Handfishing, or noodling, is a method of reaching underwater into natural cavities formed in riverbanks or by tree roots, logs, or rocks and capturing a catfish by hand. When the catfish bites onto the hand, the noodler pulls the fish off the nest and out of the water. This method is primarily used to catch flathead catfish and blue catfish in Missouri when these fish are spawning or nesting in small rivers or streams.
In Missouri, flathead and blue catfish are valued as a top game fish and are therefore regulated under the state’s Wildlife Code.
While some other states allow hand-fishing for catfish, most classify one or more catfish species as non-game fish.
Surveys show that hand-fishing tends to be highly successful. Because of its high success rate and focus on removing larger, older, sexually mature fish from their nests, research shows that legalizing hand-fishing could jeopardize local populations of this popular game fish.
Catfish are very vulnerable during the nesting season (June and July) because they lay their eggs in natural cavities and then do not leave the nest. If they’re taken away, their eggs quickly die. Catfish on the nest are not vulnerable to being caught by traditional sport-angling methods.
Our research shows that less than 25 percent of catfish migrate from large rivers to smaller tributaries (depending on seasonal water levels). Hand-fishers have easy access to these smaller wading streams and the nesting cover catfish use, making these catfish especially vulnerable. A survey of hand-fishers conducted by the University of Missouri–Columbia Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism reported that 90 percent of hand-fishers prefer to fish in smaller rivers or streams, which are most vulnerable to over-harvesting.