Jennifer Samford of Pauls Valley decided last summer to try her hand – literally – at one of Oklahoma’s most unusual and sometimes nerve wracking variations on fishing: noodling.
Noodling is fishing by hand, without the use of rods, bait, nets or any other kind of equipment. A wise addition is a pair of cotton gloves – and bravery, because in the words of veteran Oklahoma noodling guide Nate Williams of Shawnee: “There can be beavers or snakes or turtles or other kinds of fish down there. You just reach in and see what’s in there.”
The ideal prize is a variety of catfish, with some weighing as much as 40 to 50 pounds, or more.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Williams says.
Noodlers are required to have a valid state fishing license, says noodling guide Bobby Sparks of Walters, plus a lake license if one is required for that body of water. June and July are the best months for catching channel, blue and flathead catfish, he mentions.
Samford, who serves as Pauls Valley’s Parks and Recreation director and helps with the city’s massive, annual Okie Noodling Tournament, says she decided to try the sport herself with the help of a noodling guide, one of several who operate in the state, mostly in warm-weather months.
“You’ve gotta be brave enough to get in the water and put your hand in the hole,” she explains, “and be willing to catch something in your hand.”
Samford eventually wound up with a catfish that weighed nearly 40 pounds.
“I was lucky enough to go with people who knew what they were doing,” she says. “I’d do it again!”
State regulations say noodling is legal year-round in all Oklahoma waters during daylight hours, unless locally restricted.
Sparks says he’ll start lining up noodling tours this month, and likes to stick to groups of no more than four novice noodlers. He mentions that he prefers to noodle in the lakes and ponds of southwest Oklahoma, mostly avoiding rivers and creeks where dangers such as water currents, cottonmouth moccasins and beavers may be lurking.
“Lakes are a little safer,” he says, because they contain natural bank holes and manmade structures that make good catfish hideouts. “Creeks [and rivers] are for more experienced people.”
Sparks says the primary danger in noodling is drowning, and because of that possibility, he holds a safety briefing before taking anyone into the water so he can review what to watch for.
“If a person goes underneath the water, I don’t go under the water until I see you come back up,” he says. Any injuries on his tours have only been scratches or a shin scraping a rock.
Planning for this year’s Okie Noodling Tournament, scheduled for June 13-14, is well underway.
The event, begun about 20 years ago at a local barbecue restaurant and now staged in Pauls Valley’s Wacker Park, is a two-day affair with food vendors, games and other attractions, making it a major tourism draw. Samford mentions that the popular affair can draw 8,000 to 10,000 people.
Events in 2025, according to the tournament website, include the Okie Noodling Queen contest, a catfish cook-off and a catfish-eating contest for children. Contest rules state that fish must be caught in Oklahoma waters, and must be at the park weigh-in station by 6 p.m. on weigh-in day.
Samford is looking forward to the tournament – and possibly another noodling adventure.
“If you love Oklahoma outdoors, this is another way to appreciate it,” she says.
For More Information:
Okie Noodling Tournament
405-238-6491
okienoodling.com
Adrenaline Rush Noodling
Guide Service
918-623-6946
Sparks Noodling
580-647-6356
