# Monsoon commute (I hit a fish)



## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

It was raining when I left the house this morning at 4:45am. This is Hawaii, it is liquid sunshine at 75 degrees. It must have been raining a little harder in the mountains because I guess that I just missed a flash flood that went over the bike path. The path still had 2-3" of water flowing over it so I unclipped my right foot and kind of skipped along slowly. Suddenly my front wheel hit something and I stopped. Looking down in the dark, I could make out something in the water. I had hit a catfish about 12" long. Since I had my camera, I knew that I had to take a picture or no one would believe me. I also took some shots of the bike path as it was affected by the flood. One more picture to show that the fish survived. No animals were harmed in the filming of this series.


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## SCW (Mar 19, 2005)

Can't say that I've every even had the chance to hit a fish on the bike. Never PM'd MB1 either, for that matter....


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## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

*now that is first*

and to think you could have picked up lunch on your commute.

How bizzare is that?


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## ColdRider (Mar 17, 2005)

Bigbill,

you are right. You never could've pulled "I hit a catfish" without pics to back it up. That said, that is just crazy  

Keep the great pics coming!

CR


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Shows you are not a true Islander.*

A local boy would only think one thing.

SUSHI!!


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## orange_julius (Jan 24, 2003)

MB1 said:


> A local boy would only think one thing.
> 
> SUSHI!!


Is catfish sashimi actually good? I have only had sea-borne fish and other animals as sushi/sashimi.

Damn, it's so much nicer reading this forum instead of the usual General Discussion stuff. I think I'll lurk here for a while now ;-).


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

bigbill said:


> It was raining when I left the house this morning at 4:45am. This is Hawaii, it is liquid sunshine at 75 degrees. It must have been raining a little harder in the mountains because I guess that I just missed a flash flood that went over the bike path. The path still had 2-3" of water flowing over it so I unclipped my right foot and kind of skipped along slowly. Suddenly my front wheel hit something and I stopped. Looking down in the dark, I could make out something in the water. I had hit a catfish about 12" long. Since I had my camera, I knew that I had to take a picture or no one would believe me. I also took some shots of the bike path as it was affected by the flood. One more picture to show that the fish survived. No animals were harmed in the filming of this series.


Cool Story

Next time I update the map I'm replacing the little bike icon "dot" with a fishing icon "dot" for your dot.

Scot


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*No need to lurk, join right in.*

nmnmndm


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## OneGear (Aug 19, 2005)

orange_julius said:


> Is catfish sashimi actually good? I have only had sea-borne fish and other animals as sushi/sashimi.
> 
> Damn, it's so much nicer reading this forum instead of the usual General Discussion stuff. I think I'll lurk here for a while now ;-).


Never heard of catfish sashimi to be honest


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

*Cool Fish!*

OK, I've got to say hitting a fish is the coolest thing I've read in a while. I'm pretty sure I don't know of anyone that can claim that. I just got back from a couple of weeks in Maui last week. Lots of rain in the mornings. Coming from the desert it was pretty cool. Even cooler that we ran around in it like it was nothing.


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## SlowerThenSnot (Sep 26, 2004)

*I've hit land animals but*

never a fish. Also a few birds....

Way to go with the pics!


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

*Update on the fish.*

The locals here at work tell me that the fish was a chinese catfish. Around this end of Oahu there are alot of watercress and some rice ponds. The catfish are raised in the ponds and are unique because their dorsal fin doesn't stick up like a regular catfish. That would be pretty important while working barefoot in the ponds. I guess a pond was flooded out upstream somewhere. The MUT is now unrideable with 3-4" of mud covering a 100 yard stretch of path. No way to go around except via the Kamehameha Highway. That is how I got to work today. Instead of the usual 16.5 mph average speed commute, I averaged 19.8mph. I think the steady stream of cars buzzing me helped my average. 

About the sashimi part, ahi makes the best. You can get it in the deli section of any grocery store here.


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## Andy M-S (Feb 3, 2004)

*Carp*

The MUT here that I often take for part of my commute passes through a marsh along the Little La Crosse river, and near the Black. When we had some flooding a couple of years ago, most of it was at least partially underwater. One day, on a rise, I found a pair of Carp that must have been swept over it when the river rose.

