Home Sweet Home.

Pulling on the layers of warm clothing beneath waders was a feeling that I hadn't realized I had missed. Stepping into the chilly waters and feeling the pull of the current on my legs brought a smile to my face. The 3wt I carried felt like it was made of air compared to the 10wts I usually wield. The 6x tippet was much thinner and more fragile than I'd remembered it to be. The winter in the northeast is beautiful, a different kind of beautiful than the caribbean, but beautiful nonetheless. I looked around and soaked in every detail; the crunch of the ice and leaves as we walked to the water, the scrape of branches against my wading jacket as we bushwhacked through the undergrowth, the strangely shaped ice formations and the dead leaves trapped against the rocks, wavering in the current. I was home.

Traveling home for the holidays was something I was looking forward to for many reasons, friends and family chief among them. After not experiencing a winter for two years, I was pumped to feel the cold air and see some snow.

I was also looking forward to some small stream fishing for wild browns.

Mark and I have fished these small tributaries on the last two Christmas Eve's that I was home for and it would be great to hit them up again. They flow in to a lake near our parent's house and are full of small, wild fish. Sometimes, larger fish will swim up from the lake to spawn, but that is exceedingly rare.

Wearing drab-colored wading jackets and tip-toeing our way into positions for proper drifts in the tiny pocket water, we were able to entice a few beautiful, perfectly formed gems from their lairs.

Brilliant.

The 3wt became comfortable after a few practice casts.

About 14 more articles of clothing than I am now used to wearing while fishing...

Spots.

Thanks, little guy.