Urban Fly Fishing in December

Yesterday was a pretty good day to cast a line around town. I fished tree pieces of the same water system, the old water tower mill pond, the drain I discovered earlier this week, and a set of shallow glides bellow a decaying factory. It's not the cleanest, and I always wash my gear after I fish it, but believe it or not some really pretty fish live in polluted urban water.
I have limits. There is water that is just too gross to touch. But if it doesn't hold two headed catfish, smell like feces, or contain heavy metals I'll fish it. Besides it is extremely entertaining to look at the faces of people walking by when I'm casting flies into a concrete hole with my St. Croix Avid 3 wgt. It is even more enjoyable to answer "yes, and gorgeous ones" to the fisherman who stop to ask if there are actually fish here.

It has been a while since I last caught a pickerel, and this stunning little fellow was a joy.