Changes are in store for Pauls Valley’s 2026 Okie Noodling Tournament. The Pauls Valley City Council approved a proposal earlier this month to continue the event in 2026, but with alterations intended to lower the overall price-tag. Those alterations include dropping the hand-fishing, or noodling, tournament from next year’s event and instead holding a festival that celebrates the sport of noodling.
The decision follows discussion at the Nov. 11 city council meeting regarding the future of Okie Noodling and whether the cost of holding the event is the best use of tourism funds, especially in the current economic climate and in a year where significant cutbacks in the city’s budget have been necessary.
A budget report presented at that meeting showed expenses for the 2025 Okie Noodling Tournament came in at just over $132,000. That amount does not include labor costs for city employees working the event.
The budget for the 2026 event includes a $75,000 appropriation from tourism funds and a projected $25,000 to be raised in sponsorships.
At the council’s request, Pauls Valley Tourism Director Tawni Huggans shared options for altering the event to meet that budget during the council’s regular meeting Dec. 9.
Huggans said one of the ideas discussed in meetings with the Okie Noodling planning committee is to eliminate the fishing tournament and weigh-in and instead hold a festival celebrating the sport of noodling.
“Just by making that alteration from a tournament to a festival, we eliminate a $30,000 cost right off the top,” Huggans said.
That includes eliminating the $10,000 in prize money awarded to top noodlers, as well as the cost of a separate weigh-in stage, paying a weigh-in crew and providing lodging, lie detectors and metal detecting wands to scan fish, according to Huggans.
“There’s so many little things that go into the tournament,” Huggans said.
Huggans said in shifting to a festival, the city could pay a handful of top noodlers from previous festivals to hold demonstrations throughout the day.
“We would still have our demo tank. You could essentially pay to noodle with them in the tank,” Huggans said. “They can talk about the fish, how they catch the fish, give you the whole low-down about noodling.”
The festival would include all the regular food and merchandise vendors, the traditional Okie Noodling games and contests and possibly a carnival taking place in one of the downtown parking lots.
The event could still include a concert, though Huggans said there will be no big headliner band, potentially saving another $30,000.
“It just doesn’t make sense anymore. We’re not selling tickets; we don’t need them. We hire our local guys that we know are going to bring people,” Huggans said.
A change in production management companies this year is also expected to save money over last year’s event.
“In conversations with the planning committee this seems to be the most logical way to still honor the noodling and still have the catfish and still have a great event and still give people what they want to see, without spending the additional money,” Huggans said. “Again, it’s just a proposal. You guys tell me what you want.”
Council members agreed they would like to continue the event with the proposed alterations and discussed the idea of shifting back to a tournament if the festival proposal proves to be unsuccessful.
“What the whole decision boils down to is we know we have to alter it. Now, do we know with 100% certainty a festival versus a tournament is going to be the most successful? We don’t know. I can’t tell you that," Huggans said. "I can tell you, I wholeheartedly believe it’s worth a shot. But I can’t tell you with 100% certainty we won’t go back to a tournament next year.”
Council member Jonathan Grimmett suggested sending a letter to all past noodlers, informing them of the changes to this year’s event and inviting them to attend.
“To me, if the goal is to keep it and the goal is to spend less money, we’ve got to take a chance,” Huggans said. “And I don’t know what other chance there is.”
Council members Jocelyn Rushing, Bonnie Meisel, Kahn Nirschl and Grimmett voted to approve the alterations to the event. Council member Amy Richey was not present at the December meeting.
