Garden Route Grunter by Robin Fick

(Additional Images by Niel Malan & LeRoy Botha)

So, you would like to catch a Grunter on fly while on holiday along the Garden Route?

I receive frequent enquiries from flyfishers trying to lure grunter on the fly along our coastline. The information in this article will be relevant to fishing along the shores of the estuaries on the Garden Route stretching from the Gouritz River in the south to the Keurbooms system in the north.

As you read this you will establish along the way that there are some basics that will improve the odds in your favour, however as grunter can unfortunately not read do not take this information as gospel. Also, this comes from my experiences since I moved to the Garden Route in 1990 and, despite fishing many sessions since I retired six years ago, I cannot profess to being anywhere near confident enough to tell you that I will go down to the estuary and catch a grunter on fly. Accept your blank days and learn from them. I put them down to experimentation and a learning curve. I have tried to factor everything under various paragraphs but there will be cross-over thoughts on various experiences.

How to improve the odds in your favour:Know Your Quarry

The Spotted Grunter (Pomadasys commersonnii) spawn in spring with mature adults vacating the estuaries and leaving behind the immature fish. However, the good news is that they do not all leave and return at the same time so there are always fish available once the waters begin to warm up. If the winters are mild one may still find

the odd fish around. Further north, where the water is warmer, they will be available year round. As they frequent shallow water to feed, any disturbance like boating activity, swimmers, dogs, etc. will put the fish down.

They can grow to between eight and nine kilograms and any fish over 70cm on fly is considered a good catch. Due to angling pressure and illegal netting these fish are in rapid decline, so please release any fish that you do catch.

Where to Locate Them

Most bait anglers target grunter in deep channels. Despite this, the flapping of tails on the sandbanks is a sign of feeding fish and fish feeding in the shallows represent your best chance of hooking a fish. Big grunter have been caught deep by fly anglers fishing for kob but that is another chapter in progress.

Gaps in weedbeds, sand flats and points as well as drop-offs are where one should concentrate your fishing. Walk or boat to quiet areas on the water that you intend to fish.

What Grunter Eat

The list is really endless and they eat anything from prawns to sardine. As we are flyfishers and concentrate our fishing in the shallows we need to understand what those frequently tailing and swirling fish are eating.

The most common suspects when grunter are tailing are sand and mud prawn. These two food sources have different habitats and so you should use sand prawn flies on sand banks and mud prawn imitations over muddy shallows, depending on which you are fishing.

These two prawn species each have two breeding seasons and they become more orange in October and February as a result of them carrying eggs. During these periods I like some orange in my flies. I believe that an egg-bearing prawn will provide more nutrition for the fish and will be targeted by them.

Another favourite food in the estuaries, especially on mud banks and near reeds, is the marsh crab. If you can see these crabs fleeing into their holes or into the water as you walk along the edge then there is a good chance that grunter are close by

waiting for a crab to come into deep enough water to eat it. Grunter also enter weeded bays and flats on an incoming tide to pursue this food source.

Other minor food sources are various shrimps, gobies, sea horses, estuary worms, sand mussel, clams and small fish like gilchristella (round herring).

Recommended Tides

Ask any fishermen when it is best to fish and each one will give you a different stage of the tide, and even more when it is spring or neap tides. Some of these recommendations have surprised me as my logic tells me the best time to fish is on an incoming tide.

At this time the grunter have not had access to the shallows and must therefore be at their hungriest and most willing to take a fly - but I have often been proven wrong in this.

I generally like a lot of water movement and so I concentrate on rips over bars and points, as well as channels and gullies where the water enters and empties shallows. Why do I prefer faster running water? Well, these currents bring food to the fish in the same way that trout in a river feed on flies drifting down towards them. As in a river situation the grunter has less time to examine your fly and will grab it more readily.

If the river mouth has closed due to drought or water extraction I move on and look at another estuary. I have found the fish in these now basically still waters almost impossible to catch on a fly and that this is especially true if the water is crystal clear through lack of recent rain. When it does rain along the Garden Route the river flow changes to a light Coca-Cola or amber colour that will improve your catch rate, especially with surface flies that one can wake along the top.

