54 and 16

Two numbers that made me very happy. 54 degrees, really, January, no shelf ice, no gloves, no balaclava, no toe warmers...I'll take it and apparently so will the bunches of others I saw as I drove by Church Pool.

16 - the size of the browns that came to net today. The first was a sharp take and a great fight in water about 3 feet deep. I've really had to educate myself with regard to winter fishing. Cold weather makes this fishing a completely different ballgame. I chose a side channel, in an area where I have fished before but not as far down as this trip.

fish taken tight to the bank just left of the tree

this fish took a Vladi woven nymph, green / yellow

Again, time was my enemy however, I'll forgive the clock this day. I mean, how can you complain given the conditions. As I was gearing down back at the car, a DEP pickup pulls up and a young guy hopes out and walks over to me. He was part of a survey the DEP was conducting. He asked what town I was from, how often I fished the Farmy, what method I had been fishing, had I caught anything today and a host of other questions. I'm hoping the DEP realizes what a jewel they have and just how much revenue this past time brings to the CT.

note the red elastomer behind the eye

still amazed at the storm damage from last year

I'll take days like this one all winter long...tight lines and warm hands!