# The noodling has begun



## Quackrstackr (Jun 6, 2010)

And it has been lackluster at best so far.

Season started on June 1 but work kept me chained down until yesterday. A couple of the guys that set their own schedules got to go and wound up with a flathead of about 35 lbs, 2 near 15 and a blue cat of about 20 lbs.

We went yesterday and plucked a 25 lb flathead out on the first reach in.. that's a lot like catching a fish on your first cast and everybody knows what happens after that. It's a bad omen. We did wind up with a couple of 8 lb or so channel cats and another flathead of about 10 lbs much later in the afternoon.. right before my buddy's 2008 40hp, 4 stroke Yamaha seized up on him, ending the day. :shock: 

They cruised up from checking a hole a few hundred yards away to see if we were having any luck and about 20 seconds after kicking it out of gear and while idling.. pop. The abrupt stop nearly jerked the tiller out of his hand. He runs that motor like an 80 year old man and it doesn't have that many hours on it, either. We struck a sandbar back in duck season that barely scraped paint on the prop and the motor immediately started making a knocking sound. He carried it to the local Yamaha warranty center where they tore the lower unit apart and stuck him for a new prop and told him that there was nothing wrong with the motor. It didn't make the sound anymore until about a month ago when he popped a small rock at idle speed that barely made a nick on a blade. Then it started again. Thinking the dealer knew what they were talking about the first time, he's been in no hurry to buy another prop. I told him that props don't make sounds like that, especially ones that have barely struck anything. I guess now he will listen to me. I took the plugs out and couldn't even turn the motor over by hand.

We had 2 full boat loads of people yesterday and had launched several miles from where his motor seized. Luckilly, there was a ramp just across the way where he could take the boat out. We had to conduct a mid lake Chinese fire drill so that I could carry enough people back to the original launch to shuffle all of the vehicles to the rescue site and pick up the rest of them.

We were supposed to go again today but are now down to just my boat and a max capacity of 4 if we went. The wind is also blowing from 15 to 22 mph so I'm sitting here wondering if I want to tempt fate again today with him along as a passenger. :lol:

We have another 2 boat load of guests coming in from 5 hours away next weekend. Maybe it is nothing major with his motor but I'm not betting on it. Looks like he may be making a drive up to his parents sometime this week to pick up his dad's boat. Something tells me his is going to be out of action for a while.


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## biggun1979 (Jun 6, 2010)

Man thats somthin ive always wanted to do how would a man go about getting started


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## Quackrstackr (Jun 6, 2010)

Go to your local water hole and look for anything that there might be a hole under.

Retaining walls, old chunks of concrete, old boat ramps, sharp banks with trees, etc. Just feel along with your feet and if you come across a hole, reach in there and check it out.


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## countryboy210 (Jun 6, 2010)

Anybody Else Have These DVD's ?
They Have One DVD Available With The Guys "Fishin", Two With The Gal's. . . 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz6V4pOWFlA&feature=related


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## Quackrstackr (Jun 6, 2010)

My buddy and his wife will be on #4.

They drove down and went with them one day last summer. We've been trying to get them to come up and go with us but because of their regular jobs along with their fishing schedule, they haven't been able to do it.

We have a video somewhere out there on youtube where a Canadian outdoor show came down and went with us. We have been on a couple of other shows as well but I don't know whether they are on the net or not.


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## breachless (Jun 7, 2010)

I always thought you guys are absolutely CRAZY... Kudos to you for being a lot braver than I: I can promise you I would never be able to blindly reach into holes and what-not without being able to see what's in there. Gives me the creeps. *shudders*


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## Jim (Jun 7, 2010)

biggun1979 said:


> Man thats somthin ive always wanted to do how would a man go about getting started



There you go, Sound advice!

Feel for a hole under the water and then stick your hand in there and hopefully something latches on! :LOL2: 

You guys are nuts! I will say that till the day I die.

Biggun1979,
You like your fingers and hands? Stick with the good old rod and reel. :LOL2:


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## poolie (Jun 7, 2010)

Stick my hand where??? ...Nope... ain't happening.


