Thread: Whitebaiting

Hey team, just wondering how the whitebaiting has been going so far this season. I’m looking to get out on the Waikato for the first time and was hoping someone could give me some advise about where I could go with a scoop net? Thanks

Some friends go 2 yesterday.

Thanks for replying, how did they get on?

They literally got 2 whitebait

Buggar, I might give it while, cheers

I used to whitebait off Devonport wharf as a teenager. Do guys still whitebait off there?

First lift Opening Day, nice


Quailty check required, (Sleep now needed)


Ended up with 4.5 kg for Opening day so a good start.

Only place scoop nets are used is at the river mouth, up stream its all set nets.

sorry for side ways pictures, not sure how to fix that.

Originally Posted by Got-ya

sorry for side ways pictures, not sure how to fix that.

You have done perfect
Now - Whitebait sandwich please :-)
G8 looking bait

Originally Posted by Gamehunter

I used to whitebait off Devonport wharf as a teenager. Do guys still whitebait off there?

Funny enough I have a story about that. My Grandfather was Robert Shanks who back in the day worked for the Auckland harbourboard and was in charge of all the passenger ships that came into Auckland. The story as related to me from him was that trouble was breaking out among the whitebaiters on the wharf for the best spots with fights a regular thing which the Harbourboard was getting sick of. A meeting was held to decide what to do about it.
Easy someone said, they are fishing out of season, we will just stop it on those grounds. Great! job done, then some cleaver cookie suggested that perhaps they had better check that it actually was whitebait.
So anyway off they went and confiscated some of the catch off a few wharf fishermen, Yip looks like whitebait, tastes like whitebait but we had better send some off to NIWA or whoever it was in those days to check. Nope not whitebait but smelt or the young of KY, Trevally etc. Hmmm what to do.

So the story goes it was stopped on the grounds that they were catching undersized fish with undersized nets.

Never thought I would be repeating that story told to me over thirty years ago.

Originally Posted by Got-ya

Funny enough I have a story about that. My Grandfather was Robert Shanks who back in the day worked for the Auckland harbourboard and was in charge of all the passenger ships that came into Auckland. The story as related to me from him was that trouble was breaking out among the whitebaiters on the wharf for the best spots with fights a regular thing which the Harbourboard was getting sick of. A meeting was held to decide what to do about it.
Easy someone said, they are fishing out of season, we will just stop it on those grounds. Great! job done, then some cleaver cookie suggested that perhaps they had better check that it actually was whitebait.
So anyway off they went and confiscated some of the catch off a few wharf fishermen, Yip looks like whitebait, tastes like whitebait but we had better send some off to NIWA or whoever it was in those days to check. Nope not whitebait but smelt or the young of KY, Trevally etc. Hmmm what to do.

So the story goes it was stopped on the grounds that they were catching undersized fish with undersized nets.

Never thought I would be repeating that story told to me over thirty years ago.

I never heard about undersized fish or net mesh. I started whitebaiting at 13 and it was super competitive but fair on Devonport wharf. If your net was in position on the wharf you had to be on the wharf. If not you net got slashed. The best place was the “gap”, the 45 deg angle at the bend where the vehicular ferry wharf was and whitebait only “ran” on the outgoing tide. The professional guys (Aussie, Granpop and Pro) used to sleep in cars next to their nets and I used to sleep in the disused winch shed 20m away in unsold Heralds from behind the paper stand in the ferry building. I used to sell it door to door and carton it in 4oz cartons labeled “fresh whitebait” which I sold to dairies for 2 shillings. We were not under whitebaiting regulations as I understood because the season only covered rivers at that time and we never had a fishing inspector turn up on the wharf.
But we did have the TAXMAN turn up but the pros had wised us up that we GIVE IT AWAY and have big families. I wagged work one day and made 20 pound ($40) when my apprenticeship wage was 6 pound 4 and 2 ($13)
I quit at about 17 when all whitebait cartons sold to dairies had to have you name and address on so then you could be pinged by the tax man.
I found hunting and girlfriend filled in my time by then.
They were great years though.

That’s a great story

Thanks ‘Got-ya’ for the advice!

First day out since River become fishable. 3rd day of our west coast season. Seen an easy 5 or 6 kilo go over my boards. River still off colour a bit so cant see if I caught it.
But I'd say everyone will do well today.
Big tides help as well.

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Originally Posted by R93

First day out since River become fishable. 3rd day of our west coast season. Seen an easy 5 or 6 kilo go over my boards. River still off colour a bit so cant see if I caught it.
But I'd say everyone will do well today.
Big tides help as well.

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I can taste it already


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Originally Posted by MSL

I can taste it already


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I'll save you the crunchy stuff

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