So, catfish in the Bricktown canal....

[Joe Kimball]

I read about this in the Myriad Gardens thread. How long were the catfish known to be there? Any pics?

[jmarkross]

Soon...there will be a nationwide sensation..."Noodling In Bricktown"...imagine all the old ladies from Minnesota grabbing those catfish out of the water....

[Kerry]

If you have a body of water, fish are going to live there. Nature finds away.

[OKCRT]

There was a guy that noodled a 30 LB catfish out of the river down around Rockwell & I-40. That is the same body of water so I would assume that there are fish just about anywhere in the river including the canal. Next thing we will here is that someone noodled the world record catfish out of bricktown. Talk about all the tourists!!! Giant fish fry in Bricktown!! Free for all.

[Joe Kimball]

Haha! Not talking about noodling, guys. I'm also not dumbfounded as to their existence. Just curious to the extent of my original post. Though that's interesting about the noodling near Rockwell.

[Jesseda]

i thought they put chemicals in the bricktown canal?

[OKCisOK4me]

There was a guy that noodled a 30 LB catfish out of the river down around Rockwell & I-40. That is the same body of water so I would assume that there are fish just about anywhere in the river including the canal. Next thing we will here is that someone noodled the world record catfish out of bricktown. Talk about all the tourists!!! Giant fish fry in Bricktown!! Free for all.

The canal and the river are not connected.

[Jesseda]

so can you fish in the park part of the canal south of the current I-40, lol

[Steve]

Heard this a while back. The way the fish get in the canal is the eggs apparently get attached to birds from time to time as they go from one body of water to another. The canal is essentially like a very long cement swimming pool; it is not connected to the river in any way. It was filled with fire hoses (not kidding)

[kevinpate]

so can you fish in the park part of the canal south of the current I-40, lol

My lovely and I once watched a young lady squat down near the south turnaround of the canal and scoop up a small fish. She showed it to the other lass with her, who screamed at it being so close to her face. Still having a whole lot of country in us, we smiled and enjoyed the show.

[icecold]

Heard this a while back. The way the fish get in the canal is the eggs apparently get attached to birds from time to time as they go from one body of water to another. The canal is essentially like a very long cement swimming pool; it is not connected to the river in any way. It was filled with fire hoses (not kidding)

I guess by awhile back you meant today when you read my post on the Myraid Gardens thread...

[Steve]

Sorry icecold, no foul intended. I didn't read your post on the Myriad Gardens thread, which I don't think I read. I was referring to a story done a few years back. It was the following story I was recalling:

Music, water refresh Bricktown
Strange items, including fish, turn up during canal cleaning.

By Bryan Dean
Staff Writer
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Edition: CITY, Section: NEWS, Page 11A
Linked Objects: (Click image for details)
City workers cleaning the Bricktown canal on Wednesday found evidence of a very bad day for an Alaska man.

They found a wallet, complete with credit cards and a driver's license with an Anchorage, Alaska, address.

Parks spokeswoman Jennifer Lindsay-McClintock said city workers are trying to find the Alaska man. They can only wonder how the man's wallet found its way to the bottom of the canal and why he didn't try to retrieve it.

Workers for Oklahoma City's parks department drained the canal Tuesday and began the long process of cleaning it Wednesday.

Baby strollers, a skate board, restaurant chairs, an MP3 player, cell phones and sunglasses were among the items left behind when the water drained away.

McClintock isn't sure how baby strollers ended up there, either.

"We just have no idea," she said. "It's a mystery. A lot of people don't know it's all concrete. They don't know how deep the water is."

Like the last time workers cleaned the canal, fish also were discovered. The canal is not connected to any natural waterway. There are plenty of theories as to how fish end up in the canal, though no one knows for sure.

Bass Pro Shops occasionally stocks fish in a pond in front of the store, which is connected to the canal, though Bass Pro officials say they put a barrier between the pond and the canal that keeps fish from escaping.

Others theorize waterfowl might bring fish eggs to the canal stuck on their feet or legs. McClintock said people might even be dumping their goldfish bowls into the canal.

How is the canal cleaned?

However, when debris ends up in the canal, it's Greg Crotchett's job to get it out. Crotchett, a supervisor for the parks department, is leading a crew who will spend at least five or six days cleaning the canal.

