed a second hold on its jaw.  Now we were ready to come up.  The struggle was less intense.  I held it secure with two hands so it could not shake my as viciously as the first one had.  We made it up to the surface.  Once out of the water it lost its ability to propel itself with that mighty tail in the water but not to wiggle and shake.  Eric got us back onto the boat for some hero shots.

This fish 10lbs.  Biggest freshwater fish I had ever caught.  I was pretty proud of myself.  I had done it.  We landed a fish onto the boat.  The day was a success.

Little did I know what Eric had in store for us next....


   


   

[Bel007]

HOLE #3

Steve was up first at the 3rd stop of our trip, a quiet area on the lake that offered up promised of bigger fish and tougher battles.  Steve and Eric wasted no time locating the catfish’s hiding hole and it took even less time for Steve to make contact.  The fish was reluctant to grab hold of Steve’s hand but with Eric encouraging the fish (read making the fish angry) Steve managed to bring out a nice one.  We both had learned our lessons.  Two hands.  Firm grasp of the lower jaw.  Bring it out of the hole only when you are ready for battle.

Steve had a bit of a tumble on the way up to shore, adding to his legs even more evidence of the bangs, bruises , scrapes, and scars that one collects on a day of noodling.  

Eric shouted for me to come over to the hole immediately as Steve’s fish was not the only inhabitant of this secret place.  Reaching in I quickly snatched hold of my second fish and followed Steve’s path up to shore, watching out for the tripping rock that caught Steve unaware.

Steve’s fish was bigger, noticeably bigger.  While my fish was 5 pounds heavier than my last at 15lb, Steve’s first fish topped the scale at 22lb.  Game on.  I had two fish to Steve’s one fish.  My two totaled 25# but his 22 pounder was still top dog for the day.

Come on Eric.. let’s find a BIGGER fish.  This noodlin’ is a blast!

   

   

[Roger Norris]

Dang....none for me. Thats scary stuff right there....

[Burnsie]

[Bel007]

Hole #4

This hole was not far from #3.  Eric said we were now in the area of some bigger fish.  We might just be able to find one bigger than Steve’s 22lb hog.  Put me in coach.  That was all I needed to hear.  I don’t remember how we decided it was my turn for this hole.  Maybe since the last hole was Steve’s and I just cleaned up the leftovers, or maybe it was the fact I jumped in the water first when Eric said “bigger fish“.  

But anyway, I was in there arm deep  next to Eric before Steve even realized the boat had stopped.  My first exploration of the hole yielded no contact.  Eric felt sure this hole would hold a fish so we went under together for him to encourage fish from the back of the hole to the front of the hole where I was waiting for them.  

Eric and Hunter had described to us earlier in the morning how you can HEAR the fish smack their jaws together when trying to bite at whatever is poking around in their holes.  And yes, we heard it on a couple of the fish earlier.  And yes, I though it was pretty cool.  Even from the surface, you can hear it like distant thunder.

But on this fish, in the hole, when Eric woke it up with his prodding stick and it came to the front of the hole to find me grabbing at it, it starting banging and smacking and thrashing and attacking in a way that I can only describe as primeval.  It was basic, raw, violent, and terrifying.  This fish was ferocious.  Eric and I came up to the surface, eyes widened and mouths agape.  We laughed and high-fived each other and knew that we both had just shared a primal experience with that catfish encounter that has left me changed.  I can’t think of any experience I have ever had that put me more in touch with the feeling of one animal attacking another  with such intensity and ferocity that death and survival were certainly at stake.  I am still not sure who was attacking and who was being attacked in that encounter, but I will be forever changed as a result of it.

While it took a few moments to stop laughing and shaking we wasted no time in going back in for this brute.  On the second trip below the surface this fish was waiting and pounced again.  As my hand was immediately engulfed in its mouth I managed to pull it back and out enough to grab the lower jaw.  My second hand left its holding on the mouth of the hole to find its place next to my first in the mouth of the fish.  Both were holding firm.  Time to dance....


This 28 pound catfish fought a good fight.  But in the end it was dragged to the shore to get its picture taken.  


 

[wooddamon1]

 Awesome!

[tradbower]

   

[DW]

AWESOME Story Telling Brian!!!!!

[Bel007]

Hole #5

The day was well underway and the sun had climbed high into the sky and somehow hours had burned away in our pursuit of the MONSTER catfish.  Eric pointed the boat to a far off shore quite a ways further down the lake.  Eric said we were now ready to go after the “BIG” fish.

        :eek:        

Big fish?   What the heck?                  

Now I started shaking again.  When he said “big fish” I thought back to the battle I had with that last fish.  My mind started drifting off into movie quotes “there be dragons” and  “release the kraken” came to the front of my brain.  My pulse quickened and my throat tightened and it became hard to swallow.

I looked over at my buddy Steve. One of my best friends.  My oldest ally.  My wingman on numerous crazy road trips and late night beer runs.  He was asleep!  Napping!  He had not hear anything Eric had just said.  He had no idea what demon cats waited for us on the approaching shore.

“Steve’s turn !!” I announced as Eric slowed the motor and drifted into shore.

