Garrick Guardians

We’re happy handing out discounts if breeding Leeries go back! 
This initiative is as simple but we believe effective. By incentivizing all fisherman to not keep trophy fish, but release them.  

The aim of the project is start a movement and educate the public on the importance of breeding stock of fish. 

At Walt Gear, we believe that protecting great outdoor experiences means defending our wild waters those experiences come from. We created Garrick Guardians to stand up for one of South Africa’s most iconic surf-zone gamefish, the Garrick (Leervis).

Garrick are not deep-sea fish. They live and hunt in surf zones and estuaries, migrate along our coastline from Cape waters up to KwaZulu-Natal, and spawn inshore. Their population today is estimated to be at around 14% compared to unfished levels. When you land and keep a large Garrick, you could be taking a breeder out of the system, one that might have produced thousands of youngsters and helped sustain the school for years.

Why It Matters
Garrick represent the saltwater adrenaline rush many of us chase. They strike hard, fight clean, show up in the shallows, and make summer surf fishing what it is. Named “gentleman of the sea” they are sleek, powerful, smart. But their legacy is at risk if we keep losing the breeders.
Because we fish where they live, we have real influence. We can keep shifting the blame to “what happens out deep”, but real change happens inshore, when we choose to protect the fish.
We’re not pointing fingers. We’re offering a chance to do something different.
Join the movement and become a Garrick Guardian.

How it works