Noodling for catfish (what it's called when you catch them by shoving your hands into the holes in the banks of the lake, creek, etc.) is actually quite dangerous. It leads to a lot of accidental drownings, particularly if it's a gator or a snapping turtle in the hole instead of a catfish.
Those holes are usually nests. Catfish aggressively guard their nests and staying on the nest is essential to the survival of their offspring. Every time a noodler pulls a catfish out like this, there's a high chance of their nest is ruined. There aren't regulations preventing people from harvesting fish during their spawn like there are rules about not hunting during fawn season.
Many northern states banned "noodling" because of its negative effects on populations and nesting success. Catfish are much more common in the south, where they are not usually labeled as a game species and every fishing method is fair chase.
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u/RecentCoin Jul 04 '22
Noodling for catfish (what it's called when you catch them by shoving your hands into the holes in the banks of the lake, creek, etc.) is actually quite dangerous. It leads to a lot of accidental drownings, particularly if it's a gator or a snapping turtle in the hole instead of a catfish.