Coast nets heavy with whitebait

Press, 21 October 1987, Page 3

Coast nets heavy with whitebait

Greymouth reporter Grey River whitebaiters had one of their better days in recent years yesterday morning when catches of about nine kilograms (2* pounds) and more were common. The continued fine weather, and the disappearance of a murky discoloration caused by the Ahaura

River passing through a mudstone area, helped. A whitebaiter at the “Big Rock,** one of the main fishing spots on the protection wall on the Greymouth side of the Grey River was said to have obtained a bucketful of whitebait, while another report to “The Press 9 yesterday said that one fisherman had filled five buckets by mid-morning on the

rocks below Collins Street in Blaketown. A well known Runanga fisherman, who had had reasonable catches during the week-end continued his holidays this week, but decided to stay in bed until late morning yesterday. To his chagrin, when he arrived at his normal spot all the early-risers had had the bulk of the catches, but he stayed to recover one

i kilogram. One whitebaiter spoke ' of his disbelief after a 1 visitor, to Greymouth approached him, offered ' him $5l for a quantity of 1 whitebait, still uncaught, and said, H ITI call back ’ and collect it later.” t “We might pot see any more for. the season,” said the whitebaiter. “Do they think we merely » catch to order?”