In the U.S. state of Louisiana, a peculiar and dangerous fishing method called noodling is gaining popularity. Practitioners forgo rods and bait, using their own hands and feet as lures to attract giant catfish, reports infohub.kz.
According to Outside, noodlers insert their limbs into underwater holes where catfish guard their eggs. The fish then bites the "bait," and the angler tries to pull it out.
Remmy Bearden, a 25-year-old noodler, said that during such fishing, the person essentially becomes the prey. "It's not us catching the blue catfish — it's catching us," he noted. His arms bear numerous scars from encounters with large fish teeth.
Professional noodler Vinny Wozniak offers paid fishing trips for those seeking an unusual experience. The cost is about $400 (approximately 31,000 rubles), and demand is so high that he receives hundreds of inquiries each month.
Among his clients are people who have never fished before. Once, a bachelorette party group came to try it. The participants managed to catch large catfish on nearly their first attempts.
One of the major legends among noodlers is 63-year-old Skipper Bivins, who started catching fish by hand as a child. Over his career, he has caught catfish weighing up to 50 kilograms in North America and up to 113 kilograms in Spain.
Despite the unusual nature of the activity, experts do not believe noodling poses a serious threat to catfish populations. However, the risk to fishermen remains high: instead of fish, underwater holes may contain alligators or venomous snakes that inhabit the region's swamps.