Catfishin’ Kings on Animal Planet Features Local Team From Minden, Louisiana

Stewart Burson and Benny Hollis from Minden are two of my new heroes!  These two represent Team Louisiana, competing on Animal Planet's new three part series "Catfishin' Kings" which began on March 11 and will conclude March 25 with additional airings of each episode.  Stewart and Benny won their first round of competition and made the art of noodling look easy!

Noodling is indeed fishing, in its purest form – catching monster catfish using only your bare hands and feet. In the series,America’s top eight noodling teams compete to haul in the biggest and baddest catfish around, all vying for the prestigious Catfish Cup and hometown bragging rights.

Hosted by Texas native Brady Knowlton, a local folk hero who legalized the adrenaline-fueled sport in his home state, CATFISHIN’ KINGS drops the nation’s top noodling teams into the murky waters of Texas, where they compete in a bracket-style competition..

The stakes are high, and the catfish are even bigger. Noodlers participating in the tournament include the following:

• Team Louisiana: Stewart and Benny have noodled in some of the most extreme conditions. Their strategy: fish high-risk waters for high catfish rewards.

•    Team Tennessee: This three-man team has been noodling some of the most vicious waters and successfully has developed a strategy of fishing concrete structures for big cats. But do home-state tactics work across state lines?

•    Team Kentucky: Best friends Sam and Jacob have been working together for years. These two wild boys know the streams and lakes of Kentucky like the backs of their hands. They’ve caught a lot of big fish, and they’re ready to win the Catfish Cup

• Team North Carolina: Fred and brothers Lee and Lincoln aren’t your typical noodlers. Besides classing up the waters of Texas, these southern gentlemen know how to block, push and catch catfish in any condition.

• Team Mississippi: Stephen, Mike and Jerold, three good-ole’ boys from central Mississippi, are used to fishing muddy riverbanks. But are they ready to tackle big cats in a new environment?

• Team Alabama: Allen and Cory are dead serious about noodling and won’t back down for anything. They even do their own research prior to hitting the water. They are always with a game plan.

• Team Texas: Brothers Ronald and Greg have been fishing the lakes of east Texas for years and have developed a side-by-side noodling strategy. Although they are fishing in familiar waters, they aren’t underestimating their competition.

• Team Arkansas: This three-man team is not only familiar with fishing in the water but also with competing on the racetrack. Throughout the years, they have developed a precise technique: Chris finds the fish; Brad locks the holes; and Big John uses his muscle to pull the catfish from the water.

According to Animal Planet's website, the series finale will take place next Monday, March 25 and our Team Louisiana is one of the remaining 4 teams, so good luck boys! Take a look at the episode featuring our boys below.