Female News Reporter Hooked on Noodling
OutdoorHub Staff 06.22.16
Sometimes reporters bring you more than news filmed in studio with a crew of folks dressed in conservative clothing. One such example is Tess Maune from News On 6 in Oklahoma who is hooked on noodling . . . catfish, that is.
A self-described handfisherwoman, Maune has a fondness for the style of fishing known as hand-grabbing. In a video posted to her Facebook page, she can be seen hand catching a 40 pound catfish, her hand grasping the cat’s bottom jaw as her legs wrap tightly around its body to keep her prize from returning to the murky depths. As she pauses to give the camera a thumbs up, the fish attempts to make a break for it, proving that leg grip necessary to hang onto the flathead it took her three attempts to surface.
A few tidbits of information she’s shared regarding her experiences are that she keeps her eyes closed and locates holes with her feet before making a dive to grab the fish. Maune never dives to a hole she’s unable to reach with her head above water and always has a helper to ensure her safety. Most fish are thrown back, but keepers are always 20 pounds or less with her largest catch to date being 52 pounds.
As Tess converses with fans, hashtag #bethebait is born, and in this case truer words were never spoken. After all, the only thing a noodled catfish is going to bite . . . is you.
