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.
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.
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.
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.
I have caught grunter with their backs out of the water chasing crabs on the fringes of
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.
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.
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.
The dependance 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.
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.
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
They produce a grunting sound in their throats by grinding their strong jaws together.
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