Leervis

Habitat Distribution

• Native to South Africa's east coast; range runs from the Eastern Cape northward through KwaZulu-Natal to Mozambique and beyond.
• Also recorded off Cape Town — Zandvlei estuary on the Cape Peninsula holds a well-known resident population — extending the confirmed range into the Western Cape.
• Estuaries serve as nursery and breeding habitat; juveniles and sub-adults use them heavily before moving into open marine environments at maturity.
• Adults range from the surf zone and rocky points to a few kilometres offshore, and congregate around river mouths, especially along the KZN coast.

Key Locations

• KwaZulu-Natal coast (Durban to Port Shepstone) — river mouths, rocky points and nearshore sandbanks hold fish year-round, with peak action tied to the winter sardine run.
• Uvongo and Port Shepstone — rocky shore and boat fishing from these KZN launch sites has produced consistent garrick catches.
• Zandvlei estuary, Cape Town — a well-known urban estuary fishery for resident leervis, accessible by foot and popular with fly anglers.
• Eastern Cape — the sardine run originates here, and garrick follow the bait northward, making the EC coast a seasonal starting point for the migration.

Specific Spots

• River mouths and estuary channels concentrate baitfish — garrick stack up at these transitions, particularly on lower tides when bait gets pushed off the banks into the current.
• In the surf, spring low tides wash baitfish out of shallow banks into deeper channels, putting garrick in a predictable feeding lane.
• Rocky points and deep-water ledges offshore hold fish that are hunting mullet and shad along the bottom structure edge.
• In estuaries like Zandvlei, the marina and channel edges where baitfish school are consistent holding areas for resident fish.