Best Times to Fish

Low light conditions like overcast days, early morning and late evening are my preferred times to target grunter. However ideal tides, despite bright sunlight, can bring the fish on the bite. I try to coincide my fishing with low light, incoming tide and a good breeze to ruffle up the surface.

Extreme weather like strong winds and rain should not keep you off the water as this is the time when everyone else has gone home and you have the fishery to yourself.

Best Water Conditions

Tides have already been discussed, but water colour is another important factor that one should consider. I love rain as it discolours the water as it flows into the estuaries.

A +10lb fish that broke the hook!

In discoloured water the fish cannot examine your fly as closely as it can in clear water. When stained water is flowing strongly through feeding fish it is probably your best chance of tempting a grunter to take your fly. If this coincides with incoming tide conditions it is time to get excited about your fishing session.

Barometric Pressure

I have friends that are good and experienced anglers and they watch the barometer closely before even thinking about packing their tackle. For all the information that you require to plan your fishing trips I can recommend www.tides4fishing.com. It includes not only tides, but also tidal coefficients, water temperatures, wind velocity and direction, time of sunrise and sunset, moon phases, etc.

Flies

Over the last twenty-five years I have experimented with and have used many different patterns to catch grunter. These have always been similar in that they have been replicas of the prey that grunter feed on.

Since lure anglers began catching grunter on the surface with their walking-the-dog rattling lures fly tyers have also looked toward surface flies. Flies using deer hair, foam and sculpting fibre have subsequently come into being.

In the past few years the AGHA fly has really proved itself, as has the more recent sinking version of it. Leroy Botha’s prawn imitation has also caught its fair share of fish. I try my flavour of the day and when it fails I move off to the mudbanks and reeds where I tie on a crab imitation that has saved me blanking on many evenings.

The hook size that I prefer is usually a No4, but I have used it all the way down to a No8. Crab flies are usually a No4 or a No2 hook. I am happy to tie my flies on Mustad 34007 and S74SNP-DT long shank hooks. These are

stainless and a lot cheaper than Gama and others. I flatten the barbs as this is a lot easier and quicker to release the fish.

Just remember that it is usually pointless fishing a brown crab over a sand flat where the grunter prey on sand prawn or vice versa. I mentioned “usually” for a reason as one never knows with these fish. I have fished with guys that say that catching a permit is a lot easier than a grunter and we all know that permit are the ultimate fish to catch on the tropical flats.

Fly Rods

Firstly, a word of warning - salt water corrodes. Reel seats and stripping guides that are not anodised or protected from salt water are not recommended, and this is especially true of your favourite stillwater stick with a wooden insert reel fitting and nonanodised metal parts.

I use 8-weight rods in the form of an Epic 890C, a Sage X (both custom built by Derek Smith) and a factory Sage Xi3. These rods allow me to present bigger flies in the wind, a breeze or dead calm conditions. They say that today’s 8-weights are yesterday’s 9- weights, yet 9 weights are by far the more popular weight along our coastline. In the United States, 8-weights are the go-to rod weight. I also have two 7-weights, a Sage Xi3 and a Pacbay Fastline (again, both Derek Smith builds), which I should fish more.

The author putting his money where his mouth is

Having said that, fly anglers are fishing rods as light as 3-weights, but lets leave those lightweight rods to the experts and stick to rods that present very wind resistant flies to fish without spooking them without all the backcasts it takes for a light rod to cast the fly.

I have my rods custom made as with the components that Derek Smith uses they turn out lighter than factory builds. He also makes the grips a little thinner in diameter for my smaller hands. I have no flashy trimmings on the bindings that I select to blend in with the blank colour.

Fly Reels

All my friends know that I am a 3Tand fly reel fan and the TF70 crossover reel is my favourite for. I also use Sage and Shilton is my local favourite. There are many other makes that are suitable.

Any anodised reel with a decent (smooth) drag that holds a fly line and 100 metres of 30lb backing will suffice. If you use the same reel for bigger, longer-running fish I suggest you up your reel to a designated 8/9 weight reel that can hold 200 metres of backing. Hooking a big kob while fishing for grunter is not unheard of - I did it twice last season and was grateful for the extra backing.

I prefer titanium coloured reels as this finish does not show up scratches as much as the anodised colours. I must admit there are some really striking coloured reels on the market . I like to be practical - just dull old me. Scratches can be filled with a dab of UV glue on the silver reels. The patch will not show and will protect your reel from any saltwater intrusion.

