


But it was still a long way off before I’d have to face my trepidations. When Arkansas Wild approached me last winter about taking a trip with Chris come summertime, I said, “Sure, why not?’ At the same time, the thought of sticking my arm in a dark, submerged hole seemed counter-intuitive.

He has hosted would-be noodlers from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Texas, Florida, Louisiana and even Australia at $200.00 per head. His experience and expertise have garnered television appearances on the Outdoor Channel, Animal Planet and Catfish Kings. Whether you call it noodling, hogging or grabbing, 44-year-old Chris Barnes has been pursuing sizable catfish by hand for nine years now. According to my guide on a recent catfish noodling expedition, Native Americans were catching big fish by hand well before European arrival on these shores.
