Missouri Approves Fishing With Bare Hands

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Missouri Approves Fishing With Bare Hands
Kansas City Star (subscription) - Kansas City,MO,USA

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Next summer, it will be legal to plunge into some Missouri rivers and grab catfish by hand - a type of fishing that is not for the faint of heart.

Known variously as noodling or hogging, handfishing has long been a misdemeanor punishable by fines, because state officials fear it depletes breeding-age catfish. It can also be dangerous: Noodlers hold their breath for long periods under water and sometimes come up with fistfuls of agitated snakes or snapping turtles instead of fish.

That does not discourage enthusiasts, who insist there is great sportsmanship in fishing with your bare hands.

So after years of urging by noodlers, and lopsided legislative support for easing up on handfishers, the Missouri Conservation Commission has approved an experimental handfishing season next summer. Forms of handfishing are already legal in 11 states, including neighboring Oklahoma, Arkansas and Illinois.

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[kiwimarty]

Snapping turtles and snakes....mmmmmmmm.....must have a go at that next year!

[Norfolkboy]

lol. I wouldn't fancy doing it myself..

[John Marshall]

Saw a programme on that......total nutters.

[A fluff chucker]

Originally Posted by John Marshall

Saw a programme on that......total nutters.

Don't tell them that John ...... these red necks normally carry 'pump actions' and imbibe their own illegal brew 'white lightening, hooch etc' Great guys - lots of laughs if you're a M8 !.

[A fluff chucker]

Originally Posted by kiwimarty

Snapping turtles and snakes....mmmmmmmm.....must have a go at that next year!

You catch 'em and I'll help you eat 'em - Both taste delicious in ' Gumbo ' but if you add a bit of gator - superb !

[Ben]

sounds like great fun to me, if you can hold your breath n swim properly, which kinda rules me out
i recon it would be great tryna catch things under water, the only thing i would get would prob be venomous bites

[John Marshall]

Originally Posted by A fluff chucker

You catch 'em and I'll help you eat 'em - Both taste delicious in ' Gumbo ' but if you add a bit of gator - superb !

Sounds great, three of us.

Kiwi catching.

Fluff cooking.

Me eating..........mmmmMMMM.

[kiwimarty]

Originally Posted by John Marshall

Sounds great, three of us.

Kiwi catching.

Fluff cooking.

Me eating..........mmmmMMMM.

Cant be bad John.... I will have to get details off him but a friend of mine called Hugh from Teignmouth has done this!! And yes......he is a nutter!

[fishypaul]

Originally Posted by kiwimarty

Snapping turtles and snakes...

don't worry about eating,its 2 new species,might give you the edge