On a balmy summers day

Two sons went out to play

With fly tackle and a leaking raft

They headed to sea to catch a ray.

In search of fish with feather craft

They dropped anchor in False Bay

Where they moved their hinds fore and aft

Taking turns to inflate abaft.

While sitting in the sun

Catching a burn, this wasn’t fun,

Len and Pete made a dash for the beach

Where they discovered fish on the run.

With Clouser Minnows each

They keenly jumped the gun,

Crossing lines to pleach,

And flies landed within reach.

The Clouser does it again, Len and his garrick, an unexpected, but most welcome catch

The surprise was bittersweet

When a garrick ate the fly treat

And raced across the reef;

Pandemonium preceding the feat,

Left bait spectators in disbelief,

While the boat was pumped by Pete

The fish gave Len more grief,

But soon it came to touch, its skin like silver leaf.

What a joy, white stumpnose on fly in False Bay

Pete with a beautiful strepie that had a go at the Clouser Minnow

Then the fly brought more joy

A Clouser proving a handy toy,

For white stumpnose and strepies alike,

The boys caught on Gamakatsu alloy,

Until Len had another strike,

From a fish determined to destroy,

A gorrie that grunted like a Harley bike

With an appetite that would put to shame a pike!

Len and Pete learned that the olive grunter (gorrie) is an extremely aggressive fish – hell knows how this little guy swallowed the hook?