"We do this about every two years," Crotchett said. "We open the drain valves, drain all the water out and then get in and start picking up all the large debris."

Skid steer loaders and trucks are then placed in the canal to start scooping the accumulated mud off the concrete floor.

"When that's done, we come in with fire hoses and hose off the canal floor and walls," he said. After that, the canal is filled again.

Complicating matters this year is the weather. Temperatures were in the low 20s Wednesday as crews picked larger items out of the canal. A layer of ice covered the mud, which prevented workers from using heavy equipment that might slip and damage the canal.

Before the canal is refilled, Water Taxi will install a guidance system under one of its bridges to allow fabric tops to be installed on the canal boats.

Chad Huntington, general manager of Water Taxi, said one of the biggest complaints he gets is the lack of shade on his boats.

"Most of the people have understood when we told them some of the bridges have low clearance," Huntington said. "The one hurdle that we had was related to the bridge that is now known as the Devon bridge right by Chelinos."

Huntington said the clearance between the bridge and the fabric boat covers would be so small that it would be impossible for drivers to guide the boats through without causing damage. The automatic rollers the company plans to install will solve the problem.

Huntington said the boats won't be covered all the time. Riders want a good view. But when temperatures climb in July and August, shade will be in demand.

Items found in Bricktown canal

Two baby strollers

Four chairs

Clothing including shorts, t-shirts and a sweater

Toys including a purple plastic motorcycle, a Veggie Tales tow and rubber balls

Numerous cell phones

An MP3 player

Sunglasses

A skateboard

A Redhawks baseball

[Platemaker]

Gosh... hope the babies weren't in the strollers! ; )

[OKCRT]

Someone might want to slip a big old record setting catfish in that canal and have the news on hand to report on it. That would get worldwide attention.

I could see it now. How did a big old catfish get in the bricktown canal? Well it prob. jumped over the barrier between the River and the canal. Or maybe it escaped from the Bass Pro pond? Maybe a bird carried it in?

Oh my,the possibilities.

Baby strollers found in canal? No babies but one big fat catfish!!

[jmarkross]

Someone might want to slip a big old record setting catfish in that canal and have the news on hand to report on it. That would get worldwide attention.

I could see it now. How did a big old catfish get in the bricktown canal? Well it prob. jumped over the barrier between the River and the canal. Or maybe it escaped from the Bass Pro pond? Maybe a bird carried it in?

Oh my,the possibilities.

Baby strollers found in canal? No babies but one big fat catfish!!

Maybe get on that talks and says clever things??

[TheTravellers]

Thursday, January 24, 2008
...

Complicating matters this year is the weather. Temperatures were in the low 20s Wednesday as crews picked larger items out of the canal. A layer of ice covered the mud, which prevented workers from using heavy equipment that might slip and damage the canal.
...

Um, why don't they clean the canal during the other 9 months of the year when it's *not* in the 20s with ice covering everything? Yeah, I know that's when it's the least used, but seriously, they can't find a better time than mid-January?

[Joe Kimball]

Wow, Steve, thanks for all of the detail. Also thanks to everyone else.

I'm totally speculating, I'm sure that the mid-January time is chosen not only because it's when the canal is least used, but the time of year tends that way as well; I'd imagine that draining and cleaning the canal is a very unsightly process, and it's especially important now as ever to keep the appearances up and do the dirty stuff when fewest eyes are looking. The chance of ice is probably a small issue in comparison.

[Patrick]

Um, why don't they clean the canal during the other 9 months of the year when it's *not* in the 20s with ice covering everything? Yeah, I know that's when it's the least used, but seriously, they can't find a better time than mid-January?

Wouldn't make much since to drain it and clean it when it's being used most.

[mburlison]

I thought the Canal was well water?

[Steve]

Nope. It's fire hydrant water.

[bluedogok]

I always liked the color of the canal water when they first fill it after a draining/cleaning before adding the dye. I know it wouldn't stay that color for long though.

[TheTravellers]

Wouldn't make much since to drain it and clean it when it's being used most.

I didn't say I thought it has to be cleaned when it's used most, just asked why they can't do it when it's used not as much and not during the months when ice storms occur most often. Why not the end of February or beginning of March?

[bluedogok]

In the past I think they did the cleaning in January/February.