I loved winter when I was a kid. Sledding, snowball fight, making a snowman.. Even that feling when you can´t feel your frozen fingers was kinda cool. With years, that love melted like snow in spring. . I guess turning point could of been when my buddy hit me with a ice snowball in the head.

Winter fishing is dull. It´s slow. Fish is in deep holes, season is closed for pike, only zander and perch are in the mood. Sava river´s water level varies a lot these days so we decided to go catch some perch. It´s been a while. We set a date with Elvis and we picked him up on a Saturday morning in a Top fishing store. It is cold as it should be in february and we don´t have problem with it. But somewhere half way to Draganići, starts to rain. I have my neopren waders and waterproof jacket with me, Robert is well dressed as well, but Elvis isn´t. He has sweat pants, Garbolino hoodie and a jacket on him. Model. Model who is cursing from the top of his lungs at the moment cause he is aware he´s gonna be wet moment he steps out of a car.

We parked, fortunately rain stopped for now and we gear up. I am trying to tie a knot, but frozen fingers do not listen. It took couple of minutes for me to do it. Robert already caught nice chub and couple of perch. Slit shad in peppermint colour proves himself again. And again and again. He found them and he is pulling them out one after another. Elvis does the same. He is using same lure, but in ghostuccino colour.

[ezcol_1half]Then rain starts again. Elvis jacket is frozen in a moment so he goes in the cover. I park on his place and start targeting perch spot. I sign up with a fish shortly and decide to try Crispy spider jig, new Sakura lure. Fish is active, now it´s time to see does it work. I feel some poking, I guess perch are just nibbling on a silicone skirt. Finally, a decent strike, and nice perch is on dry. Understand ´dry´ as a figure of speech, because rain is falling like crazy. Our rods, guides and noses are frozen. Robert´s on a hunt, perch can´t see Slit shad, they bite like they hate it. They don´t, they love it! I am going upstream, but nothing happens. Canal floats too fast here I suppose, and majoritiy of fish is where Robbie first found them. In the end of canal, in deep and calm water. So I am coming back. I rig Slit Finesse 75 in blue back colour on a jig hook, another noveltie from Sakura for this year. I cast it, let it sink and twitch it with short twitches of a rod tip and with long pauses inbetween.[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end][/ezcol_1half_end]

It looks like a minnow on a deathbed downthere I guess. Sharp strike followed with short fight and pikey is landed. Only for a moment, for it´s closed season for pike from 1st of february till 1st of april in Croatia. Although rain stopped, we´re done. Robert poked each and every perch out there, they stopped biting, Elvis is wet from head to toes, and I can´t feel my fingers any more. We´ll visit this canal in spring again.

I could come in a sweat pants then as well.