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## Quackrstackr (Jun 7, 2010)

No guts, no glory, men. 








:mrgreen:


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## biggun1979 (Jun 7, 2010)

jim I got to try it at least one time whats life without adventure. DONT BE SCARED lol


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## Jim (Jun 8, 2010)

biggun1979 said:


> jim I got to try it at least one time whats life without adventure. DONT BE SCARED lol



Ok, Tell me that when you are typing a response on the keyboard with your elbows. :mrgreen:


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## wasilvers (Jun 9, 2010)

Don't turtles sometimes hid in those holes? I''ll admit it, I'm chicken.


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## BaitCaster (Jun 9, 2010)

I have never heard of this. "Noodling"? Am I to understand that you walk around in the ater and reach into holes and under rocks feeling around for fish and then grab them! :-k


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## Quackrstackr (Jun 9, 2010)

BaitCaster said:


> I have never heard of this. "Noodling"? Am I to understand that you walk around in the ater and reach into holes and under rocks feeling around for fish and then grab them! :-k



That's the jist of it. We catch catfish in excess of 50 lbs with our hands.

wasilvers, in all the time that we have been doing it.. we have encountered one turtle and it was a very small painted turtle. Turtles have to breathe at some point so the likelihood of them swimming up into a hole with no air source is fairly remote.


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## BaitCaster (Jun 9, 2010)

Quackrstackr said:


> BaitCaster said:
> 
> 
> > I have never heard of this. "Noodling"? Am I to understand that you walk around in the ater and reach into holes and under rocks feeling around for fish and then grab them! :-k



That's the jist of it. We catch catfish in excess of 50 lbs with our hands.

wasilvers, in all the time that we have been doing it.. we have encountered one turtle and it was a very small painted turtle. Turtles have to breathe at some point so the likelihood of them swimming up into a hole with no air source is fairly remote.[/quote

Good on ya mate! But not for me!


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## Quackrstackr (Jun 13, 2010)

Weekend #2 is in the books with much the same result.

A 35, 25 & 20 yesterday. We had to leave one in the hole that was probably 30+. He got into a corner where we couldn't reach and didn't want to play with us.

Today, we had a 25 and a 12. We left 2 really nice fish in the holes.. same deal as yesterday.

The second weekend of June is usually the hottest part of the season and it was only about what you would expect any other part of the season. I think the fish spawned early when the water was high and the temps came up about 3 weeks ago. I also think that some of these fish have been educated before and it is why they just lay there jammed in the hole and don't want to play with us this year. :lol:


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## switchback (Jun 13, 2010)

I was told that if you reach in a hole never reach up. I guess if the hole has a pocket in top because of snakes and turtles. But I'll never have to worry about it cause I'll never do it.


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## Quackrstackr (Jun 14, 2010)

The majority of the holes that we reach into are 100% submerged.

That air pocket scenario is exactly why we don't check very many bank holes. We were checking a new riprap wall yesterday and I had a big water snake come out of a crack and eyeball me eye to eye. Poisonous or not, that brought an immediate halt to the activities there. :lol:


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## Quackrstackr (Jun 15, 2010)

First fish of the day on Saturday.


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## Ictalurus (Jun 15, 2010)

Nice! =D> You eat those?


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## Quackrstackr (Jun 15, 2010)

Some of them. We will usually keep 2 or 3 per year and we did that on the first day. It doesn't take many to keep you supplied.

We turn the rest of them loose.


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## Brine (Jun 15, 2010)

I assume these holes are also good for dropping a bluegill into :roll: 

Do you ever rod and reel fish the same holes you grapple? Winter time?


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## Quackrstackr (Jun 15, 2010)

The holes are above the waterline in the winter because of drawdown.

We've thought about herding a bluegill in one but where's the fun in that? :mrgreen: 

We ran an aqua-view camera that was the shape of a bluegill into one two years ago while filming a tv show and the fish immediately snapped it in half. :lol: :shock: 

(honestly, the fish would cut your line immediately on the rough sides of the hole if you hooked one)


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