The Ultimate Challenge part 5 - Spotted Grunter (Pomadasys Commersonni) - De Mond

Heuningis River - The Massacre.

  

-part one can be read here: http://borntoflyfish.blogspot.com/2009/12/spotted-grunter-pomadasys-commersonni.html

-part two can be read here: http://borntoflyfish.blogspot.com/2010/11/understanding-enemy-spotted-grunter.html

-part three can be read here: http://borntoflyfish.blogspot.com/2010/12/ultimate-challenge-part-2-spotted.html

-part four can be read here: http://borntoflyfish.blogspot.com/2010/12/ultimate-challenge-part-4-spotted.html

-part five can be read here: http://borntoflyfish.blogspot.com/2010/12/ultimate-challenge-part-spotted-grunter.html

-part six can be read here: http://borntoflyfish.blogspot.com/2010/12/experimenting-with-silicone.html  

-part seven can be read here: http://borntoflyfish.blogspot.com/2010/12/ultimate-challenge-part-7-spotted.html

-part eight can be read here: http://borntoflyfish.blogspot.com/2010/12/ultimate-challenge-final-chapter-i-did.html

I spent three weekends at the Heningis river now in the hunt for the Spotted Grunter.  No luck, not enough activity to expect any sort of luck in the near future... and something more alarming.

Dead prawns .  (Upogebia Africana) everywhere.  And a few dead Leeries (Lichia Amia).  Other guys also saw a few dead sand sharks.  Im thinking contamination of sorts.  Chatting to one of the farmers at the front gate, he mentioned they are having the driest season and worst harvest in history.  I hope to god they aren't lazer leveling and flood irrigating, or there could be leaching from fertilizer.

 

Its also the first time I've ever fished it with no wind.  And it was hell.  Flies everywhere.  In the future I'll smile in the wind.

I jumped the gate and got a formal warning from Cape Nature.  I think the lady that caught me felt really proud.  Well done Cape Nature.  After I collected my fine I bought some illegally caught crayfish and Perlemoen from a vender selling outside the gate and went home. Priorities.

 Floating Prawn:

 Membrane Crab:

It eventually became a discussion on the flytalk forum.  That can be seen here: http://www.flytalk.co.za/forum/showthread.php?t=8563

Conclusion:

I spotted a few fish tailing, with broken cloud overhead it was difficult to sight fish to them.  I think the only solution to reliably catching these fish is on a fly realistic enough that it will be taken static.  The JAM flies I've used just don't look good enough static and aren't balanced enough to stay upright when drifted.


I stayed at the De Mond Veld Cottage.  Great little place with a few fly fishing pics up.
http://demondveldcottage.co.za