Just figured since I'm new to the forum, I'd go ahead and start the most controversial topic of the week. Since this form of fishing is new in TX. I wanted to see if anyone in the state is out there doing it. I would also like to hear some of the line fishermans veiws on it. I would like to keep it mild toned though, intellegent conversation, rather than a bash fest. So lets here it...

I am so tenderfooted I can't hardly walk across carpet so I ain't stickin my foot in any holes and I know how bad they eat my hands up just taking pics of them, and on top of that I consider myself smarter than to stick anything of my person in a hole that I don't know what's in it!!! Lol

I have done it, not as fun as R/R in my opinion, but it is a rush.

Ive been doing for a long time now, and i have to say it is the biggest rush! But you have to keep doing it cuz ur always chasing that "high". Anyone that does it without shoes has a few screws loose IMO. Also IMO there is not really any sport to it. Its just a way to stock urt freezer while getting a rush.

I wear scuba booties, so its not that bad. In 20+ years of noodling ive never been bittin by a beaver or turtle. Had beavers slide in the water next to me, and even touched a few, turtles ive pulled out on a few ocasions, but only small ones. Snakes on the other hand, you have to get pretty comfortable with. My pops is very scared of them. Once last year we were fishing a tournament out of seminole Ok. We had a good fish under a sriated rock that had a water snake in it. He kept saying he was headed for the boat, so i grabbed it and threw it in the boat! He decided to fish.

I agree about the freezer and the sport. However I posted the tournament we are haveing next week and got some flac from some of the line fishermen about keeping the fish. I figure thats what started fishing in the first place. What lakes have you tried in TX?

I am not the biggest fan....to me there's major issues with taking a fish with one of the smallest populations in the lakes off of the nest while they are doing their best to protect it.

Oklahoma might just have a better flathead population than Texas does, I do not know. I do know that trotliners take their toll, I can only imagine how bad noodling will hurt the fishery with taking the fish off of the nest while eggs are there.

No matter what, theres always some close-minded, old-school yahoo thats gonna disagree with us no matter what it is. Especially when it comes to fishing. If they want the fish themselves, let em jump in the water and shake a catfish by the fin! Im predominately a river noodler.

To be honest, Most line fisherman don't realize how many Flatheads are in a body of water. I know of one lake in OK that is owned by a city water supply about 1200 acres. Small by most accounts. There are two older fellas that Jugged and trotlined there for years. We spoke to them while nooding the ramp one year. They said they might only catch 5 to 10 flatheads a year and that the lake didn't have a good pop. at all. That same year we pulled 60 fish over 30lb. out of the same hole in a 45 day period. The lake has yealded the same # and size of fish for us the last five years, and the same two guys still only catch 5 to 10 a year. Hard to say I guess.

most r&r fisherman dont target flatheads exclusively and dont know what areas to target at particular times of year

will i noodle yeah eventually but at the same time i will be releasing the fish once i catch it to try to keep their populations going strong imho flats are the hardest yet most fun to catch of all the catfish species

one thing that is going to give everyone around here a bad vibe is for the simple fact that your keeping so many larger fish if you need that many fish a year to feed you or your family then you need to find a better job with better pay because that is going to kill the fishery sooner than you think

Toatally agree with you there hands. Been pulling numerous with size for years, and im not the only one fishing those holes. Also didnt want anyone to take offense to my previous post, wasnt aimed at anyone on this site.

We also visited a lake in TX last week that a lot of locals said was not a very known flathead lake and that there were not many flatheads there. We pulled 40+ fish that weighed 1432 lbs in 4 days. The holes were reloading in 2 to 4 hrs. Sounds like the lake was loaded to me. Truth is, I think most folks don't realize how many exist in a body of water because they usually will only take live prey, rather than stink bate or dead bait. I to like to line fish for Flatheads, but I only get big fish on live bullhead or small carp. But my catch rates are extremely low, even in lakes that we anialate the fish while noodling.

I honestly just keep 3-4 out of the spawn season. Thats plenty enough to have numerous fish fries at my casa. Then its on to crappie and bass.

I stay in good contact with local biologists in my area. I can safely say that the small creeks and rivers I fished growing up had a much healthier flathead population than the lakes I am fishing now. Too much setline pressure has a major effect on flatheads whether acknowledged or not.

Lake Waco has had a major upswing in the bluecat population and average size in the last couple years, only thing that changed was the slot limit which pushed the "meat haul" juggers to different lakes.

I am pretty good at catching flatheads on rod and reel, I am sure there are several guys on here that are better, but I am not too shabby. My boat has had 27 landed this year. 4 kept for eating. All 4 were in the 8 to 12lb range.

My point is that in areas with large populations with smaller bodies of water it can be too easy to over fish flatheads. The one time that nature makes them almost impossible to catch with lines is the time that noodlers can yank them off of the nests. It would be like catching nesting bass with water dogs, not really much challenge and the nest gets the dirty end of that stick.

I honestly just keep 3-4 really big ones out of the spawn season. Thats more than plenty for numerous fish-frys at my casa. Then its on to crappie and bass.