The season is almost upon us again. How many of you guys are getting prepared to catch the critters?

I havnt whitebaited for years, but intend to build a net this week in the hope of getting out to catch some once the conditions are right.

Hi Rainman.

Brother gave us a couple of kgs of frozen whitebait last week. First I've had for a while. Even being frozen, still tasted good. hmmmm.

Uncle. A man with a plan, thats what we like to hear. Is it a secret plan? Will be interesting to see how the Whitebait run goes over your way considering the devastation caused by the recent floods.

In the past most of our fishing was out near Kawhia (Oparau and Hauturu) Could be a stretch to get there now though due to limited time and distance. Might head out west (Raglan way) and see what that area has to offer.

 My Grandfather was farming on the edge of the Kaituna river and reminisced stories of huge schools of Whitebait back then.

 Where do you normally fish? Searched through the archives last night and found Aunties Rhyme. Excellent reading.

Naki, off to a good start ay. Enough to whet the appetite. Let us know how you get on down there.

Thanks for the heads up BP. Any clues to which areas to avoid so we can improve our chances

will be hitting it hard from next week on.no work for a week, just whitebait and itd beta be beta than last season

crikey

 Same as for the WBOP dunnit. I heard of 1 catch of 500grms & that's all.

My plan is still waiting for the chance to get out.

Maybe in a day or two.

dunnit,Went to my local stream this afternoon to catch high tide.Caught half a bucket of shrimps.If your into something different,or hanging out for a feed,theres a guy down hastings, selling them on Trade Me.

YOU could buy some and have the best of both worlds.A feed for you and the kids and wife can have you back???? 

no thanks mate........not really into crunchy fritters....and the wife will have do without me next time i have some days off........cause its BAIT time.....

the only good white bait is the one in my bucket

 Yeah, c'mon Dunnit, tell all. I'm far to old to be called Master, much prefer Mr. anyday

I'm hearing second/third hand stories that Thorndon is fishing ok.

You heard anything?

The upper reaches of our local river, the Wairoa, is a bugger for shrimps. Especially round the top of the tide. One late afternoon a couple of years ago I got a 50/50 mix of whitebait & shrimps.  

A tropical fish fanatic/mate  was happy to do the sorting, so it wasn't that much of a hassle.

Spring tides this weekend so am looking to get out Monday .

Hi Snappy. filleting is the easy part, catching is the hard bit!

Do a search in the Briny Bar--whitebait help needed.

Aunty wrote some words of wisdom  regarding your querry, should put you right.

I've tied up some special flasher rigs, yet to get out & try them.

Will keep you posted!

 Sorry about that FL. These godamn keyboards have too many buttons!

At least snappy won't have to worry about doing a search

 Well, I tooka look at the local river this arvo. Half-a-dozen punters out there & all for buggar all. One guy had about 50grams for his efforts, another could count the catch on one hand.

I would have picked it as a good day, big tide & clean river.

Will have another gink about Wed. Might even pack the net!  

  a quick sojourn this cold morning netted 12 oz....might be a run starting..gonna pee down tomorrow so might not get out........thornton will be the place to be me thinks.....another 12 oz and i will have enough for a feed..............how you doing uncle & fishmad..........any luck yet?

 I haven't wet the net yet but am armed & ready to go when things improve.

A mate was out yesterday & he caught 88 w/b. Yep, 88. He counted them!!!!

Some sob has found my "private" patch, so if I'm going to be first I'll have to be there hours before the tide

Dunnit,good to see youve caught 12oz.Your scales you used to weigh your bait,were they government certified,or a worn out rusty spring type you had lying around in the bottom of your tackle box?

~~DO TELL ALL~~MASTER~~ 

 I loaned my net to a mate 'cos I'm bogged down with work at the mo.

He went out this morning & caught 500grms.

Geez, that's allmost enough for a good feed!

  fishmad  nuttin wrong with me scales mate.......gonna slay them tomorrow.........its on!!!!whats the bet i get enough to sell on trade me?  a dozen steinies?

well thats it!!!.......last shift for 12 whole days.......will be on a river everyday catching three eyed whitebait(any way havn't all whitebait got three eye's?)

i hear the duelling bajoes in the background.....squirm like a whitebait boy.....ehhhhhhhhhhhh   haaaaaaaaa

 Good one dunnit, 4kgs is a nice haul!

I had a go at our local river Wed, but it was a big waste of time.

My cuzzie fished the Kiatuna Thu, Fri, & got 5kgs.

I seem to be on the back foot, the only time I can spare to get out, the buggars are on strike!

Cuz told me he's getting sick of fritters & has started making whitebait muffins!   What a waste!

  Thanks dunnit, you are right of course! It really is a matter of spending time & being on the river.

