We Took the Noodles to the Swamp! Catching Catfish in the Atchafalaya Swamp

Welcome back to Bonded by the Land! In this episode, Tony and his sons Christopher and Lee head back to their favorite fishing hole in the Atchafalaya Basin swamp to chase down some blue cats and channel cats. Armed with noodles, drop lines, and cut bait, they show you how they set lines, talk about old-school hoop net fishing, and battle plenty of garfish and alligators along the way. Even when the bite’s slow, the laughs and stories never stop. 🐟 In this video you’ll see: • How to use pool noodles (jug lines) • Setting limb lines for catfish • Dealing with garfish and gators in Louisiana waters • A family night of fishing under the moonlight 👉 Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and hit the 🔔 bell for more Louisiana outdoors, catfishing, hunting, and family adventures. 📍 Location: Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana #BondedByTheLand #NoodleFishing #catfishing ⏱️ YouTube Chapters / Timestamps 0:00 – Welcome to Bonded by the Land Meet Tony, Christopher, and Lee — heading to their favorite fishing hole in the Atchafalaya Basin. 0:24 – The Plan: Noodles, Drop Lines & Hand Fishing Setting up for a night of catfishing — plus a curious alligator joins the show! 1:06 – Trying to Catch Bait Hand fishing for brim and bluegill, hoping to find the perfect bait for catfish. 2:10 – The Finger Getter Tiny fish and finger-biting brim — learning what not to grab bare-handed. 3:05 – Planning the Noodle Line Setup Talking water movement, fishing depth, and where to place jug and noodle lines. 4:00 – Catfish Fin Storytime Tony shares a painful childhood story about getting finned — and why it stuck (literally!). 5:00 – Losing Fish and Laughing It Off Family banter while trying to bait and film at the same time — not easy! 5:49 – Time to Catch Shad Grabbing the cast net to catch shad for fresh cut bait. 6:28 – Getting Ready to Set the Noodles Calm lake, light wind — perfect setup for noodle and drop line fishing. 7:01 – Noodle Fishing 101 Explaining how noodles work, how to weight them, and why it’s like trotlining Cajun-style. 8:43 – Setting Limb Lines for Flatheads Finding cypress limbs and explaining why flatheads come shallow at night. 10:16 – Waiting on the Bite Lines are out — time to relax and enjoy the cool evening. 11:03 – The First Catch… or Maybe Not Hooked up! Turns out it’s a garfish — and he’s not staying for dinner. 12:32 – Hand Fishing Fun Catching brim by hand while the noodles soak; one small fry turns into bait. 13:37 – Sunset and Bullfrogs As the sun drops, the bullfrogs start calling — maybe a late-night bonus catch? 14:17 – Checking the Lines A few bites, a few misses — mostly small gar, but hope’s still alive. 15:20 – Gators Everywhere Alligators every 20 feet! Swamp life in full swing. 16:09 – Storytime: Dad, Hoop Nets & Frozen Fingers Tony shares a heartfelt memory of running hoop nets with his dad under a cold moonlit sky. 17:46 – Finally a Keeper Catfish! A perfect fryer-sized catfish makes it to the boat — success! 19:38 – Wrapping Up the Trip It’s after midnight — tired but grateful. A few fish, a lot of memories. 20:03 – Final Thoughts “It’s not about how much you catch — it’s about the time spent together.” Back To The Wood by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/