Advertisement
It all started that morning.
Advertisement
At dawn's first light, Missouri's Ozark rivers awaken to a ritual older than state lines - hand-fishing. Mark Jennings, 38, waded chest-deep into the Current River's chilly flow, his calloused hands scanning submerged ledges. "It's like chess with nature," the third-generation noodler told our crew, demonstrating the precise wrist-flutter technique passed down from his Cherokee grandmother. This extreme fishing method - legal in 17 states - requires practitioners to lure massive flathead catfish using bare hands as bait. The secret lies in mimicking distressed prey: rapid finger vibrations (6-8 pulses/second) trigger predatory instincts. Protective gloves are prohibited by traditional codes, though modern safety protocols mandate dive buddies and emergency oxygen kits. Jennings' record catch? A 94-pound behemoth in 2022, its jaw strength capable of crushing walnuts. Yet the true prize comes during spawning season when fishers carefully relocate nests to protected coves - conservation efforts that boosted Ozark catfish populations by 40% since 2015.