The Wairoa isn't the type of river that's ever going to really deliver, but it's close to home & good for the odd couple of hours.

I think that rivers that exit directly into the sea are best. Those that enter an estuary are much more prone to "mostly bad days"!

3 seasons ago, I spent more time down there & did quite well by our standards. Had a few 1kg days, & that's top stuff.

Big problem here, especially early season, is the number of new recruits.

It would seem that every man & his wife (over 60) has taken up the game & possies are hard to come by unless you are first there. I don't have the time to be there 3 hours before things happen so just have to take my chances.

Later in the season the pressure eases, maybe my time then.

Keep up the good work, your doing well.

thanks uncle,..........will keep you posted.......and if you want to spend a days baiting down this way let me know......i'll sort something out.

well its slowed down a bit today........only a kilo.........but on the bright side i was home by 10 am and got the lawns mowed before the rain.

i hope you are catching some fishmad......maybe you need to head west young man.  hahahaha

 Well, my cunning little plan came to fruition this arvo. I nipped out for the last hour & a half of daylight & managed enough for a good feed.

Aunty dosn't eat them so the whole lot (bit over a pound) will be lunch tomorrow for ME!  (one egg)

dunnit, they are pretty tiny bait & I estimate half of what I "caught" managed to escape through the net. As I was lifting, whitebait were spraying all over the stream.

The water was quite dirty after last nights rain so they were hard to see in the failing light.

Anyway, I'm happy & the whitebait will be to when they go to their warm new home

DUNNIT>If we drank a box of nectar juice while your giving me a lesson on how to, Master the Baiting, you could go blind. After a box,who knows how fill your bucket is?????????

You know I dont need lessons,soon as you hear about my local river doing O.K someone in your blood lines if not yourself, turn up.NEXT time I see you on our patch.I will come an introduce my self .

 Yehaaaa, a bit of feeling in the camp.

A quite day on the river is one thing, a bit of action another!

Have to say, I've never been pushed in or even threatend but it all adds to the excitement.

Think I might make the pillgramage dunnit, sounds like fun down your way!

Where's your local river Fish Mad ? Have you had any decent runs this season?

well fish mad

once i find your patch.......it will be rape and pillage........my little net will out fish those horrendus river grabbers.and its a lot less work.......but enough said..........uncs....just let me know mate.....i'll be off work till the 20th

I had my first fritter the other day, courtesy of a Maori workmate. Quite tasty really, more of a fish omelette, but I must say I am not sure what all of the fuss is about.

Chris

 Well, that .5 of a kilo just found a new home! I ate the lot in one sitting, yum! 

Grounded, you must have stuffed up your taste buds somewhere along the line!  

Yum, yum, yummy whitebait! Think I'll have to get some more! 

 Caught the last hour of daylight & managed another 1lb. Most were going the wrong way ie. downstream.

Not many heading up even though the tide was on the make.

Talking to a couple of mates, both were out at sparrows, both got 1.5kgs.

Not bad for Tauranga. Not bad for them. Not good for me 

DUNNIT<Missing out on the poor ladys possie,remember older the wiser??Look at as a blessing,you seemed to have done o.k with your small net!!!! 

 fish"MAD"   as my wife says ....size doesn't matter.......it all in the way you use it

might try another river tomorrow as i didn't do any good today......or i might get up real early and poach an elderly lady's top spot,but then again that might start a war i don't want to partake in....gone are the days of being on the river at 3am just to get a spot!!!

DUNNIT:make sure you use it,or you will lose it;

ANYWAY,you havent got time to use it;whitebaiting is far better than stoking the fire????

well i figure this....there is 24 hrs in a day....eat for 1/2 hour.....sleep for 8 hrs.....whitebait for 15 hours.....that leave 1/2 hour for stokin the fire.......more than enough time.....any ways back to work on monday

bugger.....the runs finished here any ways so better do some real work for a change........bring on the full moon

well ya wife was happy with it......strokin to the east,strokin to the west....ladedadada.

got your letter today uncle....thanks mate

1kg of bait this morning and a torn ligament in me calf muscle......no baiting for me tomorrow

 I wondered when someone would pick up on that hahaa.

Sorry to hear about the torn ligament, ah well, leaves more room on the river!

I fished a couple of hours of the outgoing yesterday, about 1lb .

A mate fished his "private" stream yesterday for 2kg's.

One day soon it's going to be my turn!

DUNNIT>Your a hard man,you should be a penis.Now lets get back to the original forum started by Rainman.Sorry you wont have much input,with a stuffed muscle.  

Uncle, matey,can I have a letter sent to me?

You could have a letter Mad Fish but I don't know if you'd like it

Have you added to your shrimp total?

