While faithfully observing the vaunted Falmouth squid fleet for signs of life, I caught…bronchitis and something else.

While I have been recuperating, all sorts of things have been happening. Apparently people have been catching fish left and right. But beat this if you can: I spent more than four days housebound, and my catch rate did not fall off one iota. How many people can say that?

This makes me feel jealous, hungry, and damp all at the same time. Oh, it is a painting on copper by Jan van Kessel the Elder (1612 - 1679), and you can click on it for a larger view. The first one who can accurately identify all the sea creatures in there gets a prize of my choosing.

Okay, my friend Jay says there are squid all over the place, squid coming out his ears, he says, and he’s caught a mess of them. Well, then, I am feeling pretty darn poorly about missing the arrival of those blasted squid, and I’m not going to stand by and be made a fool of, not again. This picture here is one of those prep school, hatchery trout that I got last week. Now I’m going to thaw this guy and eat him. That’s right. This baby is going down, and no one’s gonna stop me. Moby Dick can’t stop me. Yeah.

See this? I’m da man. No one makes a fool of me over and over, specially not no fish, extra specially not no squid. Yeah, this baby tastes extra sweet right now. And I’m going out tomorrow night and get me a keeper striped bass. And I’m not even gonna stretch him. And he’s gonna taste even sweeter. Maybe I’ll even buy me a squid somewhere and catch that bass on a squid. Ain’t no squid gonna make a fool out of me.

This trout tastes darn good and darn sweet and, gaa… and, urgh… Got a bone.