Man catches fish with his hands, reeling in viral fame and timeless stories

By Brittany Decker

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    BLOUNT COUNTY, Alabama (WVTM) — Each week, WVTM 13 hits the road to uncover stories that define Alabama—letting a dart thrown at a map decide where we go. This time, the dart landed in Blount County, where we found a man catching more than just fish.

Meet Robert Earl Woodard—a retired P.E. teacher, lifelong fisherman, and accidental viral sensation—who’s reeling in attention without ever casting a line.

Woodard doesn’t use a fishing pole. No hooks. No bait. No net.

Instead, he fishes with his hands.

“Most people won’t try it,” Woodard said with a laugh. “As far as I know, nobody else has caught one like this.”

Born in 1951, just across the road from the pond he now fishes, Woodard grew up between dirt fields, the classroom, and the water. He spent nearly four decades teaching physical education to Alabama children—thousands of them.

“I might hold the record for the most students ever taught in the state,” he said. “At one point, I had about 500 students a day.”

After retiring, the pond became his classroom—and the bass became his pupils.

“These fish are like our pets,” Woodard said. “We relate to them. We know some of them by name.”

He once hand-caught a fish big enough to break a state record, but let it go to preserve its life.

“My wife said, ‘It’s just another big fish. Let her live.’ So I did,” he said. “That was worth more to me than any state record.”

Woodard never sought recognition. He wasn’t even online—until his son posted a video of him catching a bass by hand. It went viral.

“Dad, your video’s been shared 180,000 times,” his son told him.

Woodard’s response? “What does that even mean?”

Despite the attention, not much has changed. “I don’t look at myself as famous,” he said. “I’m just an average guy, blessed by the good Lord.”

Woodard’s storytelling extends beyond the pond. One day, he sat down at his computer and began typing—one finger at a time. He ended up writing 37 stories for his children.

“I wanted it in my own words. Mistakes and all,” he said. “That’s how it was back then.”

Those stories became a book—a tribute to his family, faith, and the land that shaped him.

“I hope younger folks get a feel for how it used to be. And for the older folks—it’s a chance to remember,” he said.

A fisherman. A teacher. A keeper of time.

Robert Earl Woodard doesn’t just catch fish. He catches stories— And releases them for the next generation.

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