Noodling with the Catfish Queen Fishing In the Woods Submitted by Cortney Shewmaker, KNOW Area Coordinator

The rain poured down that Sunday morning, but I refused to let it dampen my spirits. I hoped that the rain blowing through the screen door would not be the only water on my boots that day. I was headed over 100 miles north and I was confident that the weather would be better in Northern Kentucky—it had to be—this was my big chance. Vikki Rawe had agreed to take me groping with her.

I arrived two hours later than I had planned, but the sunshine was encouraging so we headed out. After finding the perfect parking place, Vikki and I headed toward the river where we rolled around in the mud in pursuit of catfish. Vikki showed me the basics and we found what she said were perfect holes, but there were no fish. We were persistent and our efforts finally paid off. Vikki stuck her hand into a hole and, even though I am a novice, I could tell by her reaction that there was a fish under this rock. I could not wait to get a chance to feel this and was anxious to see how this fish would react when I tried to pull him from his home. This is what I had driven two hours to do—stick my hand into a hole in the river to be bitten by a catfish (or perhaps something else) who did not want me near the nest of eggs he was guarding. As crazy as it sounds, this is what I had looked so forward to doing. I was able to get this fish to bite me—which was the cool part. However, I became impatient and allowed it to get out of what we though was a very secure hole. Needless to say, I was disappointed because I felt like I had blown my big chance. The only fish we had found so far would swim away to safety. Vikki apologized and I told her not to worry. I had at least been bitten and that was worth the trip. (It would have been worth the trip, but I was not going to be truly happy unless I went home with fish).

We returned to Vikki’s for lunch not knowing our luck would soon change. First, we ran into Vikki’s friend Joe who lent us another groping stick. As they discussed their plans for tomorrow’s trip on the Ohio River, I must admit I was stricken with a bit of envy. I had lain my face in mud that smelled horrible to be bitten by an elusive catfish that was small in comparison to the fish they would pull from the Ohio the next day. While we were rounding up the kids and money to buy lunch, Vikki received a call from Mickey Craig who offered to take us out and an explanation for the absence of catfish at our previous location.

When we arrived at our destination, Mickey guaranteed fish and that was all I wanted to hear. He was right! This was our chance to redeem ourselves and from the first hole, I pull out a channel cat. Although I did not find any fish myself, Vikki and Mickey were very gracious in sharing their knowledge and allowing me to snag four fish. Now I would get to take some home! This was truly one of the most exciting and enjoyable experiences of my life--right behind giving birth to my children. I am truly grateful to Vikki and Mickey for allowing me to tag along and introducing me to this sport. I caught fish, met to two gods of groping I had heard so much about, and rolled around in the river with Heidi and Jesse (Vikki’s kids) when there was a lull in the fishing—it was a great day!

As I drove home via US 27, I had a chance to reflect on my experiences of the day rather than concentrating solely on the crazy drivers who surrounded me earlier on the interstate. I was exhausted from a long day, but was very anxious to get home and share my experience with my family. The sleepy-eyed people who stumbled from their beds at 11:30 that night failed to muster the appropriate level of excitement. After a while of looking at my fish and listening to me ramble about how I caught them, they encouraged me to stop talking about it and go to bed. To quote directly-"Why don’t you shut up you big geek and go to bed!" After my fish were cleaned, I surrendered to the pillow with dreams that someone at the office tomorrow would be interested in my story in the morning. My co-workers were no more excited than my family, but I told them anyway. My husband works with a couple of guys who go noodling, or as he refers to them—are as weird as I am—and I hope that I can go with them a couple times before the season ends. Again, I am grateful to my friend Vikki, a.k.a. "The Catfish Queen", and Mickey Craig for affording me the opportunity to share in this most enjoyable experience.

 (top)