Thanks for a heads up from Moldy Chum, I was directed to this web site for smart fish.

This all leads me to a story I have heard told many times by famed Maine humorist Joe Perham. It goes something like this – and remember, fishermen don’t lie!

A fella was out fishing one day and he caught a 6 inch brook trout. The fisherman took the trout off his hook and put him back in the water. Within minutes, the fish jumped back up out of the water and landed in the boat. No matter what the fisherman did, the trout jumped back into the boat.

So, the fisherman took the trout home in some water and kept him as a pet. Over time he trained the little fish to stay out of the water for long periods of time until eventually, the fish didn’t need water to live in at all.

Tommy, that was what the fisherman named him, was so smart, his owner taught him many things. He taught him how to whistle, how to beg and roll over. He even taught him how to come when he called him.

One day the fisherman took Tommy for a ride on his bicycle. He made a special place for him right up front in the basket on the front of his bicylce. They were tooling along on the bike and came to a bridge over the brook. One of the boards was a bit loose on the deck of the bridge and when the fisherman hit that board, the bike bounced quite hard. When it did, Tommy flew out of the basket and landed in the brook and drowned.

This story comes from one of Joe Perham’s CDs entitled, “Tall Tales and Damn Lies“.

Tom Remington