I've seen other pictures of guys holding catfish in the water like that.  Apparently they "tickle" them, something involving blindly sticking your hand into places they may be hiding and letting them swallow your arm so you can then pull them out of their holes, all hopefully before they suck you down in the hole.

Not something that sounds very appealing to me.  I mean, what if you came across one like this?



There is something comforting about the solid feel of the deck beneath my feet and the secure knowledge that I am in my element (and am staying there) and the fish are in their's (for now) but are hopefully about to enter mine.