how to use spoons when targeting garrick and kob
- Thread starter phillip
- Start date
This is from an article by Craig Thomassen...
[align=justify]One of the nicest fish to throw plugs to from the beach or off the rocks is a garrick. They are great to target because they chase the plug with spectacular vigour, are clean fighters and are reasonably plentiful at certain times of year.
Garrick are found along the Cape coast from October to May. They move to the waters off the Natal coast during winter and can be caught there from May to November.
Garrick like to feed in quite shallow water and will move right behind the shorebreak where the water is deep enough to do so at times. They will swim in the backline when the inshore water is dirty or too rough. Garrick prefer clean, blue water, but will move into milky, foamy water around rocky points looking for small fish to eat.
Garrick are not very selective about which species of fish they will feed on, they will take small fish such as mullet, shad, karanteen, pinkies, blacktail etc. So they can be fished for wherever these baitfish would occur.
A good place to look for Garrick is off rocky points that stick out into the sea. Garrick will need to swim around these on their way up or down the coast. Fishing from the beach within bays is also good, especially in areas where a lot of shad are caught.
When casting plugs from a rocky point it is a good idea to cast the plug out beyond a patch of milky water and then pull it back through that patch. Garrick will often follow the plug through the clean water, but not hit it until it moves into the foamy lower visibility water.
The correct retrieve to use when targeting garrick is a bit slower than one would fish for kingfish. The plug should tumble and splash, but must never jump right out of the water. You will often see a garrick chasing the plug for some distance, smashing and swirling at it, but not connecting. When this happens keep retrieving without pause, maybe shake the rod tip a bit to give the plug extra action which may trigger the garrick’s instinct to hit it.
The best plugs to use for garrick are chisel nosed plugs. My personal favourite is the predator series of plugs, they are tough, cast well, come with good hooks and split rings and catch plenty of fish. These plugs come in a variety of colours. White is normally fine, but at times the garrick will suddenly only hit yellow, blue or pink plugs. It is worth keeping a few different colours of plug in your bag.
As mentioned at the start of this article garrick are clean fighters. This means that they do not dive down looking for rocks to foul your line around. They tend to fight up near the surface. Because of this you can use much lighter tackle for garrick than you would for kingfish or yellowtail. This is a big advantage because it uses a lot less energy to cast with light tackle than it does with the heavy stuff. This means that one can fit in a few more hours of fishing.
I generally don’t go heavier than 20lb line when fishing for garrick. I do use about an eight metre wind on casting leader of fifty pound breaking strain monofilament. I use a fairly light rod with a three ounce plug straight onto the leader with a non-slip loop, no swivel or trace.
Garrick feed best on an incoming tide, pretty much regardless of time of day. They are often caught at dawn and dusk, as is the case with most game fish, but this is mostly when these times coincide with a pushing tide anyway.
If the garrick are around and are refusing to hit your plugs, then tie on a spoon and fish it with a whipping action. This can sometimes work when for some reason the fish are cautious about the surface lures. If you are going to fish this way with spoons make sure that your spoon is rigged with single hooks, one on the bottom and one on the top of the spoon. If you use trebles your spoon will end up snagged on the bottom.[/align]The best plugs to use for garrick are chisel nosed plugs which comes in different colours and sizes.
Although white and red/white coloured plugs are favoured by most anglers it is advisable to always have different colours with you.
[align=justify]Fish tend to go off the bite and changing the colour of your plug might just be the right thing to do.[/align]
[align=justify]Garrick are one of those fish that can get into a bit of a feeding frenzy, and at times you can land a large number of them on lures from the side. When this happens please be sensible and return the bulk of your catch to the water to breed and to fight another day. These wonderful fish could easily become seriously endangered if over exploited by unscrupulous fishermen.
[/align]
[align=justify]One of the nicest fish to throw plugs to from the beach or off the rocks is a garrick. They are great to target because they chase the plug with spectacular vigour, are clean fighters and are reasonably plentiful at certain times of year.
Garrick are found along the Cape coast from October to May. They move to the waters off the Natal coast during winter and can be caught there from May to November.
Garrick like to feed in quite shallow water and will move right behind the shorebreak where the water is deep enough to do so at times. They will swim in the backline when the inshore water is dirty or too rough. Garrick prefer clean, blue water, but will move into milky, foamy water around rocky points looking for small fish to eat.
Garrick are not very selective about which species of fish they will feed on, they will take small fish such as mullet, shad, karanteen, pinkies, blacktail etc. So they can be fished for wherever these baitfish would occur.
A good place to look for Garrick is off rocky points that stick out into the sea. Garrick will need to swim around these on their way up or down the coast. Fishing from the beach within bays is also good, especially in areas where a lot of shad are caught.
When casting plugs from a rocky point it is a good idea to cast the plug out beyond a patch of milky water and then pull it back through that patch. Garrick will often follow the plug through the clean water, but not hit it until it moves into the foamy lower visibility water.
The correct retrieve to use when targeting garrick is a bit slower than one would fish for kingfish. The plug should tumble and splash, but must never jump right out of the water. You will often see a garrick chasing the plug for some distance, smashing and swirling at it, but not connecting. When this happens keep retrieving without pause, maybe shake the rod tip a bit to give the plug extra action which may trigger the garrick’s instinct to hit it.
The best plugs to use for garrick are chisel nosed plugs. My personal favourite is the predator series of plugs, they are tough, cast well, come with good hooks and split rings and catch plenty of fish. These plugs come in a variety of colours. White is normally fine, but at times the garrick will suddenly only hit yellow, blue or pink plugs. It is worth keeping a few different colours of plug in your bag.
As mentioned at the start of this article garrick are clean fighters. This means that they do not dive down looking for rocks to foul your line around. They tend to fight up near the surface. Because of this you can use much lighter tackle for garrick than you would for kingfish or yellowtail. This is a big advantage because it uses a lot less energy to cast with light tackle than it does with the heavy stuff. This means that one can fit in a few more hours of fishing.
I generally don’t go heavier than 20lb line when fishing for garrick. I do use about an eight metre wind on casting leader of fifty pound breaking strain monofilament. I use a fairly light rod with a three ounce plug straight onto the leader with a non-slip loop, no swivel or trace.
Garrick feed best on an incoming tide, pretty much regardless of time of day. They are often caught at dawn and dusk, as is the case with most game fish, but this is mostly when these times coincide with a pushing tide anyway.
If the garrick are around and are refusing to hit your plugs, then tie on a spoon and fish it with a whipping action. This can sometimes work when for some reason the fish are cautious about the surface lures. If you are going to fish this way with spoons make sure that your spoon is rigged with single hooks, one on the bottom and one on the top of the spoon. If you use trebles your spoon will end up snagged on the bottom.[/align]The best plugs to use for garrick are chisel nosed plugs which comes in different colours and sizes.
Although white and red/white coloured plugs are favoured by most anglers it is advisable to always have different colours with you.
[align=justify]Fish tend to go off the bite and changing the colour of your plug might just be the right thing to do.[/align]
[align=justify]Garrick are one of those fish that can get into a bit of a feeding frenzy, and at times you can land a large number of them on lures from the side. When this happens please be sensible and return the bulk of your catch to the water to breed and to fight another day. These wonderful fish could easily become seriously endangered if over exploited by unscrupulous fishermen.
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Caught Kob at St.Lucia mouth on the two tone s-bend spoons and also rapala. The retrieve has gotta be ultra slow, with the hooks actually digging into the sand. Before dark, spot the holes and esp where the banks have a distinct drop off.... Normally when ones spoon or rapala comes over the edge, WHAM!!!! ure on. Hectic thing though.... Iv had some young kob hooked on the nose.... would presume they bump the spoon up to swallow. Best of luck.
Since kob hunt pred0minently by smell and by their lateral line by pickn up vibrati0ns,hence the reas0n to pull the lure into the bott0m, I prefer using a rapala 4 nyt sessi0ns and 2 t0ne sp00ns 4 gin colourd water. As a tip, at nyt kob are closer than 0ne may tink. So u dnt always need max distance when throwing a light lure such as a rapala. Il get the c0des of my 2 fav 1ns. Areas of pr0ductivity are river mouths and immediate banks. ie: sandspit p/shepst0ne, tugela and st.lucia.
yeah please get them codes would like to see what types work for you.never thaught that a spoon could work at night or any artificial lure for that matter,thanks VOLCOM i so do enjoy learning new things.oh yes,your bait demo at tugela really helped me alot,thanks again man,got a good few fish on the sardine+chokka,and the prawn+chokka mix already to date.those be some deadly bait tactics bro.:clap12
got any more tips?
got any more tips?
Silent Bob
Senior Member
what kind of rapala do u use and how do u cast with it? rapala's are very light.
Pleasure @ PoiZN.
I use the mullet coloured and Sardine coloured rapala. I have these colours cuz i also use them in Moz during the day. Colour wont play too much of a part at night i presume but when it comes to casting them, Rapala has hook weights that clip on the shank of the hooks for added weight. I seldom use these but one can also use a ball sinker up the line. My pride and joy was a medium assasin with a heavy tip which was sadly stolen but coupled with those two types of Rapalas, the throws were adequate enough to pull a kob.
I use the mullet coloured and Sardine coloured rapala. I have these colours cuz i also use them in Moz during the day. Colour wont play too much of a part at night i presume but when it comes to casting them, Rapala has hook weights that clip on the shank of the hooks for added weight. I seldom use these but one can also use a ball sinker up the line. My pride and joy was a medium assasin with a heavy tip which was sadly stolen but coupled with those two types of Rapalas, the throws were adequate enough to pull a kob.
Oi Poizn
If all what Reefer and Volcom has explained does not work,then I suggest you take a drive to the nearest army base,get yourself some nice hand grenades,go after dark and find those holes and throw a couple of these poppers in.Guaranteed you will "pick them up"Hpe this helps.
Exactly what these fine gentlemen has mentioned is what I do.I picked up a huge kob at Mapelane sometime back on a silver spoon.Not a good fight opposed to garrick on plug.Kob are quite close at night and I would use a slightly smaller rod with a good action.
Cheers
Garrick
If all what Reefer and Volcom has explained does not work,then I suggest you take a drive to the nearest army base,get yourself some nice hand grenades,go after dark and find those holes and throw a couple of these poppers in.Guaranteed you will "pick them up"Hpe this helps.
Exactly what these fine gentlemen has mentioned is what I do.I picked up a huge kob at Mapelane sometime back on a silver spoon.Not a good fight opposed to garrick on plug.Kob are quite close at night and I would use a slightly smaller rod with a good action.
Cheers
Garrick
AND..not to diss any of the intel that the aforementioned gents have written BUT let me share with you my story and to DE BUNK the low n slow in the sand method of targeting kob on spoon...and PLEASE..its a SPOON ...NOT a spinner!!NOW..first and foremost , YES..kobbies can smell well ..and YES they do have one the most advanced and ultra sensitive lateral lines out there in the oceans....NOW...hunting for ever changing sand banks has always been a misnomer for me and a waste of valuable throwing time...I have , over the past 12 years or so , rather approached the "odd" way of hunting kobbies and that is to look for them in the NOT SO traditional areas..ie ...briky reefs ...ledges with sharp n deep drop offs out back...low tide exposed pinnacles that have rocky ledges running parrallel to them etc etc..
BUT..herein lies the kicker...first of all ..you need a good shape S spoon...weight between half ounce and max 2oz....then they must "swim" right and have a decent wobble so as to push water ...then they must SHINE...and here I mean BLINK as in blinding!!...
Kob have VERY good eyesight ...kob are NOT slow swimming fish ...lazy???....yes very much so!!..They are ambush predators and amongst the bricks they LOVE to do just that AND its exciting AND it keeps you on your toes..AND its fun finding spots that are NOT kob so called spots...
Remember you will NEVER out retrieve a kob...No Sirree....
With this in mind its time to fish!!!::tight:
Kenty wrote:
Down where I live the fast retrievers only catch shad. the guys with the slow retrieve will catch cob and shad. very spot spesific though.
NOW..first and foremost , YES..kobbies can smell well ..and YES they do have one the most advanced and ultra sensitive lateral lines out there in the oceans....NOW...hunting for ever changing sand banks has always been a misnomer for me and a waste of valuable throwing time...I have , over the past 12 years or so , rather approached the "odd" way of hunting kobbies and that is to look for them in the NOT SO traditional areas..ie ...briky reefs ...ledges with sharp n deep drop offs out back...low tide exposed pinnacles that have rocky ledges running parrallel to them etc etc..
BUT..herein lies the kicker...first of all ..you need a good shape S spoon...weight between half ounce and max 2oz....then they must "swim" right and have a decent wobble so as to push water ...then they must SHINE...and here I mean BLINK as in blinding!!...
Kob have VERY good eyesight ...kob are NOT slow swimming fish ...lazy???....yes very much so!!..They are ambush predators and amongst the bricks they LOVE to do just that AND its exciting AND it keeps you on your toes..AND its fun finding spots that are NOT kob so called spots...
Remember you will NEVER out retrieve a kob...No Sirree....
Down where I live the fast retrievers only catch shad. the guys with the slow retrieve will catch cob and shad. very spot spesific though.
Good read Reefman by Craig Thommasen.
My own personal experience is :
1) Used to be very successful catching kob on ordinary white metal shad spoons, some had copper on one side and silver on other, (called salmon in Natal or "simon" by the local Indian fishermen in Durban...lol.
2) Used to get them early in morning off the Umgeni mouth on Durban side by trolling them incredibly slowly often bumping the bottom...that was years ago.
3) When I moved to Western Cape, I had no success with False Bay or even Arniston,Stilbaai area at all on spoon (spinner)
3) With Garrick (Leervis) I caught quite a few on spoon...trolling the spoon on top caused a wake with fast retrieve.
4) Caught Garrick at Robberg (Plet) trolling the ordinary way as for shad or even Cuda in Natal.
That's just my experience...I'd be interested to find out if anybody has a different experience...what about Dr Hoffman?
My own personal experience is :
1) Used to be very successful catching kob on ordinary white metal shad spoons, some had copper on one side and silver on other, (called salmon in Natal or "simon" by the local Indian fishermen in Durban...lol.
2) Used to get them early in morning off the Umgeni mouth on Durban side by trolling them incredibly slowly often bumping the bottom...that was years ago.
3) When I moved to Western Cape, I had no success with False Bay or even Arniston,Stilbaai area at all on spoon (spinner)
3) With Garrick (Leervis) I caught quite a few on spoon...trolling the spoon on top caused a wake with fast retrieve.
4) Caught Garrick at Robberg (Plet) trolling the ordinary way as for shad or even Cuda in Natal.
That's just my experience...I'd be interested to find out if anybody has a different experience...what about Dr Hoffman?
Arniston wrote:
((goodp_..Thats something I would also like to know about the Western Cape areas...would be interesting...a few years back i sent a few of my spoons down to a youngster to try out there BUT no sooner had he received them ..him and his family buggered off overseas to the UK I think..hehe...so ja...I know KZN the odd spin fisherman has had limited success with spoon and kob ...BUT then again KZN coast has so many fast fish that take spoon quickly...
Well, Kenty, it remains a mystery to me...I often went to Swartklip in False Bay. In the seventies it was an excellent spot for kob...I tried the same tactics that I did in Natal but to no avail, despite the fact that I caught many kob there on bait.
Another experience I had back in KZN, about 20 years ago, was my first attempt at Saltwater flyfishing. I decided to try it out as my local fly fishing shop that I used to buy tackle for trout told me that fly fishing was deadly and fun for shad.
So one fine day I set off for Ballito on the North Coast, armed only with a 6 wt trout rod and gear. I had bought a couple of Lefty Deceivers which are good shad flies.
Well casting off the rocks at Ballito was a bit of a battle with unsuitable gear but at times I managed to get about 25/30 metres out. In front of me was a type hole in a gully only about 10 metres out. The wind bellowed my flyline like a spinaker sail at times causing the fly to skim on the surface. All of a sudden right in front of me, as the fly skimmed over the surface of the hole this massive head appeared out of the blue and engulfed my fly.
Well the daga kob took off and I saw my expensive fly line disappearing and on to the backing and panicked and put too much pressure for my ten pound tippet and we parted forever.
Some bait fisherman fishing nearby couldn't figure me out fishing this odd way with such a flimsy rod. I'll never forget that...I upgraded to saltwater outfit after that but never have had this happen again.
I still think if I had kept my cool I should have let this fish run right into the backing with even steady pressure a kob, even a large one is not like a kingfish and you gradually tire it without long runs.
Another experience I had back in KZN, about 20 years ago, was my first attempt at Saltwater flyfishing. I decided to try it out as my local fly fishing shop that I used to buy tackle for trout told me that fly fishing was deadly and fun for shad.
So one fine day I set off for Ballito on the North Coast, armed only with a 6 wt trout rod and gear. I had bought a couple of Lefty Deceivers which are good shad flies.
Well casting off the rocks at Ballito was a bit of a battle with unsuitable gear but at times I managed to get about 25/30 metres out. In front of me was a type hole in a gully only about 10 metres out. The wind bellowed my flyline like a spinaker sail at times causing the fly to skim on the surface. All of a sudden right in front of me, as the fly skimmed over the surface of the hole this massive head appeared out of the blue and engulfed my fly.
Well the daga kob took off and I saw my expensive fly line disappearing and on to the backing and panicked and put too much pressure for my ten pound tippet and we parted forever.
Some bait fisherman fishing nearby couldn't figure me out fishing this odd way with such a flimsy rod. I'll never forget that...I upgraded to saltwater outfit after that but never have had this happen again.
I still think if I had kept my cool I should have let this fish run right into the backing with even steady pressure a kob, even a large one is not like a kingfish and you gradually tire it without long runs.
Arniston wrote:
Hehe..THATS a neat story indeed...I was on my fave pinnacle one early AM gooing spoon for kob and my spots are all bricky areas and no sand ...as it gets light that first silver sliver ...I check a youngster wading out to me and Im thinking ...aaaarrgghh...I really dont feel like company this morning...it was a beaut morning NO wind and I could smell the kobbies!!...anyhow the laaitie , about 20 odd Id say , gets to my pinnacle and is armpit deep in the water and before he climbs up asks may he join me...well..first he was prepared to wade/swim out the 30 odd meters and the water was not warm...second he asks so nicely like I owned the joint..haha...I tune ..of course ..no probs ..it is then I see ..BLIKSIM..this okie has a fly fishing outfit..I check him out and se ma niks and all I say ...my boy...lotsa bricks out there in the strike zone..he tunes dankie virrie warning!!...WELL...I must admit this youngster begins his casting sequence and boy does he knows his stuff...I carry on gooing and we shoulder to shoulder Im over my left he is over his right and its like I was alone there...anyhow ..after his 10th or so cast Im about to pour a coffee from my sling bag and as I turn to watch him his fly rod is doubled over....I skeem joh this boykie is ON!!!..well he lands a very decent 75cm kobbie and he is all smiles ...I offer to go bag to where my main bag is and my phone to take a pic ...he tunes nope...gonna release the kobbie right here...well the laaitie says thanks and buggers off...never seen him again and Im standing and wondering what I just witnessed...a genuine artist at work ..certainly was something to see...
Hehe..THATS a neat story indeed...I was on my fave pinnacle one early AM gooing spoon for kob and my spots are all bricky areas and no sand ...as it gets light that first silver sliver ...I check a youngster wading out to me and Im thinking ...aaaarrgghh...I really dont feel like company this morning...it was a beaut morning NO wind and I could smell the kobbies!!...anyhow the laaitie , about 20 odd Id say , gets to my pinnacle and is armpit deep in the water and before he climbs up asks may he join me...well..first he was prepared to wade/swim out the 30 odd meters and the water was not warm...second he asks so nicely like I owned the joint..haha...I tune ..of course ..no probs ..it is then I see ..BLIKSIM..this okie has a fly fishing outfit..I check him out and se ma niks and all I say ...my boy...lotsa bricks out there in the strike zone..he tunes dankie virrie warning!!...WELL...I must admit this youngster begins his casting sequence and boy does he knows his stuff...I carry on gooing and we shoulder to shoulder Im over my left he is over his right and its like I was alone there...anyhow ..after his 10th or so cast Im about to pour a coffee from my sling bag and as I turn to watch him his fly rod is doubled over....I skeem joh this boykie is ON!!!..well he lands a very decent 75cm kobbie and he is all smiles ...I offer to go bag to where my main bag is and my phone to take a pic ...he tunes nope...gonna release the kobbie right here...well the laaitie says thanks and buggers off...never seen him again and Im standing and wondering what I just witnessed...a genuine artist at work ..certainly was something to see...