And they were off.  I wished him well.  I tried to remember his wife’s phone number just in case I had to make THAT call.  I lit another cigar.  I tried to find a good perch from which to watch the show.

The hole was near the surface of the lake in a shallow area.  Steve and Eric laid down in the lake to explore the hole but were still able to keep their heads above the tide.  

Steve and Eric worked the hole together, Steve trying to find a fish and Eric stirring the pot and blocking the opening.  Eric had visitors at the front door but somehow Steve couldn’t find them.  Steve’s reach went further into the hole, searching top to bottom, left to right.  Nothing.  Eric kept insisting the cat was “RIGHT HERE, Right at the front of the hole”.  Still Steve made no contact.  Then it hit.  The cat found Steve’s arm, near his elbow, and tried to take a chuck out of it.  Now Steve knew the cat was home.  After making sure flaps of skin were not dangling from his forearm, he went back in.

The water shook sending vibrations and mud up and out of the hole like a boat motor had just been turned on.  Steve’s right arm went deeper into the hole.  Eric said “I think he’s got him”.  I was not sure if he meant Steve had the fish or the fish had Steve.  But it was clear the two were connected and the struggle had commenced.

Steve managed to get his left arm down into the hole and I could see he had the double grip.  Time to start pulling and standing.  Steve found his feet.  The water splashed and waves kicked up from the battleground.  A head, a huge knot of bone and whiskers, made its way out of the water.  The lake lowered.  A neck (if fish were to have such things) rose next, followed by a body.  It kept coming out of the water, more and more, longer and longer.  I though, holy crap, this fish is never gonna end.  A tail.  There it was.  The end of the fish.  He had done it.  Now get it to shore.  Move your feet Steve.  Keep your balance.  You can do it....

How about a 48 pound MONSTER CATFISH folks....


       

       

[Bel007]

Eric stayed in the water while Steve made his way to shore.  Eric was still blocking the hole.  Why?  What in the world could possibly be in that hole that just offered up that monster.  Eric called me over.  “Brian, I think there is another one in here”.  Crap.  I hadn’t finished my stogie!  Oh well, it would keep.

I assumed the position Steve had just vacated.  Darn if there was not another one in there.  In quick order I latched on, and so did it.  Second hand in its jaw.  Out of the water and up to the shore.   Two dandies.  Side by side on the bank of the monster hole.

My fish moved the scale to the 28 pound mark again.

 

So I had a 10 pound, a 15 pound, and two 28 pound flatheads and Steve wrangled a 22 pounder and “catzilla” forcing 48 marks to disappear on that scale.

That is 151 pounds of bone, muscle, and pure heat pumping straight-into-your-jugular adrenaline.

A million thanks to Eric and Hunter for what was truly a lifetime memory.  A day for two buddies to reconnect and re-forge their friendship.  A chance for two bucket lists to become shorter.  An adventure comprised of meeting fear and challenge head-on and triumphing.  

Like I said earlier, I had not ever dreamed of winning this trip in last year’s auction.  Today I feel like a different man, changed, less burdened.  I am anxious to take other friends and family on an adventure with Eric next year and we are already making plans.

Dixie Noodling has generously offered another trip for the 2013 season on the St Jude’s Auction that starts soon.  I won’t be bidding on this trip this year.  Not because I don’t want to win it, but because I want one of you to have the experience Steve and I shared yesterday.

I can’t tell you how much you should bid on this trip, but I can assure you it will be an experience that will change you, that will awaken a part of you that you have likely never known.  I can promise no bid is too high for the value of the experience we had yesterday.  Grab some buds, bid on this trip, share the costs.  Eric can handle groups.  See the details of the auction.  You will NOT regret it one single bit... except maybe at the moment before you go under water for the first time... chasing monster catfish.


 

 

 

[Guru]

Good stuff right there!!  Great story Brian      

[2treks]

Brian, Tha was funny as funny gets. Great story telling and what a great time you two had.
I was laughing so hard, Thanks.

CTT
p.s. ARE YOU CRAZY?

[SheltonCreeker]

Great story! Thanks for sharing. I believe I will stick to rod and reel. But did seem like alot of fun. Good luck in Manitoba. Mike said you were heading up shortly.

[owlbait]

Boy that is a couple of big uglies there! Of course, I meant the fish!! That is exactly why we shoot those bullheads, any bigger and you may have a monster eatin' children in the lake. Looks like you had a great time, and a great adventure to share with a pal.  

[glass76]

Great stuff Brian, I was smilin the whole story.          

[6feathers]

Brian that is a great story, awesome fish and awesome experiencce.  Thanks for not telling any stories about some of the experiences with a fellow that thought he need a racoons pelt.

awsome adventure, and great storytellin.  

[Bel007]

Thanks guys

Gary- Don't worry, I think the statute of limitations is up on the 'coon pelt story.  'Cept of course b/w you and me after a couple bourbons    

David - Thanks.  Yep, I leave for Stickflingers on Friday.  

Folks, this trip is probably one of the most overlooked item offered on the auction.  It was a Bang On good time and having done it once, I'd have no reservation about doing it again.

Bid on this trip.. you won't regret it.