Animal Planet dives into murky Oklahoma waters; to launch 'HillBilly Handfishin'

Animal Planet dives into murky Oklahoma waters, hoping to reel in the king of all catfish in HILLBILLY HANDFISHIN’, where bustling city dwellers travel to rural Oklahoma for some old-fashioned handfishing – the sport of catching catfish with bare hands and feet.

 

The 12-part series, HILLBILLY HANDFISHIN', will premiere on Animal Planet every night at 9pm, starting 2 July.

 

The series is a trip of a lifetime for fish-out-of-water, adventure-seekers who want nothing more than to surprise themselves – and maybe gross themselves out by doing things they'd never thought. Led by Oklahoma hand fishermen and self-proclaimed hillbillies, Skipper Bivins and Trent Jackson, the viewers get a taste of redneck lifestyle by going through the paces of noodling catfish with no fishing rods and no hooks.

 

The only lures in this catfishing are fingers and toes, which, by the way, can be just as attractive to the snakes, beavers, muskrats and snapping turtles that take over abandoned catfish holes as homes of their own. The experience might be uncomfortable, completely foreign and downright terrifying, but it promises to alter the lives and positively affect each newly crowned noodler long after the last morsel of deep fried fish is gone.

 

Self-proclaimed hillbillies Skipper Bivins and Trent Jackson are Oklahoma hand-fishermen with decades of experience and unlimited enthusiasm for a sport that’s foreign to many Americans. It’s a family affair with the entire Bivins clan running “Big Fish Adventures” and working nonstop to give groups of city slickers a taste of hillbilly living by guiding them through the paces of noodling catfish without tackle or bait.

 

Also known as graveling, grabbling, hogging, dogging, gurgling, tickling and stumping, handfishing has been around for hundreds of years and is a way of life in some Southern cultures. The experience might be uncomfortable, completely odd and downright terrifying, but it promises to alter lives and send each newly crowned noodler home with great fish tales long after his or her catfish adventure ends.

 

Each hour-long episode of HILLBILLY HANDFISHIN’ features a new group of novice noodlers who are hungry for experiences that take them completely out of their comfort zones and give them the story of a lifetime. 

 

Highlights from few episodes: