Berg River GARRICK

Sparri

New member
Horney Toad....
YEP.. ,trying to keep it a low key catch area.., just so that the place doesn't get overrun.., you can understand that there is some fisherman out there who will just about take out ANY size that gets hooked..!!
BUT.., Seeing as that we are on SEALINE...! The area just before the white board , in the bend of the river..., upstream from Carina's bridge...!
There appears to be a flat area where just about everyone also pumps for the river prawns...!
If you not familiar with the area and is in the vicinity one day .., please make contact .., will be very happy to show you.
 

rofflign

Sealiner
Great catches, well done!I love caching leeries on light tackle/dropshot, might just make a turn there,strictly c&r though.:)
 

flippy

Sealiner
well done.. that must of been a big elf.. reminds me of this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZAkN_8rwcE

then the elf had to scram when those size garrick came to the scene or else elf will find itself in garrick stomach
 
@Odysseus

My take is two sides, one, in the sea they are dispersed over a much wider area whereas in the river they are concentrated together in one place when they are smaller, even more so with a strong tidal flow, moving up and down with the tidal water feeding. My skipper that I fish with for leeries knows his area like the back of his hand and IF THEY ARE AROUND, generally he will know where they will be concentrated. In summer when they are back, normally if the water is right, right milkyness, right colour and temperature, not to warm and not too cold, and there is bait around, and you spin for long enough then you will elicit a chase at some point, this year the numbers of fish are just not there. Days of beautiful water where you cold spin off the rocks normally and at least spot or see a few leerie, this year has been dead. There have been a few and I have heard of some down the drag but nothing near normal. That brings me to number two...

 The other side is that the main population of large adult fish that would frequent the reefs and beaches are severely depressed. Apparently they are a few percent of unfished levels, but those studies one would have to take with a pinch of salt. From what I see and what I've been told, I would put the fact that you have no luck in the surf down to sardine runs and the culture of keeping the fish from the "garrick run" for the pot or sale. The stories of the returning shoal in the old days was one of a shoal over ten kilometers long! Those days are long gone. In old books one reads of a "bokkoms" industry in langebaan and velddrif of netted baby lerries, those gold and black/silver numbers the size of your hand. Those days are long gone. Can you imagine how many adults there must be out at sea to have that amount of babies in the lagoons? Funny the first I heard of leeries on the west coast was from an old timer that used to spoon for them on the beach north outside the mouth of the berg..

My guess is that the large expanse of the sea, the small numbers of large fish are the reasons. The real reason, I'll explain like this, there was no real sardine run for maybe 5 years, so the small fish in the rivers grew up and became breeders and stayed resident, we had epic fishing for those years which just got better each year. They then had a good 2 or more seasons as adults to spawn unharassed with no major northern migrations that happened as there was no sardine run. Suddenly the rivers were and still are full up with babies because of this but..last two years there were runs, and they got slagged. All the large breeding fish from out entire countries stock start filing past the points on the south coast and grab live bait after live bait and come home for a curry or braai and never get to breed or come back to their summer home.

All that and ..right place, right time ;) You will still get epic days but you have to wait for weather conditions to concentrate bait and fish at your feet and you have to be there for that hour of magic and have all your gear and self ready to capitalise! But if you get them in the rivers, they will be outside too, but yeah its a big ocean so it is a numbers game. Also I'm no pro..just fish with them..Also there is hope for the stock, they are incredibly fast growing fish, and there is ample bait, we just need to leave the breeding fish to swim and breed another day and let their spawn grow up and do the same once and there would be so many fish we could not imagine.
 

Odysseus2016

Senior Member
Thanks Dr

Some interesting facts and information there. I guess as always and with everything in the sea ,much remains a mystery. It would be interesting to tag fish in the Berg river for example and see if they wind up in Natal at some stage of their cycle..
 

Horny toad

New member
Sparri wrote:
Horney Toad....
YEP.. ,trying to keep it a low key catch area.., just so that the place doesn't get overrun.., you can understand that there is some fisherman out there who will just about take out ANY size that gets hooked..!!
BUT.., Seeing as that we are on SEALINE...! The area just before the white board , in the bend of the river..., upstream from Carina's bridge...!
There appears to be a flat area where just about everyone also pumps for the river prawns...!
If you not familiar with the area and is in the vicinity one day .., please make contact .., will be very happy to show you.

Thank you so much. Sending you a PM::slr::
 

Sparri

New member
Hi Doc Hallibut...
GEEZ... Thanks for all your shared knowledge man..!!

You should really consider writing a Fishing Book on all your knowledge gained and Fishing tips..!!

Regarding spinning with surface plug..?? Chisel nose or Stump nose popper..??
Also .., do you vary your speed of retrieve..., fast or keep it at medium pace until one sees some action behind the lure..??

Regards
Sparri...
 

duckbill

Senior Member
When fishing plugs, a fast retrieve should be used with the rod tip down, whereas a slower retrieve should be used with the rod tip up.

There are various techniques for fishing poppers (according to what I've seen on Youtube). You can simply just cast it out and reel it in, twitch the rod tip as you reel in, walk it, sweep it, etc.
 

dawie botha

New member
My first post on this website.
I live in Dwarskersbos and would love to throw artlure or even a fly at this spot. I am new to the west coast and would like to know where carinas bridge is.
Thx Dawie
 
Good luck Dawie! Just put back your trophies to grow and breed.

@ Sparri, small chisel nose plug in the rivers, tiny one actually..Seal point plug if you can find a tiny one..give it red lips..Also thai sticks and z-killers etc, all the zara spook type walk the dog lures..Never discount a toby spoon too.Alcocks have killer stainless double ones that fish well as single spoons too. You always pick up elf throwing for the little leeries in the rivers but not with the plug really so I fish all.

This year in the eastern cape was the worst leerie season that has ever occured, according to the experienced locals. It was an almost complete no show. Fish were in transkei and down further in southern cape but the eastern cape stocks have taken a severe beating in the last two years sardine runs. I caught not one this season and elicited only two chases from ones and twos of small 4kg fish..and some years I have caught 30-40 decent fish over 5kg for some perspective. This year was shocking. I miss my favourite fish.
 

dawie botha

New member
Strictly catch and release thank you.
Just came back from Velddrift and saw the locals catching bags of small fish and keeping each one.Looks like steenbras from afar.
Wonder if these waters ever get patrolled .
 

die spook

Senior Member
Hallou

Die seemeeue kan lastig word as mens met plugs, poppers en ander oppervlak kunsaas in Velddrif hengel.

Ek het gevind dat stickbaits die beste daar werk vir elf, en die meeue stel ook nie daarin belang. Maar die klas leeries wat daar rond swem sal seker in baie groot stickbaits belangstel.

Ek het n 14cm stickbait in sardyn kleur en 13cm oppervlak walk the dog tipe kunsaas in haarder kleur wat miskien die knoop sal deur haak. Ek wil hiermee graag een van daa bul leeries haak.

Sal seker weer nader na einde van die jaar n draai in Velddrif maak en hulle vir n swem vat.

Groete
 
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