6 minute read
GUNING FOR GARRICK
How to land leeries in KwaZulu-Natal
Article by Justin Paynter and art illustrations by Tony Fredriksson
ATRULY elegant looking species,garrick are large predatory fish which can reach 1.5m in length and occasionally weigh more than 25kg,however,in South Africa,a fish of 18kg is regarded as large.They are generally found in small,loose groups rather than large schools of fish.A fast growing species,garrick have a lifespan of about ten years.
This just one of the names that has been given to these fish,specifically because they are hard fighting but fair fighting fish.Also known as leervis or leeries, their scientifc name is Lichia amia.They are generally considered one of the more difficult species to catch,but generally if you hook one you’ll land it.
Garrick are found in the waters off the Western- and Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) during the summer months.They tend to migrate up the coast chasing the sardines in the winter months,moving all the way up to the northern parts of KZN,sometimes even
being caught in Moçambique.Spawning occurs along the central KZN coast from September to November.
These fish like shallow waters where they can target baitfish.They also tend to enjoy surging water,rips and the surf zone.By surf zone,I mean mid-break.This is where a wave has broken and it has created white aerated water before it reforms and follows the same process until it hits the shore.
The best place for ski-boaters to target them is just off the backline.
Garrick appear on the South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative Red List because the population is judged to be at 14% of its pristine level.The current bag limit is two per person per day,with a minimum size of 70cm total length.
This species is especially vulnerable because the fish are found in areas where they can be caught both from the shore and from boats.This makes them a target species for anglers using many different fishing platforms and unfortunately this puts them under huge pressure.
Anglers are encouraged to release garrick,but if you plan to release your fish,be careful not to touch their gills. One notable recapture of a released garrick was made off Richards Bay on the Northern KZN coast,by Jonathan Booysen.He released a garrick in that area on 29 August 2009 and recaught (and released) the same fish on 18 July 2010.
My bottom line with tackle for garrick is:The lighter the better.As previously discussed,the garrick is a hard but fair fighter and won’t reef you.
My suggested trolling rods are the Kingfisher Couta Lite, the Dorado ski and the Grandwave boat rod.When it comes to trolling reels,I would recommend the Daiwa Saltist 40H.
However,if you want to break the conventional model that has worked for many years,I would strongly recommend moving over to a grinder setup.As I have stated in previous articles,this is the way of the future,and I can assure you that you will land more fish.
If you make the leap,the grinder setup I would recommend is a BG 4500 paired with a Saltist spinning rod.
Leader:
Again,the lighter the better,and 44lb Siglon is the heaviest Iwould go. Remember,the more pulls you want,the lighter you must go.I would suggest using a leader and not tying your hook directly to your line,as garrick have harder mouths than most fish and this creates friction on the line during the fight.I like to use a long leader,generally 3- to 5 metres long.I tie the leader onto my line and then the hook directly onto that.I don’t use a swivel as I want it to look as natural as possible.
Hooks:
In an effort to ensure the sustainability of these fish for years to come,I suggest using
a circle hook.This allows for a great hook up and and even better release.
These fish like to take a baitfish,scale it and turn it headfirst towards them before swallowing it.If you use a normal J or treble hook in your bait,garrick tend to swallow it and that makes removal of the hook nearly impossible.
Some anglers like to use a back to back hook.Yes,it gives you a great hookup,but again, trying to remove it is extremely difficult and in most cases you end up damaging and thus killing the fish.
Lures:
I have a few favourites:Yo zuri minnows,Halco 120,and Williamson 130.You can also use a Pulsator strip bait trace like the one you would use for catching snoek.
Other options to try are Ice cream plugs and a Halco Twisty.
Trolling:
When you’re trolling livebait for garrick,you should only have one motor just clicked into gear,and your speed should be around 1.9–2.5km/h.
Trolling speeds will vary when you’re using lures;the bigger the lure,the faster you can go. For a small lure your speed should be 8–10km/h and for bigger lures 10–16km/h.
Ihave discussed targeting these fish from a boat on the sea because although many of them are caught in harbours and estuaries and that can be a lot of fun on light tackle,for me,navigating my boat through the surf trying to get these fish to feed is the most exciting part.Here are some helpful hints while skippering your boat in the zone:
•Ensure you are a confident skipper in the surf before trying to target these fish in this manner.
•Always have both motors switched on even though only one will be in gear when trolling.That way,if you do get into a sticky situation,you can quickly click the other motor into gear and either punch through or run away from the wave.
•The skipper should always be vigilant,constantly watching the swells,and never be distracted or get engaged with helping setting rods,clearing rods,baiting up etc.It only takes a split second for something to go wrong.
It’s great fun catching these fish,but boating them to release them is challenging.When you gaff a fish it’s easy to pull it over the gunnel,but it’s not as easy when you’re trying to carefully land a fish without injuring it.This is when tackle gets broken and we tend to lose fish.Over the past couple of years I have found that a large net works extremely well for getting the garrick onboard so you can get a photo and safely remove the hooks.
Kickstart your garrick season with a bang by putting some of these tips into action.It’s been an unreal last couple of years for these fish and this year is lining up to be another cracker.
For more fishing tips and advice, follow Justin Paynter on jt_paynter or saltwateroracle.