For the record, I reel with my right hand as I find it easier when a fish backtracks towards me. If you feel awkward reeling with one hand switch to whatever feels natural.

Fly Lines

There is now such a choice of fly lines available that it can boggle the mind. Gone are the days when you a had one choice of a weight-forward-come-rocket-taper floating line with a taper that had to cover all your fishing.

As your flies for grunter are fairly windresistant I use the heavier front-tapered Scientific Anglers fly lines like the Redfish, Grand Slam, Titan and General Saltwater taper. Other fly line companies make equivalent fly lines. One can use tropical lines at the height of summer when the water is at its warmest and some of these lines can be used in cooler temperatures.

Most lines have welded loops on each end. I retain these loops but as a safety factor I tie a nail knot over the welding of the loop with 6kg nylon. A tip is to clean your fly line often as estuaries carry a lot of clingy “dirt”in suspension.

Leaders

during a session. I make use of the blood knot for tying up the tapered leader as the leader comes out straighter than using the double surgeon’s knot.

Always use a loop knot when tying on your fly as it gives the fly more movement in the water. There are several that one can use.

Odd Bits That Make Life Easier On the Water

As I always try to fish in a current my fly line would be washed away if I did not use a stripping basket. Having used many designs over the past I now use a plastic waste paper basket with a single projection in the middle of the bottom. I make two slits on the side to pass a belt through and I am ready to go. I don’t put holes in the bottom to drain water as it would fill with water if one wades too deep.

My basket doubles as a means to store my muddy booties on the way home so they can be washed when I arrive. The entire thing costs about 40 bucks.

I tie my own out of Maxima Ultragreen using the 60-20-20 rule.

The 60 butt section is half 40lb, half 30lb, the tapered section a third 25lb, a third 20lb, a third 15lb and the tippet is 12 or 10lb.

Some people just use a steady taper of two feet of 40, 30, 20, 15 and 12 or 10lb. I do not use fluorocarbon as it sinks, dragging the tip of your fly line down.

Work on a ten to eleven foot leader. In a powerful wind shorten your leader to achieve turnover and maybe use a stiff butt section of Masons, Rio or Scientific Anglers stiff nylon that is made for saltwater leaders. Also, in our windy coastline, check often for wind knots.

I make a perfection loop knot on the butt end to attach to the fly line and use the loop to loop for attaching the tippet which, if you are like me, becomes short very quickly as I go through all the different flies that I try

A Klein Brak mud prawn & its imitation - LeRoy Botha's "Iron Man"

This is another reason why I do not usually fish over the school holidays when the boaters ignore all the no wake zones and have zero consideration for wading anglers .

Hiking a Distance From Your Vehicle

I have a small back pack that holds some drinks, something to eat, a jacket, spare fly box with flies for kob and leeries and a 10- weight outfit strapped to the outside of the backpack. If mullet are around I swop the 10-weight for a 4/5-weight in the event that I find a feeding shoal along my walk to the grunter flats.

I have a small belt bag that contains a small fly box, tippet material and my fishing licence. On a homemade lanyard, using pieces of cane as spacers and clips made from 250lb piano wire, I attach braid scissors (which, being serrated, cut anything), forceps and my car keys. My cell phone is in a ziplock bag in the breast pocket of my fishing shirt and I keep another ziplock bag in the other pocket for used, wet flies that I wash with fresh water when I unpack at home. My reading glasses are also stored in this pocket.

You can also attach your landing net to the backpack. I use a strong magnet type holder for securing the landing net.

What to Wear

I wear hard sole booties - either the diving or flats varieties. They are comfortable (add

If you are wading on a big flat and have played a fish to your side a big landing net saves you from being spiked and from having to move off the flat to the shallows to land the fish. It is also easier to measure or weigh the fish in a net if you are that way inclined.

I prefer to wade and often use my SUP or float tube to cross deep channels to reach spots where I can stalk fish. One can use a boat for the same purpose but park the boat a reasonable distance from where you will be fishing.

Nothing ruins your chances for a fish on a tide more than a boat roaring across the flat you are fishing. When they see you fishing they stop and throw out an anchor with five meters of chain on it.

Time to move to another spot.

