Indiana Kid Catches Gigantic Catfish With His Bare Hands

10-year-old Sway and his family live right outside of Santa Claus, Indiana, where he has grown up exploring the great outdoors. His mama, Allison, helps relocate snakes in Southern Indiana, so naturally, Sway tags along as her sidekick.

Sway the Critter Wrangler

That confidence and love for even the slimiest of critters follow wherever Sway goes. "He’s saved a few lizards and frogs at his school from what I’ve been told by his teacher." Allison laughed. I know you are thinking, he must be a brave little thing, but you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Too Young to "Get Bit"

Like lots of Hoosier kids, Sway spends his summertime fishing and having fun in the water. He's also been closely watching his mom and her catfish grabbin' crew. "Sway caught his first catfish when he was five years old with some assistance," Allison said. She told me that she thought he was a little too young to "get bit" just yet.

It's Tiiiiiiiiime

By "get bit," she means catching catfish by hand, also known as "noodling." If you aren't familiar, you literally use your own hand as bait, stick it down in the mud, and when that catfish takes a bite, you grab it and yank it out. Now THAT is some good ole country stuff right there.

Sway Was Determined

I don't blame Allison for holding off on letting Sway give it a go, but this year, he told her he was ready. "When we found a hole with a fish, we let him dive down and 'get bit.' I fully expected him to change his mind at that point, but it did the opposite. He was determined to catch the fish."

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Catfish Noodling Challenge Caught on Camera

"I actually wasn’t sure we could pull it off because the hole was deep (the water was over his head), and we knew it was a pretty large fish. Fortunately, I had my friend Alyssa with me, and she was able to help block the hole with me as Sway dove down to catch it." This is AWESOME, watch:

Perserverance Pays Off!

Between Alyssa's poor ankle and Sway's arm being treated like a snack, perseverance was the word of the day! "He was bitten multiple times and actually caught the fish twice before he finally brought it out." Talk about BRAVE! Get it, Sway! I think it's safe to say he is hooked on this new hobby.

My goodness, that thing is GIGANTIC! For reference, Sway weighs about 65 pounds. This fish is at least half his size! Is this not the coolest thing EVER!? You can just tell that that kid is going to tackle anything life brings his way. Even giant river monsters! Show Sway some love on the Facebook page, and feel free to share your own catfish noodle adventures.

Now for a few pictures of the crazy catch!