It Was Pouring Rain, but a Great Time to Catch Fish in the L.A. River

Yesterday, photographer and bridge blogger David Kimbrough headed to the Fletcher Street Bridge to take some photos of the river. But what he found was quite unexpected. In his own words, he tells us what happened:

I had stopped by the LA River just to get a few photos of the river in a rage. So I see this guy down there wading on the bike trail in his underwear and bare feet. At first I thought that maybe he was homeless and his encampment had been washed away, but it had been raining for almost 24 hours at this point and, given the strength and speed of the current, there could not have been anything left. He was jumping about waving his arms so I began to suspect that he was, well, crazy.

Then I saw what he was doing: he was grabbing fish. I saw a little carp just wash up on the bike bath and the flop itself back into the water. That black plastic bag was where he had placed his catch. Then, just when I had my camera on him, he reached in and grabbed this enormous carp! It was actually able to fight its way free from his grip but it headed for shallower waters in stead of deeper and he caught it again.

He then put his pants, socks, and shoes back on and walked off home with his dinner in the bag.

David said his name is Jose, or "solamente Jose." Jose called the fish a cahuacha, but it definitely looks like a carp, which can be found in the river, as noted in Jessica Hall's and Joe Linton's guide to fish in the river. Thanks for the story and photos, David!