Fly Fishing for Spotted Grunter

[FlyCraft]

Not saying in your case, but often the tails of big mullet - striped and bullnose can be seen over grass flats.

[will101]

Also saw a slow moving triangle on the weekend but it was quite big and dark grey... The grunts definitely do eat the crabs but all my attempts at using them for bait has failed. Got my 1st little one on fly on Sunday but had numerous missed takes / smashes just a few cm behind the fly. If only those were converted. I am thinking of adding a light gauge hook on a piece of piano wire behind the tail of the fly, I have a feeling that might pay off.

[will101]

On Saturday I saw this lazy tailing thing for myself - the fish looked like it was just chilling in the grass. I was able to wade up to within 5m of it and it spooked when I put a fly literally on top of it

I heard the guys were nailing the grunter last week in the dirty water but it has cleared up a lot now. At one stage I caught a free swimming prawn , stuck it on my fly and it was taken instantly, but by a tiny grunter, right adjacent to a tailing fish that was much bigger. So the fish are definitely seeing the fly, and even an unsightly fly with a real prawn hitch hiker gets eaten, so my thinking is that smell and taste still rules. Will keep trying, at least I got one legit grunt so far so it's not a bunch of lies that they can be caught on fly...

[occie]

I must i am convinced they feeding on crabs when they tailing like that.
Was fishing the exact same situation in grass over shallow water and could see the fish litrally swimming thru the grass looking for them.
You could get right up to the fish and drop the fly infont of them as they couldnt see you thru the grass.
On low tide there were thousands of those little black crabs in between the grass and I tried pumping some prawns the one day their and got nothing.

[white death]

You are correct re the crabs in the grass and mud flats, The ones I find at Little Brak River have cream/whitish claws so I tie a brown/black body and legs with white claws and have been "successful" on this pattern but I have cast to hundreds of Grunter( which ignore the fly) as I am able to fish every suitable tide and weather condition here. At Great Brak, I fish in the clear tidal water and can sight cast to fish but have never caught any on the dozens of flies I have tried???? They are extremely spooky and even tried using a 14 foot leader to 6lb tippet and a clear intermediate line - still no joy.

[will101]

I also studied the spot where the fish was sitting and all I could see were little baitfish. There are crabs in that area but high up the bank on the highwater mark. This was low tide.

[Scoop]

Hi White Death

Which banks in Klein Brak do you fish? Have you had any success on floating deerhair prawns. There are three particular spots that have been productive for me on the floating prawn. But as you said - takes hundreds of casts per positive hook-up. I have tied up a few crabs but none that I am happy with yet, perhaps you can post a photo of the brown/black body with cream claws you mention. With the current spring tide would be very keen to try that in the reeds near the old train bridge.

Thanks!
Scoop

[FlyCraft]

Some Karoolskraal pics from last week, including a 74cm grunter. We have postponed our last trip to the weekend of 15 April and still have limited space, send me a PM or e-mail if you want to join.

[Nepptune]

some lovely fish there Philip... 74cm is a tank!

[FlyCraft]

Hi Andre,

Jip, that is a beautiful fish. Henkie said it put up a serious battle, the fish was taken on the full high. They also landed a white steenbras, taken in mid water on a waterlogged floating prawn.