I gave it all a miss today, but heard that the rivers were chokka with baiters.

Word must have got out, a full day for about a couple of cups.

Me, I'm waiting for an easterly wind, 'cos my plan (cunning stunt)  is ready for fruition.

I may not relate the results on here as my efforts would be copied by others, will see

Hope that sore peg heals quick dunnit, might invite you up here to share the spoils

UNCLE,I added 1 and a 1/2 pounds today and 3 and a 1/2 pounds yesterday.Total this season roughly about 15 pounds.And Yes I did add them to  my shrimp total.

<<<TIGHT DRAGS>>><<<FISHMAD>>>.

Well done Fish Mad, that's good figures in anyones book.

Might have to sneak down your way to share the spoils!

My cuzzie from Rotorua is keen to add to his tally so if you see a couple of heathens plundering the EBOP, it could be us

Hey dunnit, how's about gumpie for short?

What's the best way to cook shrimp? I asked Aunty & she said 1/2 an hour in the pressure cooker should do it

yup gumpie would be good for fishmad.........

if you get the shrimps small they are not to bad mixed with ya bait......all pink on the inside

 Pink on the inside, yep, like that

What's your thoughts on that gumpie?

Talking of shrimps, I've only caught 3-4 this season so far.

Couple of years ago they were in plague proportions.

We are starting to get the odd "stinky" or mature w/b, but most are clear, good bait. had a look at some a mate caught at another stream & they were larger size bait than I've been getting.

UNCLE DUNNIT,Life is like a box of chocolates,every ones different?

DUNNIT<Ive heard when you cook your shrimp fritters,you use the smoke detector as a timer..

As a pom, I confess to being more than a little confused by the amount of interest in Whitebait over there. It is something you only see for sale very rarely here, so I googled up Whitebait and, well now I at least know what you lot are fishing for. I cant say it looks very tasty, but you guys would know best. I look forward to giving it a try one day. This is what I found.

http://www.doc.govt.nz/Explore/Hunting-and-Fishing/Whitebait-Information-and-Fishing-Regulations-whole-New-Zealand-except-West-Coast-of-South-Island.asp">http://www.doc.govt.nz/Explore/Hunting-and-Fishing/Whitebait-Information-and-Fishing-Regulations-whole-New-Zealand-except-West-Coast-of-South-Island.asp

running around the same old town,what have we found? the same old fears..........wish you were here.

wow the past catches up.......

well even as a pom penguin.......every one need to have a feed of nz whitebait..........keep in touch.....

crispy shrimps is the only way to cook em fishmad.........just i don't like em like that

 Hi penguin, you have something to look forward to. We had some pommie friends around for dinner, Fri evening (she's an ex Coro St actress).

They had heard about W/B so I posed the question, do you want to try it

He's off to buy a net, says something!

Fish Mad, I'm still here. Thought it time I buckled down a did some work.

My mate got 1.2 kg's on Saturday though, so might be the end of "buckling down" for me .

School holidays are a pain around here, the river is so close it's hard to find a spot.

Might have to bring my cunning stunt forward!

How's about you? Still catching?

hey uncle i knew a woman like that one.........she had a cunning stunt

hope i don't get banned for my slip of the tounge.

well back at work here so no baiting till the weekend

 I think they usually tolerate the first slip of the tongue dunnit, it's when it becomes a regular occurance things get sticky

What happend to the woman you knew? Did she get away?

Buggar this, I'm going baiting tomorrow!

opotiki ran big time today............some had 14lbs +.........and this is credible info from my dad............damm lucky buggers,i have two night shifts to do before i go baiting

yup uncle that particular one did get away.....well it was tag and release really

Tag & release dunnit?  Some of the guys on here would only use the sharp end of a gaff.

I had a short expedition, last hour of the incoming. Managed another 1lb, geez, I'm getting sick of the small catches.

As I drove down the short stretch of the Wairoa below the main road bridge, I counted 14 baiters, all catching buggar all. The couple I talked to had 20 W/B!

The place I fish, the bait often run wide. I use a 6mtre handle (approx) & it fair gives my poor old back a workout.

Think I might take up Broadbill fishing, much easier!

Hey, it's nice to hear someones catching. What about the West Coast--anyone know?  

well it's my days off again......bugger

the whitebait are shaking in fear of this mighty hunter being on the river again!!!!

Sure Barrie, not a problem.

Weekends are extra crowded though so I stay away.

I had a wee go again today, still can't break the 1lb barrier.

However, on the way out I spotted a promising possie & will give it a good look next week .Full moon Wednesday so will have a good crack.

 Any thoughts on how to clean the catch?

Todays effort included dozens of tiny snails, leaves, willow buds, grass clippings, etc, etc.  (plus one of my cig. butts!)

