leervis

Common Names:
Leervis, Garrick.

Size:  Length averages 1m, but can reach 1,8m.

Habitat:  Surf zone of inshore waters, often in turbulent and shallow water; juveniles may be found in coastal bays and estuaries.
  

Found all around our shores, the Leervis is highly esteemed as a game fish.  Weight for weight it is one of the best fighters on a line; the angler never knows what size fish is taking his bait, but he can always count on a battle. Although often taken on a fillet, the Leervis prefers live bait and many are taken on spoons. The fish is not generally regarded as good eating, but is good when smoked.

The sleek body is covered with minute scales and resembles leather – hence the name leervis (Afrikaans: ‘leer’ = leather). The head is rather pointed, while the rear half tapers noticeably, ending in a powerful deeply forked tail fin. The leervis has very fine teeth, its diet is confined to fish it can swallow whole. Leervis often move in small groups, hunting together trapping shoals of smaller bait fish in gullies for feeding purposes.

The species migrate from Cape waters in winter to spawn in the warmer waters of the Kwa Zulu-Natal coast; the eggs and larvae are transported back to the Cape in the Agulhas current where juveniles spend their first few years before joining the adult population. The juveniles up to about 10cm in length are strikingly different, with a bright yellow-orange body with numerous black crossbars.