A moulded inner sole) to walk long distances, they keep most of the sand out and protect your feet from sharp objects.

When wading always wear lycra tights as underpants to prevent chafing. Over those wear neoprene or grey or beige nylon cammo shorts in summer or a fisherman’s full wetsuit when water cools.

A fishing shirt with ample pockets in beige or another subtle colour to blend into the background will keep you from sunburn. This is not the tropics where the fashion is to wear outrageous colours. This may be incorrect but I once read that blue is the first colour that fish see, so it begs the question as to why so many anglers wear blue. I thought it would blend with the sky but I shelved the idea when I read the article.

A background-coloured cap (wind and hats do not work) and amber coloured polaroids complete the necessities. Sungloves are required if you have a very sensitive skin. I tend to fish times when the sun is not at its strongest and save them for the Seychelles and other venues when I find myself fishing throughout the day.

Safety

I fish alone and on private property most of the time so I see very few other people. I do not carry, as the expression goes, but do have pepper spray handy. Just beware of your surroundings and let someone know where you are and realise that your valuables can be replaced but being dead means the end of your fishing days. Some fly anglers will have other priorities, if you know what I mean.

Casting or Fishing?

Before I bust my casting wrist in a quad bike accident, resulting in a wrist and hand that is now held together with two plates and twelve screws, I could cast full fly lines plus a bit more. But now, with old age and arthritis setting in, I watch fly anglers casting over the horizon while I catch fish at 30 to 60 feet. The difference is that they are casting and I am fishing

Think of how many unseen fish fish you are lining and chasing off the flat as you try for that tailing fish a hundred feet away. I have have had grunter swim around my legs and this is something only achieved by stealth. I have actually dip-sticked a 74cm grunter that was actively feeding around me.

The further one casts the harder it is to hook a grunter or see what is happening with your fly. So often I see anglers plough into the water where the fish had been just before their environment was disturbed by the angler. Boat traffic and the noise anglers make in a boat is a message to the fish to move to a quieter place.

I have caught grunter with their backs out of the water chasing crabs on the fringes of reeds in a foot of water. One step in the water and that fish would have fled to deep water.

While I tackle up I always watch the water for signs of fish or, if I have to walk to a spot, I stand back from the water to watch for a while and see what is happening. Often the fish have not moved into the fishing spot (depending on tide and water temperature, the glass dropping, etc) or prefer another place and I move on. The more you fish a specific estuary, the more you learn about the whims of that specific water.

Many blank days can be considered a learning curve and paying your dues, as that one red letter day will comes around and you will catch that first grunter and then the second and the third. You will go back to the same spot on the next tide or day and, you guessed it, there’s not a single fish to be seen.

Welcome to the world of the grunter flyfisher.

Spotted Grunter ~ Pomadasys commersonnii

Spotted grunter (also small spotted grunt or javelin fish) are wide-spread from between Cape Point and False Bay, along the eastern coast of Africa as well as Madagascar.

Shallow coastal areas are favoured and they can often be found in the brackish waters of estuaries or lagoons. Fresh water is tolerated. They are most abundant in Cape waters once summer water temperatures rise.

They feed on sand prawns, worms and crustaceans, which they uncover by reversing the pumping action of their gill chambers and squirting a jet of water from their mouths to ‘blow’ prey from their burrows. Mole crabs (sea lice) and small bivalves are also eaten. In inactivity referred to as ‘tailing’, spotted grunter are often seen with their tails waving out of the water on shallow banks as they feed head-down.

They produce a grunting sound in their throats by grinding their strong jaws together.

They can grow up to 80cm in length and live for fifteen years. Maturity is reached at approximately 40cm or three years old. Spawning takes place in open sea in late winter and both the newly hatched fry and adults make their way into estuaries to forage in the nutrientrich waters.

The dependence on estuaries make this species vulnerable to the effects of environmental degradation resulting from siltation, pollution and dredging. As an exceptional table fish it is also threatened by over-fishing.

Minimum size limit: 40cm Bag limit: 5 SASSI: RED - Don’t buy or sell spotted grunter. Rather choose a green-listed species.

Sources: Two Oceans Aquarium - www.aquarium.co.za "A Guide to The Common Sea Fishes of Southern Africa" - Rudy vd Elst