Targeting Leerfish / Garrick

My brother and I have loved targeting Leerie since we were little guys. We were very fortunate that my Dad was a very keen angler and was able to teach us how to catch this wonderful fish in very large numbers. My earliest recollection of big catches of Leeries was in the Swartkops river at a spot we called the “warm water”. My Dad was one of the pioneers of lure fishing so we regularly fished this spot, practically by ourselves. There was not much thinking on how to catch fish in this particular spot as the water came out very warm from the power station on the Swartkops river and the gamefish congregated here in their hundreds. This is where Lando and my love for the Leerie began.

My Dad has always been a conservationist and it was only natural for him to start tagging fish and I can remember a particular afternoon where Lando and I caught Leerie after Leerie which my Dad tagged and he never had one throw because one of us was in at all times. What a father does for his sons! It is now way down the line, the warm water is gone and you have to know a lot more now to catch those Leeries than in the old days. What I would like to tell you is that its not all doom and gloom, we have seen a massive increase of the Leerie stocks. This is partly due to good conservation rules, a beach ban of vehicles and simply the average Joe becoming much more aware of how important it is to let your catch go. Don’t get me wrong, there’s no harm done in keeping a fresh fish for the dinner table now and then. Once again, I’d like to emphasise how many Leeries there are and how we would like to keep their numbers strong by focusing on awareness of keeping fish stocks high.

My Dad has a place on the Gamtoos river which we love because our boat is within easy reach, on the river. I try and go there as often as possible and on this particular ‘s weekend Lando could not make it. My girlfriend and I decided to go to the Gamtoos surf. The weather was perfect – no wind, hot and more importantly for me, the tide was low. We took the boat to the river mouth and walked up the beach looking for a hole. About a kilometre away I found the perfect one, I still remember seeing the Mullet being herded into a perfect ball and saying to Roz that I bet I’ll get a fish on the first cast. I had that first cast and there must have been a dozen Leeries after my Predator plug. I had this sort of action for about 2 hours, landing fish after fish and having fantastic fun except for the fact that I didn’t have any other fishermen to share it with. The reason I’m telling this story is that, on that Monday, Dean McDonald of Tsunami Productions came to see Lando and I at the shop to see if we were interested in making fishing DVDs with him. We were immediately interested and related my story of the previous day’s fishing. Over a handshake we created “Fish Africa” and the rest is history.

Now let me share a little bit of our knowledge on catching Leeries. They are ferocious predators and if the bait, lure or fly is presented properly they will attack. It is key to know what season the Leeries are thickest, what area they like to feed in and what weather patterns they enjoy including what tide they feed on best. Leeries absolutely love drop offs, creeks,river mouths and any structure that will hold bait fish. That is why we love spring tides, because it forces the bait fish out of their hiding places into the feeding waters and this is easily explained on a spring low tide where all the water from the banks rushes into the main river eventually causing the banks to be exposed and forcing the bait fish into the channels. Leeries always become much more active as the tide moves out and this is when we target them the most, whether it be in the sea or in the river. In the Port Elizabeth we catch Leeries year round but they are thickest in February, March, April and May. Leeries prefer warm water and therefore the summer months are the best. The Leeries in the surf are fanstastic to catch as you can target them on light tackle, the important thing to know is how to choose your water. Firstly, the swell must not b:e too big, you have to find a hole that has a back bank in casting distance at low tide and has an exit where the fish can swim through. Often where the wave breaks on the bank and leaves a bit of white water, if you can throw your plug into the white water it will be hammered as you pull it into the clear water. Once you have found these fish you will usually catch plenty before they go off and if you move to another spot and come back to your original spot half an hour later they will eat again. Most of the fish we catch in the surf are on surface lures and this type of fishing is addictive because of the aggressive nature of the Leerie.

In the surf we also catch them on slim spoons, leadheads and dropshots. Live bait is also an excellent way to catch them but not as much fun! Our river fishing in most of the Eatern Cape rivers is excellent for Leeries with the winter fish being very small and increasing in size as the summer goes on. Local knowledge is vital when it comes to catching plenty of Leeries. The his is why it is important to contact your local tackle shop to find out where the best spots are.

If you put into practice a few simple rules you can catch fish, namely:

1. Leeries love to feed on low tide
2. They love the mouths of creeks and drop-offs
3. They like structure as this holds the bait fish
4. Try to imitate an injured bait fish if you are lure fishing
5. Local knowledge is vital

When targeting Leeries on lures I would say surface lures work best in windy conditions but in saying that your sliding surface lures that float work very well in calm conditions if you use them slowly. Leadheads and dropshots work excellently in both conditions but are much easier to use in calm conditions. We like using spoons in mid water, just to give us another variation. The fantastic thing about Leeries is that they migrate up and down our coastline to give many people hours and hours of fun at various times of the year.

We are looking forward to the next Leerie season here in the Eastern Cape in 2010 as the last couple have been fantastic. We hope to share it with you next year.

Good Luck,
Chad and Lando Alcock
Fish Africa