Okie Noodling Tournament

The 2026 Okie Noodling Tournament & Festival is rapidly approaching. This is the event created for the documentary Okie Noodling (2001) that started it all. This is a once-a-year chance for noodlers and handfishing enthusiasts to compete and meet-up in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma for the world’s largest noodling contest. The character of this event, much like the original documentary, is steeped in backwoods tradition, yet given modern cultural relevance. The crowd in attendance is a unique concoction of local fishing enthusiasts from around Oklahoma and beyond, curious folks, and media from around the globe.

This tournament has been the pulse of the noodling community and has served to inspire television shows, feature films, and books. This event is the only sponsored noodling tournament in the world and has resulted in the sport's recent popular success through shows like Hillbilly Handfishin' (Animal Planet) and Mudcats (History Channel.) Past years have brought The BBC, National Geographic, The New York Times, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, The Sportsman Channel and The Discovery Channel to cover this unique festival.