South Africa's Grass Klipfish (Pavoclinus Graminis) Information And Pictures

The Strange Looking Grass Klipfish; All You Need To Know

As the sub heading indicates the Grass Klipfish is a weird looking creature. It's the type of fish you would think to be almost prehistoric! They are thin slender fish that have circular and square patterns on them and vary in colour. You can find Klipfish in any variations of the following colours: Black, brown, grey, green and red. The Grass Klipfish is a very small seaweed dependant fish that can grow up 20 centimeters in length. It is likely that there will be a bit of confusion when trying to identify this South African fish species. The Grass Klipfish are found among seaweed and have the ability to move their eyes independently, like a Chameleon, which assists the Grass Klipfish when it is in predator mode.

The Grass Klipfish is endemic to the coastal waters of Southern Africa and can be found all along South Africa's coastline. This is one of the most common types of fish from the Clinidae family that occurs in South Africa. The Grass Klipfish occurs singly or in small schools. They are most common in the inshore region and intertidal zones amongst rocks and clumps of seaweed where they lie on their sides in wait for their favourite food items which include smaller fish, shrimps, small crabs and marine worms. The Grass Klipfish is regarded as a bait robber and if you are fishing in an area with a lot of seaweed and you have to re-bait every cast because you can't hook the fish; its more than likely a school of Grass Klipfish... They are extremely quick and feisty!

The Grass Klipfish can provide hours of entertainment for any angler when the bigger fish are off the bite. These fish are edible but rarely get big enough to keep for the pot. The Grass Klipfish is very fragile so please handle this fish very carefully when it is out of the water. There are also other types of common Klipfish in South African waters which include the Bluntnose Klipfish and the Super Klipfish... Other fish species such as Gobies and Blennies are easily confused with the Klipfish species...

How To Catch South Africa's Grass Klipfish

The Grass Klipfish will take any fleshy baits and I find that Sardine and Chokka work the best. Light tackle is the only way to go if you want to target this fish. The best place to look for these fish are in rock pools, around jetty's and platforms in the water and around shallow areas in rivers and estuaries with a lot of structure and seaweed in the water. Very small hooks are required to catch the Grass Klipfish; a number 8 size hook is perfect but anything smaller than that will also do the job. When reeling in your bait I would advise you to reel in slowly because the Klipfish often take fleshy baits when you reel in.

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