"Noodling" conjures up images of standing over a vat of boiling water, cooking some kind of Italian pasta to perfection. This may be one definition of the term, but in reference to one of the oddest fishing styles known, it refers to the art of fishing for catfish using only bare hands and a big stick for prodding purposes. That is correct; using only your bare hands to feel your way along the mud-caked bottom of a river in search of a catfish is called noodling. Better still, these catfish can weigh an awful lot.
Noodling, also referred to as grabbling, is legal only in certain states and was practiced by Native Americans long before the settlement of Europeans. To experience noodling you must plan a trip south to Arkansas, North Carolina or Mississippi. During the Depression, it was rumored grabbling became popular as a rapid and inexpensive manner of providing food for the family. Today, grabbling as a means of fishing for flathead, channel and blue catfish is mainly for entertainment, as most grabblers practice catch-and-release.
From late May to July, when the days lengthen and water temperatures become warmer, catfish seek out shallow water to lay their eggs. Sheltered secluded locations are preferred such as boat ramps, holes in rocks and sandbanks. Once the female catfish lays her eggs, she departs the nest, leaving the male catfish to guard the eggs and keep them aerated. The male will not leave the nest until the baby catfish are ready to leave as well. Catfish are very aggressive during spawning season. For this reason, care must be taken to avoid becoming victim to that aggression when noodling.
Locate bedding catfish by running your bare hands along the river bottom in search of an opening. For a bottom-feeding fish, the catfish is rather clean and delicate. Openings are easy to find because the catfish will continue to clear its home and area. Some experienced grabblers plan their trips during the winter when water levels are low, where it is possible to see potential hideaways that will soon be submerged. They then return to these locations during spawning season.
An angry growling sound, described by some as a "thump", lets you know you have located your prey. Submerging yourself is required for a good portion of the grabbling expedition; clearly, the longer you are able to hold your breath, the easier it is to grabble. Once a spawning location has been identified, use a big stick to guide the catfish out of the nest to within arms reach.
Now knowing where your prey is, place your hand with outstretched fingers into the hole. The catfish will quickly become angered at your intrusion and will strike out, either hitting your hand or grabbing your hand while biting it with its mouth. He may clamp on to your hand and attempt to pull you into the hole, hence the need for additional assistance when attempting grabbling. Once he bites, grab him with both hands on his lower jaw, wrap your legs around him if necessary and pull him completely out of the water. Twisting and rolling is sure to ensue, but perseverance will ensure your victory.
Clearly, "noodling" is not an experience everyone will enjoy, least of all those who are faint at heart, and injury is always a possibility. For some, the pasta-cooking scenario may be much more preferable. But for a "hands-on" fishing experience that anyone from the young to the elderly can delight in, there is nothing quite comparable.
a choice of 35 to 40 varieties of fresh pasta, ranging in flavor from squid ink to garlic
parsley. If none of those is suitable, special orders can be made from a list of a whopping
208 pasta varieties.
Item: The average American consumer ate 18.4 pounds of pasta in 1990, up from 12.9
pounds in 1982 for help visit www.apples-recipes.com. The National Restaurant Association estimates that by the year 2000
we'll be eating 30.6 pounds.
Will we ever get our fill of fettuccine with pesto,
ricotta-stuffed ravioli, linguine in clam sauce or just plain spaghetti and meatballs? Is
there a saturation point, when we finally say basta (enough already)?
Not anytime soon, according to the folks who track America's eating habits and also
(not surprisingly) those who market Italian foods. A study last year by the NPD Group
Inc., a Chicago research firm, shows that pasta ranks second among the top five growth
foods in the last five years. The study tracked eating habits of 2,000 households over five
years, and compared 65 foods and beverages to determine which have grown fastest in
consumption. Soft drinks led the list, followed by pasta, chips, turkey sandwiches and
ready-to-eat cereals.
