January Thaw, a small stream and a top 10

Last week here in the northeast we managed to come out of the deep freeze and begin a January thaw. Several days flirted with that 50 degree mark and with bright sunshine it felt wonderful. So on Wednesday I chose to fish a nice little stream that flows through a chunk of state forest. I've never observed another angler on this stream other than Kirk or Mark. So you can really enjoy the peace and solitude. This was a day that I had planned to fish the usual group of flies, Picket Pin, Pinkie, and perhaps a dry fly or two and that's exactly how I did it.

The stream was incredible. The flow was about perfect, the water clarity was brilliant, and with the sun shinning off of it made it look like ice crystals. I'm thankful places like these are protected from human development and will remain as they are.

This is the fly that took a beating this day. It's a Picket Pin tied on a somewhat different hook. I tied it on a Mustad C53S curved hook. I think if I were to tie in a tuft of marabou for the tail, or perhaps the wing instead of squirrel tail it might also be a fish taker.

This little section has become a favorite. It has a nice long run, it's fairly deep, has some structure, a good set of riffles at the head, and those wonderful hemlocks.

So I let the Pin drift down through, retrieved it several times and was greeted with a swipe in the riffles. So the on the next drift the fish struck and was on.

In a few moments I had the fish to hand. A beautiful wild brook trout. The color as well as the hook on the jaw stood out. A quick photo and off he went.

As many of these beautiful wild jewels I've caught in small streams over the years I might classify this as one of the top 10.

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