Thread: Whitebaiting!

still a fine way of doing f all... BOP doing well this morning..

Just having breakfast then going to mow the lawns, after that I am heading out for the 1st time this season. Nice gentle norwester blowing, sea flattening off nicely. I will give you a report when I get home.

Ok folks, a short lived trip to the river before disaster struck and I am lucky to be alive I am a veteran of 43 years whitebaiting, Dad started taking me out at the age of 5 so I got to learn all the currents, the waves, tides conditions etc so without blowing my own trumpet I am very experienced when it comes to whitebaiting.

Now what happened? I guess fatigue played a big part in it as I am still sore from my trip rabbit shooting so when I started swinging the net I could feel the body crying out in pain, secondly the norwester started blowing a gale so that took the strength out of me and then there was the out going tide which with a rough surf became hazardous.

Bottom line is a big surge came and it turned me inside out so with the net dragging me towards the current I looked behind me thinking the wave must be well through it's push but no it just kept pushing and soon I was in a deep hole rocketing towards the main current.

I have rehearsed this event many times in my head over the years so was ready for this moment, I went under and gulped down 2 big gob fulls of water so the first thing I did was let go of the whitebait net then pulled the release buckle on my dive belt which attaches my catch bucket so I then came to the surface. Although I am not a swimmers arsehole the next part in the strategy was to swim with the current on an angle and luckily one of the other whitebaiters hield his net out which I gratefully grabbed and I got back to shore absolutely rooted.

Now before anyone says were you wearing a life jacket I can tell you I did try it a couple of times however when you are constantly chest high in water and sometimes the waves crashing over your head the life jackets pick you up off your feet and you become too buoyant which is a hazard so it's far safer not to wear one.

I can report the whitebait were not running at the time, only shoals of 6's - 10's max but they could have picked up with the incoming tide. Never mind I have cheated death today so I called into super liquor and bought some Jim Beam to celebrate my survival.

Photo of me before I started whitebaiting, happy in anticipation


Photo after the event


Sorry to be so long wined on your thread but I thought I should share this experience

Almost the sencond to go this season. Good to see you are here to tell the tail.

There are a few every year that succumb to the lure of the stupid little fish.

I hate scooping at the best of times. Get a sock net and find a safe spot up river.
You will catch more without risking your neck and if you know where to site it (there is a knack) with no effort.



Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Glad you are ok and can tell the tail.

Wife going to Grey and Hoki in the weekend....should I go with and beg/borrow a net and bucket or stay home and go for a hunt or rod fish?

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Wife going to Grey and Hoki in the weekend....should I go with and beg/borrow a net and bucket or stay home and go for a hunt or rod fish?

Weather is poos mate. Remind me closer to the time and I will get the river conditions for you. Better off baching for the weekend.

I would lend ya my gear but it is locked the boat shed and I have the only key which is in my truck in chch.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Glad you are ok and can tell the tail.

Cheers VC

Originally Posted by R93

Almost the sencond to go this season. Good to see you are here to tell the tail.

There are a few every year that succumb to the lure of the stupid little fish.

I hate scooping at the best of times. Get a sock net and find a safe spot up river.
You will catch more without risking your neck and if you know where to site it (there is a knack) with no effort.



Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Thanks R93, I am back on the hunt for another scoop net. Your advice is very solid however I do love whitebaiting the surf, maybe I'm getting a bit old for that game but another lesson learned and maybe I just have to take it a bit easier. Another good river close by does fish well up river so that is an option. Thanks again

Originally Posted by 7mm Rem Mag

Thanks R93, I am back on the hunt for another scoop net. Your advice is very solid however I do love whitebaiting the surf, maybe I'm getting a bit old for that game but another lesson learned and maybe I just have to take it a bit easier. Another good river close by does fish well up river so that is an option. Thanks again

Once you learn to read the river you will always catch more than what you will scooping the surf.
The bait that goes around people standing up to their necks in water would be 1000x what they catch.

I have had some huge days scooping when younger but in easier water where the bait was forced to the edges.
Now I setup, sit back and look at the mountains or even have a flick for the odd trout that scares my bait.
Setup at the start and pull in at the end.

I have only had to empty my net a couple times in-between. It would hold 50kg easy anymore and you risk ripping the net getting it out of the water.
Can be pretty boring until the bait runs and you find you have set wrong and it is going around you.


Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Glad you are ok and can tell the tail.

+1 I'm bllody glad you had a saftey plan and you took it and it worked... shit that was nasty as reading let alone being the poor bugger in the surf.

Originally Posted by Biggun708

Attachment 76159still a fine way of doing f all... BOP doing well this morning..

How did you get on @Biggun708

Originally Posted by madmaori

How did you get on @Biggun708

Started of real well at the beginning of the tide... Just tapered off to nothing by the end... Ended up with just under a kilo...

Originally Posted by Biggun708

Started of real well at the beginning of the tide... Just tapered off to nothing by the end... Ended up with just under a kilo...

Gotta be happy sitting by the river though!

Originally Posted by R93

Once you learn to read the river you will always catch more than what you will scooping the surf.
The bait that goes around people standing up to their necks in water would be 1000x what they catch.

I have had some huge days scooping when younger but in easier water where the bait was forced to the edges.
Now I setup, sit back and look at the mountains or even have a flick for the odd trout that scares my bait.
Setup at the start and pull in at the end.

I have only had to empty my net a couple times in-between. It would hold 50kg easy anymore and you risk ripping the net getting it out of the water.
Can be pretty boring until the bait runs and you find you have set wrong and it is going around you.


Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Certain rivers fish better up river than others, unfortunately the Waitaki isn't one of them. I have been to the West coast and fished the Moraki (or Blue as we call it) just up from Heast. It fishes well in the surf and up river (best if you have a stand) my mates brother had the best stand on the river and I know what you mean about bucketing the whitebait out of the net to stop it from splitting open. The Waitaki where I whitebait does not fish well up river so it's surf fishing or nothing. You do have good advice so thanks for your input, I have just finished making my new frame and am almost finished my catch bucket so getting ready again. I have down sized the net a wee bit due to getting older