Right word?
Also, I think they can form a fist for the larger fish. Just pick it right out the water once it bites.
catfish will do a death roll similar to a gator once they bite down on your arm or you are holding them. some of the catfish that are caught noodling are HUGE, so i can definitely see how fatalities could occur.
also, the places that people noodle are usually grabbing an underwater cave/pocket where the catfish are hiding, so their heads are underwater while noodling.
again, there was an episode of river monsters where jeremy wade does this.