Then there are the snakes...


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## bigrider (Jun 27, 2002)

That's a first for me. Live fish in the road.


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## fastfullback (Feb 9, 2005)

*I wish I'd hit a fish.*

On the way in today I had the cringe moment of running over a small pile of unidentifiable beige goo... I saw it too late. Thank goodness for full fenders. I've convinced myself it was just some cardboard obliterated by the rain. 

Ahi sashimi in the grocery stores, that's so Hawaiian. Where I vacation there's rabbit in the grocery stores.


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## FishrCutB8 (Aug 2, 2004)

HEY!!! Watch out for the Fish!!!


Signed,

Fish


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## bigrider (Jun 27, 2002)

FishrCutB8 said:


> HEY!!! Watch out for the Fish!!!
> 
> 
> Signed,
> ...



I take it that you would not be using a plug to catch this fish. What kind of cut bait would one use on a hawaian catfish?


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## wayneanneli (Jul 8, 2004)

Hey Bill, 
Great story, and photographic proof that you are indeed an animal lover (or fish lover) . Only in Hawaii can you ride over a fish. In this part of the world, I'll probably get trampled over by a deer or a moose in the middle of winter before I run over something as small as a fish.
Cheers, Wayne
ps. we've got snow... any snow at your end?


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## The Walrus (Apr 2, 2000)

He manages to hit (and photograph) a fish, but can he ever oblige us with any _wahines_? Sheesh. (I'm not suggesting you hit any young ladies, by the way....)


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## tmotz (May 16, 2002)

*Had an experience like that*

years ago in Phoenix. Early 80's I rode my BMX bike thru a irrigation canal and a fish floated to the top. Must came down from the mountains via canal system.


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## AIE (Feb 2, 2004)

*Semi-related, silly question*

Are there native freshwater fish on the islands? Any fish eggs travel there in the mouth of a pelican 100 million years ago or something like that?


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## AIE (Feb 2, 2004)

*To answer my own question...*



Alex-in-Evanston said:


> Are there native freshwater fish on the islands? Any fish eggs travel there in the mouth of a pelican 100 million years ago or something like that?


5 endemic fish species in Hawaiin streams, all amphidromous - migrating between fresh and salt water. Looks like no native fish species completely confined to the freshwater streams. 

Interesting.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

Alex-in-Evanston said:


> 5 endemic fish species in Hawaiin streams, all amphidromous - migrating between fresh and salt water. Looks like no native fish species completely confined to the freshwater streams.
> 
> Interesting.


I am glad that you answered your own question. I think that you asked it at about 3:45 am local time. The fish were imported a hundred years of so ago to be raised in ponds. Most of the fish in the streams are fresh and salt like you said, the most abundant being talapia. People eat talapia as a staple of their diet here. Since they are caught in brackish water, the trick is to put them in a barrel of fresh water for a day or so before you filet them. Here at work we have a soak tank for testing underwater cables. It usually has talapia in it.


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## FishrCutB8 (Aug 2, 2004)

I'm a fly fisher, so Imanage to avoid catching catfish. I do occasionally bait-fish, and when I do, the bait of choice is often the helgrammite (https://www.housatonicrods.com/060904_Helgrammite2sm.jpg).


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## fastfullback (Feb 9, 2005)

FishrCutB8 said:


> I'm a fly fisher, so Imanage to avoid catching catfish. I do occasionally bait-fish, and when I do, the bait of choice is often the helgrammite (https://www.housatonicrods.com/060904_Helgrammite2sm.jpg).


I'm a novice fly fisher, so I manage to avoid catching pretty much any kind of fish.


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## T-shirt (Aug 15, 2004)

SCW said:


> Never PM'd MB1 either, for that matter....


  that's a classic.


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## SJBiker (Jan 22, 2004)

*I hereby derail the thread*



FishrCutB8 said:


> I'm a fly fisher, so Imanage to avoid catching catfish. I do occasionally bait-fish, and when I do, the bait of choice is often the helgrammite (https://www.housatonicrods.com/060904_Helgrammite2sm.jpg).


here goes. Couldn't help it. Yes, they're all my own tying....Hope to get better at the hellies tho, I have a swap in progress so all my hellies are 'gone'.


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