“Mudcats” premieres at 9 p.m Jan. 13 on National Geographic

The new National Geographic Channel series “Mudcats” debuts at 9 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13 and features Oklahoma’s Okie Hand Fishing Invitational.

Details on “Mudcats,” provided by National Geographic Channel, are as follows:

Deep in the heart of America, an age-old tradition has given way to a fierce competition of brains, brawn and guts … Oklahoma’s Okie Hand Fishing Invitational.

For 10 weeks, teams hunt for colossal flathead catfish using only their bare hands.

With bragging rights, a $2,000 weekly prize and a $10,000 grand prize on the line, it’s an all-out battle to “bring home the bacon,” or in this case, “fish.”

National Geographic Channel’s (NGC) new series Mudcats, premiering at 9 p.m. Sunday, January 13, literally dives into the murky waters of hand fishing,or handfishin’ as the locals might say.

For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com/mudcats and/or follow  the show on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NGC_PR.

Defending champion Scooter Bivins, his gritty nemesis Marion Kincaid, Young Gun Teddy Good and trash-talking Don “Katt Daddy” Brewer are determined to take care of unfinished business.

But there is one new competitor on the water who could change everything—hand-fishing royalty Lee “The Legend” McFarlin has entered the fray.

Following the five teams competing in the invitational, we’ll see exactly what it takes to shove a hand down the throat of a prehistoric monster and wrestle it out of the water.

NGC cameras both on land and underwater capture the thrill of the hunt as noodlers scour brush piles and rock formations with only their hands and feet, in the hopes of locating a catfish lair.

The risky technique may sound insane, but that is why the mudcatters fish in pairs. One noodler dives under water to depths reaching 20 feet to drag a catfish out of its cave, while the spotter waits above to string the beast and intervene if things get out of control.

The danger can be as deep as the water, as viewers will see when a rookie nearly drowns trying to drag a flathead out of a hole 15 feet under water.

Hand fishing is more than a hobby for these fishermen; it’s a rite of passage that has been passed down for generations. Many of these men, and in one case a woman, have been taught by their grandfathers and fathers, and it’s a tradition they’ll one day pass down to their own kin.