Noodling can get dangerous really quick if your stupid about it and don't go prepared. Have a plan and go with people you trust. Establish around how long your buddy can hold his breath, and have your buddy do the same for you. Our team has signals for when they need pulled out of a hole. As far as what you do when you put your hand in a hole, most of the time the fish will find you. Smaller fish will nip at your fingers or try and attempt to swim out of a hole or run to the back of a hole, you'll have to corner them and grab them around the body, gills, or fins. Larger fish will go ahead and chomp on your whole hand, which is when you want to secure the fish as best as possible. Some fish hold on, some let go quickly. Alot of it depends on the size and temperment of the fish. In my experience, blues are adamant about showing you that they are boss.

Go prepared though, make sure to have a shovel, a breathing hose if needed. The biggest risk for me is not the critters, but getting stuck or having a rock settle on top of me. Its an eerie feeling sticking your hand under a big rock 7-8 feet down that has a 5-6 foot deep hole wallowed out under it, and not being able to see anything.

Just be prepared and safe about it, have a plan.

I also keep suture kit, I think thats how you spell it, first aid kit, and alchohal in my kit. Yes noodling is dangerous. So is riding a bike down the highway, driving a car, and takin a shower in a thunderstorm, But most of us would do that without thinking twice. It's the unknown that brings the most anxiety I think. Noodling for the most part is no more dangerous than you make it. If you will read through the discussion above it will answer some of your questions. Don't know how your friend got bit by the turtle, unless he didn't check the hole with a stick first. Bullet pretty much covered the rest. You guys that have not done alot need to remember that when and if you find a mean big fish, you won't have to worry about them biting you on the hand, Some of them over 50, will swallow you to the elbow or even the armpit. They will bite your head, face, arms and shoulders, side, and your legs, sometimes even while on the stringer. So you shouldn't have any problem gettin bit if there big enough. Just don't panic when the battle begins, stay calm and get to his mouth as quick as possible. If you panic, thats when bad things happen.Never heard of a fish drowning someone though, its usually part of the hole caving in on them, or them getting snagged on something. I have heard of 3 or 4 victims. But I know alot more that have died doing other things. use your own judgement and good luck.

When you are checking the hole with a stick how can you tell the difference between a catfish bite and turtle bite?

It's not the bite you check for. You can usually tell what it is by the way its shaped. close you eyes the next time you have a cat on a stringer or in the livewell. Take a stick and feel of it in the water. With your eyes closed you'll be able to imagine what your feeling. If its a Turtle It will feel like a PO'd Dinner plate. Beaver a hairy critter. Also You will usually not run into any of these unless you are fishing a hole that could have air in it. Also, when a fish hits, It will expell air out of its swim bladder, or bark at you. In shallow water, and if the fish is big, this can be heard for several yards by people out of the water. Its loud! Ive only felt 1 or 2 significant sized turtles in 25 years. They were both in brush piles. Beavers will most always have fresh branch clippins and limbs around areas they will inhabit. My suggestion, as I've said before, if you are new to the sport, only noodle holes that have no chance of having air in them to start. After you getting to know what kind of stuff your lookin for, ie: The way a front door feels like with a fish in it as apposed to one used by beaver, or how the bottom of a hole feels compared to others. If you pay attention to these things, you will soon get the feel of what your looking for or not.

How long do you think the flatheads will be nesting, our water temps are getting up in the high 70's to low 80's and it seems like we are starting to see less and less flatheads and more channels (up in the river). I'm worried I'm not going to get my big one this year. I've started checking stuff in the mainlake, but it seems like there is too much rock on rock out there and not enough rock on mud/clay. I may need to start heading north.

First off Bullet, I'm astonished at how fast you guys have progressed this year. I think you guys are probably doing what alot of other guys this time of year do. You are running alot of the same holes and not spending quite enough time looking for new ones. I definately would look in the main lake more. other than that you'll have to invest in scuba and look for holes in the deeper cooler water, or start north chasing water temp. Thats why I start in TX in early may and end up in KA in Sept. Keep in mind that some lakes even in your local area may have cooler water temps than others due to more depth, clearer water, or don't have power plant release, etc.

We've found alot of good new holes (We probably have about 30 to 40), problem is they are all around the same area up in the river and I know the water temps are getting too warm up there. I've got some house pads and foundations to check still in the main-lake, but everything I've checked out there so far doesn't seem to have the right kind of bottom, not like where we are finding fish in the river anyway. I've checked 4 boat-ramps and all of them seem to be too skinny and go too far back get a fish mad enough to bite if he was in there.

As we've been doing this, we've moved out deeper to the point where it takes about half my breathe to swim down to the hole and the other half to swim back to the surface. That's pushing it a bit if we happen to get lucky and get into a big fish. Alot of the reason we are losing our big ones is because the holes are so deep, its hard to time everything right to where one guy can block the hole and the other guy gets the fish to bite. I'm thinking about having a guy hold one end of a water hose above water to where I can stay down longer and work the fish.

I just want one over 40 my first year. My big one this year so far is that 20-25 lb flathead. I know that one that bit me to my forearm on Friday was a big one, simply because he wouldn't fit through the hole I was trying to drag him out of. Evidently the entrance to the hole was about 8 feet away, but we didn't know that because I found the exit hole first and stuck my arm in there just to check. I went back two days later and the fish never returned. Next year I'm starting earlier and those fish better look out! I know where they live up there.

I just need to spend more time on the main lake I guess. We have alot of limestone bluffs where water erosion has worn some decent caves back in there, but I don't know if flatheads would use that to spawn. I'm pretty sure those house foundations will be good, but they're about 15 feet deep, so I'll need to get a water hose to breathe down there.

Other than that, we might start venturing north and sample some of the lakes up there.

Be very careful with the water hose thing. It works in theory but is also deadly. After about 20" or so, the air you exhale will be all thats in the tube. The second breath would probably be fine, but after that you are inhaling to much carbon dioxide. Pretty soon you will not even know it and will get a severe build up in your blood. The mixture can be deadly, and I mean seriosly deadly! I would not suggest the use of a hose just ran out of the water too anyone. This is why they don't make snorkels over about 15" or so. Not preachin, just don't want to see you guys get hurt.

Didn't know that. Oh well, guess those deep house foundations will have to wait. I'm going to start heading North to find some cooler water temps. I'll give the river one more shot this weekend, then I'm buying an Oklahoma fishing license. We'll go mix it up in the red dirt with the okies!

Lakes around DFW should still be bad to the bone.

This storm is going to screw up my plans for this afternoon. The one afternoon I get to go this week and a violent thunderstorm has to blow through. SUPER!

You should never complain about rain. I see that storm on my radar and we won't get a drop!!!

X2 I'd rather miss a day of fishing due to rain than to have all my holes dried up.
Always thankful for the rain!!

You guys must be retired. You'd complain if your fishing time was limited lol

See how many fish you catch when your holes are 4' outa the water just like they were last summer.