It's a long slow process getting rid of the rubbish & todays was the worst.

I spent the best part of an hour seperating the good from the bad.

Some might say it all adds to the flavour, I say I like mine pristine.

Would appreciate any tips on speeding up the process.

Last night I dreamt I was whitebaiting. Do you know how worrying that is for a committed rod-and-line, chuckit-and-chancer like me?

I really need to go fishing. Proper fishing. For proper fish.

Chris

i tried a "new" spot today.......way up river......all i got was indian whitebait.........you know the ones with the red spots on them......and the little dudes were trying to climb outa the bucket.......not even one of the normal whitebait...ended the morning with a pound.

wethers crap so might be a keep the wife happy day tomorrow

Yeah duunit, I know the one's you mean. We get quite a percentage of them.

They are hardy little sods, can live 24 hours or so in the fridge. Big thing is I don't notice any difference in the taste.

I had an hour to spare late this arvo so shot down to my spot for a look.

It was right on high tide & there were a few about as I set up. Then the rain came!  It was bloody torential & I couldn't see a thing. Finished up with about a cup, enough for breakky tomorrow  It's all good but I'm starting to get hungry for a feed of Snapper or Tarakihi!

 Just had a good look at what's in the fridge.

Better come clean on my 800th post! It was only 2/3rds of a cup, so will now change that to morning smoko.

Nice to see the red & blacks hitting their straps when it matters.

 Too wet for tennis today & I couldn't resist sneaking out for a look.

I had most of the river to myself, no wonder as it was hosing down.

The water was a bit coloured, heaps of stuff floating down plus the heavy rain spots on the water made it almost impossible to see anything. But, the buggars were running.

I was scooping like a mad *****, resetting the sight boards every few minutes & missing most of what went past. More than half of them were going downstream.

Then I wanted a smoke. Well the hands were ringing wet, not much good for a rolly smoker. When I finally rolled one , the lighter wouldn't work!

After all that, I had a couple of cups of bait.

I ask myself, why do I do it 

Did you answer yourself, Uncle? I have watched the poor sods down on the Waikato, in all of the ruddy wind and rain, and I just think they are total barm-pots.

Am I right, or am I right?

Chris

havn't been out for a few days but ther should be a run on over the next two or three days......how do i know?.........

1 fresh in the river

2 moon phase

3 early morning tides

so go hard or go home!!!!

well thats my two cents worth

full buckets or if you long line for them......tight lines

 Now, why didn't I think about a bridge!

I send smoke signals all the time Fish Mad, but no one answers 

I think my stream will still be dirty after the weekends rain. Might go for a quick look just in case

don't worry about the colour uncle

just go hard in closr.......they will be there

time for a cunning stunt?

It is dunnit, it is indeed!  Might have a practice run while the moon's up

Where I bait, it's all by sight & we use scoop nets. Dirty water with scum on the top makes for hard spotting.

Still, your words of advise will be heeded.

Might get rid of that dirty water off my chest too

 uncle i hope that dirty water is gone.....it affects ya eye sight you know.

well ran they did this morning...1.8kgs and missed more to i think

.it will be even better tomorrow me thinks.....get out early

back to dammed work   so no more baiting for four days.

hope you all got out and slayed the little critters

UNCLE,What brand of ciggies do you smoke.Park Drive is the one.You can see it rising over over the Kaimias from where I stand?????Dunnit your the master allright.Have you got E>S>P the bait was quite hot today.That hot, they where allmost cooked when I lifted my net. 

Have a fantastic day at work this week,you red neck.Ill be lookin for the smoke in 4 days.  

DUNNIT,good to see youve got your finger on the pulse.Post ??you say or admit your a little softie.YOU said post 36 your a real kiwi man.I hope your not talking on behalf of all kiwi men of this mighty country, and saying there all softies.Youve contradicted yourself???

Your a hard man,you should of been a Penis. .Are you a little confused??

get some sleep fishmad..........your babling.........i'll go hard when the ocasion calls for it.

get out there uncle....its goin off!!!!

fish fear me....women want me!!!!!!!

 Ok. Fishmad, yes Park Drive it is, but has to be Menthol.Gives off a better aroma along with the smoke signals.

dunnit, I sneaked out for a couple of hours late this arvo & had the stream to myself for the first hour. They were running, but in wide shoals. It's pretty hard to get the lot when they are like that!

I got a bit more than usual but nothing to write home about (or send S/S's to fishmad!) Hope he's getting the sleep you prescribed!

ps.the other guys on the river had mediocre catches today, so I did pretty good. Being a stream running into a harbour makes things a bit later than same that empty direct into the sea. Perhaps Wednesday for me-will see!