2.05.2009

Noodling: Not Just for Hillbillys and Catfish

For those of you unfamiliar, 'Noodling' is the southern US practice of catching flathead catfish using only bare hands. A noodler goes underwater to depths ranging from only a few feet to up to twenty feet, placing his hand inside a discovered catfish hole. If all goes as planned, the catfish will swim forward and latch onto the fisherman's hand, usually as a defensive maneuver in order to try to escape the hole. (Thanks Wikipedia)

Here in the Pacific Northwest, I've got my own take on noodling. I noodle daily - each and every time I dare to give Preston a bite of food with my bare hand, I noodle.

Unlike catfish noodlers, I'm not trying to 'catch' my son, nor am I wanting to get bitten. I'm careful. I think I'm quick. But sometimes the darn kid chomps down with his baby bear jaws and my fingers get the brunt of it.

Another difference is that I don't run the risk of drowning or losing a finger. So I guess my kind of noodling is a lot safer.

Either way, I consider myself a noodler. Me and those crazy rednecks.

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