For those that don’t know, Noodling (or Grabbling, as it’s known by our Alabama neighbors) is the art of using your hand and fingers as bait in an attempt to catch spawning flathead catfish. Participants wade into water that can be as high as neck-deep and feel around for holes in the bank, under logs, rocks, and anywhere else that makes a favorable spawning den for the big cats. Once found, the Noodler sticks his bare hand in the hole and wiggles his fingers to make them look tasty to the catfish. When the fish clamps down, the game is on.

You would expect that the dangers of sticking your hand in holes you can’t see in would be the most hazardous part of the sport. There have, in fact, been very few verified reports of people suffering from snake bites. The greater danger is when the sport goes exactly as planned. When all goes as intended, the Noodler finds himself trying to come up out of the water while on the end of his arm is a monster fish attempting to go under. The holes are frequently deep enough that diving is required and once the fish bites down, you can’t simply let go if the strain of bringing him up proves too difficult. As a result of this there are verified accounts of people drowning while participating.

The flathead catfish is a massive fish that frequently grows to over 65lbs. It’s not unheard of for older Flatheads to reach over 130lbs and 5 feet in length. The largest on record in Georgia was caught in the Altamaha River in 2005 and weighed in at 83lbs.

Flatheads are native to some Georgia waters, specifically the Coosa River system that drains into the Gulf of Mexico. The expansion of the breed into other Georgia waters has come about mainly by illegal introduction into other drainages. While it’s expected that the introductions were made by well-meaning people, the presence of the Flatheads has caused continuous damage to the desirable native fish of these waters such as redbreast sunfish and bullheads. The Flathead prefers live prey and will eat any fish it can get its jaws around, making the redbreast and smaller catfish popular at mealtime.

The Coosa River in Northwest Georgia is about the only native water for flatheads in Georgia. While that’s more than a comfortable drive for most of our readership, there are a few places nearby that can offer up some sizeable transplants.

The Altamaha is Georgia’s largest river and a good place to find big Flatheads. In fact, the standing Georgia record came from those waters. Flatheads were introduced into the Altamaha illegally sometime in the 1970s, and while this has had a negative impact on other species, it has introduced a new favorite pastime for Georgia anglers.

If you’re planning on fishing in the Altamaha, keep in mind that the highest concentration of Flatheads will be found in the lower half of the river. While that gives you a thicker population of fish, it also gives you plenty of company from those with the same information. Flatheads are thinner in the upper half, but fishing there is generally lighter as well and you will experience less water traffic. Less abundance of fish doesn’t mean smaller fish. Several state-record size fish have been taken in the upper half.

Clarks Hill Lake has over 70,000 acres and has produced some monster Flatheads. At one time the Georgia State Record cat came from there. All the tributary arms of the reservoir have good fishing, but the Little River arm on the Georgia side is hard to beat.

Flathead, channel and blue catfish may be taken by hand, without the aid of any device, hook, snare, net or other artificial element and without the use of any scuba equipment, air hose or other artificial breathing apparatus.

Noodling is legal in the fresh waters of the state from March 1 - July 15 each year.

It is illegal to take game fish (other than the catfish species listed above) and all other species of fish by hand.

It is not legal to alter any natural or man-made features in order to attract or capture fish by hand. It is not legal to raise any part of a natural or artificial device out of the water to aid in the hand capture of enclosed fish.

The best time for this style of fishing is during the spring when the cats are spawning. Most of your productive fishing will be done before the end of June.

If you’ve got the nerve to Noodle, always play it safe. Always fish in pairs and don’t spread out. These are huge, strong fish and once it’s attached, there’s no letting go.