5 minute freewrite 3012 prompt retired goldfish

This is my post for #freewriters 3012 prompt retired goldfish hosted by @mariannewest

These are pompano, we fishermen call them goldfish, and no, neither of us caught them recently. It was August of 2023, before my hand got too bad to fish. This was our best catch of pompano to date. We weighed them together so I do not know how many pounds we each had, but we weighed up 400 pounds. If I remember right, we got 6.50 a pound for them.

Before my sister started fishing with me, I had spent the last two years being a retired goldfish-erman. I told her of catches like this, but she started fishing with me at the wrong time of year, and this year, when we found them, they would not bite. It was not only us having trouble catching them, but they also did not bite very well for anyone. It was a rough fall.

Usually, this time of year, we would catch them near the inlet on the flood tide because the river water is too cold. This year, the ocean water is colder than the river water. One thing with pompano is that they will not bite if the water temperature is under 65, and the ocean water is 59. When it gets that cold, they go south and will not be back this way until the water warms up.
That is okay with me because I have too much to take care of around the yard.

I have been seeing a wild rabbit near the spot I dump the grasses that Rudy did not eat. After the cold weather I put a piece of kale out for it. The rabbit never eats Rudy's leftovers but I thought it would eat the kale, it didn't eat it. A few days ago, I had the idea of putting some more kale out for it, but this time I put it in a pot like it was a plant. It did not touch it. If it was a plant I cared about, it would be gone.

Today, when I dumped Rudy's leftovers, I had the bottom piece of romaine lettuce, and I decided to make it look like it was a plant in the ground. Tomorrow I will see if the rabbit ate it.

I also stuck two kale stems in the ground, it will be interesting to see if the rabbit eats any of it.

I feel guilty enough when I am cutting grass for Rudy, and today to have a rabbit sit there and watch me made me feel worse. Between me picking it and them eating it, there is not much. I did my best to get it from the tallest parts, but I had to pick some lower so Rudy would have enough.
photos are mine