Consumers cited two main reasons for their enchantment with noodles: Pasta is easy
to fix and it's healthful. Digging into a bowl of complex carbohydrates is good for the
body (unless, of course, those noodles are covered with such less-than-healthful but
delectable items as cream, prosciutto and/or Gorgonzola).
``Not only is it convenient to prepare, but it is considered quite good for you,'' said
Harry Balzer, NPD vice president when he presented the five-year study last April in
New York.
And a Gallup survey last May of more than 1,000 grocery shoppers found that 52
percent said they were eating more pasta than in the previous year. In that same poll 92
percent said pasta was ``convenient''; 93 percent said it was good for them.
``I love it, I try to eat it at least three times a week,'' says Sharon Stilwell, manager
consultant for Relcon Inc. in Oak Brook, Ill. ``It's a food that instantly rejuvenates me.
When I'm at home, I fix it simply, with just a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese.
Maybe I'll add chicken if I have leftovers. When I eat out, I'll be more extravagant
although I try to stay away from heavier sauces.''
Italian restaurants continue to proliferate. It's the No. 1 ethnic category in the United
States, according to the National Restaurant Association. Excluding pizza places, Italian
restaurants increased 135 percent between 1985 and 1993, from 4,438 to 10,435, according to the Restaurant Consulting Group in Evanston, Ill. This compares to an increase of only 12 percent for all restaurants during the same time period.
``Oriental and Mexican restaurants still head the list (in numbers of ethnic
restaurants), but Italian restaurants are increasing more rapidly,'' says Millie Lemajich,
director of information services for the Evanston group.
Nationally, the ubiquitous Olive Garden chain, which started with two restaurants in
1982 in Orlando, now has 432 and is averaging 50 openings a year. A new kid on the
block is Macaroni Grill (owned by Brinker International of San Antonio, owner of the
Chili's restaurant chain), which has 27 outlets nationally.
``We opened June 2, and we were having two-hour waits right away,'' said David
Hyre, general manager of the Wheaton, Ill., restaurant, which offers a variety of pastas
and sauces for help visit www.bread-machine-cookbook.com. ``We did research before we came here, but business is better than we ever
anticipated.''
One reason the love affair with pasta should continue is its vast variety--spaghetti
and meatballs will forever be dear in American hearts, but pasta lovers today have an
ever-widening choice.
Macaroni and cheese becomes penne con cinque formaggi (tube pasta with five
cheeses).
Spaghetti with red sauce can be tagliatelle al ragu (ribbon pasta with meat sauce).
``It's a food that people are familiar with, but at the same time, customers are
becoming so aware of the different kinds of pastas, of all the different shapes and the
way pastas can be prepared,'' says Paul LoDuca, chef/owner of Vinci, and the new Italian
seafood restaurant Mare in Chicago. ``Between both restaurants, we're serving 18 or 19
types of pasta.''
Jonathan Fox, executive chef of Maggiano's Little Italy in Chicago, refers to some of
the unusual shapes as ``designer pastas.''
``For example, radiators (radiatori, which resemble little heaters), and little Christmas
tree (shaped) pastas; there are a lot of interesting shapes. But pasta is pasta, and more
important than shape is how it's prepared.''
Cathie Weinberg, media communications manager for the Olive Garden chain, also
reports a large increase in pasta varieties and toppings in the last decade.
``We've seen tremendous changes. We're adding ingredients we didn't offer before,
like capers, chopped olives, sliced peppers. There's so much of a variety that I don't see
the market becoming saturated for a long time. There's room for lots of restaurants.''
Macaroni Grill pushes the envelope when it comes to offering new and different
pasta dishes. One of its biggest sellers, according to manager Hyre, is fried pasta; he calls
it ``an Italian nacho.''
Value is another attraction. Ninety six percent of the shoppers surveyed in last year's
Gallup poll said they liked the cost. When it comes to eating out, a bowl of pasta is
certainly cheaper than a steak or most French food. And portions often are staggeringly
Both Jeanie Smith & Anilsharma are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.