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It isn't a sport for the faint of heart, but two Blount County girls who got hooked on catfish grabblin' can't seem to lay the new hobby down.

They're also gaining some national attention in country music and game and fish circles.

Kari, 16, and Ashley Sims, 20, star in the recently-released "Girls Gone Grabblin"' DVD, available at Bass Pro Shops all over the country.

The DVD is the second in a series produced by the girls' aunt and uncle, Marty and Fostana Jenkins. The Jenkinses have been catfish grabblin' since 1982.

The Sims girls got involved with the production of the DVD after their first catch -- a 45-pound catfish, just two years ago.

"You're scared and iffy at first, but it's great," said Ashley, a graduate of Heritage High School and cosmetology student.

The girls' mother, Kim, even made an appearance in the film, saying the experience provided a great opportunity to bond with her girls.

No glamour in grabblin'

Though there's nothing glamorous about grabblin', the girls have enjoyed the limelight the DVD has cast on them.

Country Music Television interviewed the sisters about their favorite Southern pastime. The interview will air several times during CMT's Country Fried segments.

If you'd like to catch the duo on CMT, tune into Charter Cable Channel 41 at 9 p.m. tonight, 9:30 p.m. on Monday, 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday or 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.

As the DVD makes perfectly clear, any woman can try her hand at grabblin'. A woman seven months pregnant even made an appearance on the DVD pulling a huge catfish from Watts Bar Lake.

Though Marty Jenkins warns of the dangers the large fish pose in the water, this doesn't seem to faze the dedicated female grabblers.

`Grabblin' 101'

The Sims girls were introduced to catfish grabblin' by their uncle, but other women aren't so lucky when it comes to learning the ropes of grabblin'.

The "Girls Gone Grabblin"' DVD offers "Grabblin' 101" narrated by Marty Jenkins.

According to Jenkins, the best time to go grabblin' is in June and July when catfish spawn and bed.

He said the best time to plan a grabblin' trip is in the winter when the water in area lakes is low enough to see the soon-to-be submerged hideaways.

These bedding holes can be natural, such as spaces between coastal rock or man-made digs constructed of barrels, pipe or wood. Catfish also bed often under boot ramps.

When the season rolls around, return to your submerged grabblin' spot with a few friends and a big stick and prepare for some Southern grown fun.

Be a grabblin' guru

The first step is to locate a bedding catfish. Once you know one is there, you can slowly run your fingers along the hole or use the grabblin' pole, with a hook on one end, to lure the sleeping giants.

Jenkins said once you hear the "thump" -- what can only be described as an angry catfish growl -- you know you're standing on top of one.

Jenkins said one grabbler must wrap her legs around the catfish as its pulled up to prevent its "roll" -- much like the death roll a crocodile performs.

With three or four other women to help you out, pull the catfish, by the mouth, from the water.

Be sure to get it completely out of the water, otherwise, as the DVD shows in its outakes, one fin flip can cause injury and a lot of chaos.

Jenkins said injury from fins and whiskers are less likely to occur when a catfish is bedding because they are mud-covered and worn down from digging.

Kari and Ashley Sims said they don't know if they'll make a regular habit of catfish grabblin', but they sure do enjoy it and hinted at a third DVD.

Ashley and Kari Sims said participants in the video practiced "catch and release" so not to disturb the spawning cycle, since catfish can carry 100,000 to 200,000 eggs during June and July.