Whitebait set-net at the Waimakariri Rivermouth.

More whitebait set-nets.

Whitebait Life Cycle

To begin lets take a quick look at the life cycle of whitebait. There are actually five different species of galaxiids that make up our whitebait catch. The most common of these is the inanga. The remaining four species are: koaro, banded kokopu, shortjaw kokopu and the giant kokopu. Don't worry though. If you look into a bucket of whitebait swimming around they all look much the same!

While whitebaiting you are also sure to catch a few silveries as well. These aren't whitebait but are instead a species of small fish called smelt. They are about the size as your index finger and smell like cucumber. Most whitebaiters toss them back. They are great eating dipped in flour and cooked in butter.

In autumn adult female whitebait lay their eggs on vegetation around the high-water mark at the peak of a very high spring tide. When the tide goes out the eggs are left exposed. Two weeks later at the next spring tide the larvae hatch. The receding tide then carries the larvae out to sea.

The developing whitebait spend the winter at sea feeding on tiny crustaceans like krill and shrimp. Then in the spring the whitebait return from the sea and make their way upriver. The whitebait that aren't caught and eaten by fish, birds or whitebaiters remain in our freshwater rivers over spring and summer. Then in the autumn they make their way downstream to spawn along the banks of creeks and estuaries and so complete the cycle.

As an aside you can keep whitebait as pets. I remember a mate of mine who would tip some freshly caught whitebait into his fishpond on his front lawn. There they would continue to grow quite happily into little fish. He even used to feed them by hand. His cat would sit on the edge of the pond and watch them swimming around!

So how do you catch whitebait?

You need to get a whitebait net - but what kind. There are many types of whitebait nets available. They generally fall into one of two sorts; a set-net (which stays in one place), or a scoop net (which you fish by walking along holding on to it). Which of these types is the best to use depends for the most part on where you will be whitebaiting. A set net is usually a lot of work to setup but once in place it keeps working for you while you stand and watch. On the other hand a scoop net requires your constant attention to catch bait.

Shallow and Sandy River Mouths 44

River mouths vary from place to place. Some are shallow and sandy like at the mouth of Canterbury's Waimakariri River. Here whitebaiters generally fish with a box set-net and gobys. Gobys are like little fences that guide the unsuspecting whitebait towards the net. There are strict rules governing how long your gobys are allowed to be.

Slow Wide Rivers

Further upstream where the water is deeper, and the bank is high above the water, a pole net is a better option. Whitebaiters will place “whiteboards” on the bottom of the river at right angles to the bank to make it easier to spot shoals of whitebait swimming upstream. Then once spotted will endeavor to move the mouth of their pole net in front of the shoal to scoop it up. For this method to work you need to pick a good spot where the river is slower moving and couple of meters deep. When it works you can capture a big “pudding” of bait all in one go!

Fast Flowing Shingle River Mouths

To fish for whitebait at the mouths of these sort of rivers requires specialist gear. The surf at the mouth of the Rakaia River is too rough for a set-net and gobys which would be washed away almost immediately. The pounding surf would also tangle a normal pole net. The locals have come up with a local innovation called a Rakaia Scoop. This is a small pole net that uses fine wire mesh instead of Ulstron polypropylene. The rigid Rakaia Scoop is used to catch whitebait that are carried in with the waves. Though its use is effective at catching whitebait it can be very dangerous to use when a big sea is running. Life-jackets are a must. It is also best to fish this type of scoop net in the company of others who can raise the alarm should you be swept out to sea. Rakaia Rivermouth Whitebait Scoop Nets.

Drag Netting for Whitebait

Another type of net that I enjoy using is the drag net. It can only be used in the surf where the water is shallow and sandy. It is popular at the mouth of the Waimakariri River. It is essentially a set net that is towed around in the surf zone with the aid of a rope. The advantage is that you can go right down the end in front of the set netters and always find space when there is a crowd of whitebaiters all fishing at the same time. You can see drag nets in operation in this video: Whitebait Drag Netting.

West Coast Pole Nets

Pole nets are also used to fish for whitebait on the South Island's West Coast in a way that differs from the East Coast. At the mouth of the Hokitika River whitebaiters dip their pole nets in the river and walk downstream as the whitebait begin to run upstream with the first push of the new tide. When they get down to the surf they walk back and empty their bait into a bucket before going around again. However when there are many whitebaiters present each must wait in line before beginning their “drag.” Woe-betide anyone who doesn't wait their turn or tries to jump the que! So different parts of the country have their own peculiar whitebaiting traditions.

You can also use a pole net to fish along rocks where a set-net would be impracticable. If you have never tried whitebaiting before I suggest you start off with a pole net. It is the most versatile net of all. It can be used to fish the surf of some rivers, the gut in slower rivers, and can be used to fish grassy banks and the like further upstream. It is also the least expensive type of net. The long aluminum pole, which bolts together in sections for easy transport, is needed to reach the bottom in deeper water and to counter-balance the weight of the net.

So which net to get depends on where you will be fishing. As a rule it is a save bet to fish a particular section of the river with the same type of net as others are using. There are other local whitebait net variations used throughout the country designed to best take advantage of the local terrain. West Coast, South Island, New Zealand, Pole nets for Whitebaiting.

When to Go Whitebaiting

If you go whitebaiting every day of the season some days will prove to be much more productive than others. The only problem is that at the start of each new season you never know when those best days will be! Whitebait will start to run upstream with the first push of the tide. So if you are fishing at a river mouth you will want to get there just before the out-going tide turns and starts to run back in. If fishing further upstream the same rule applies; fish the incoming tide. When the tide is running out most whitebaiters stop for a rest.

Don't worry if the river is milky, or even very dirty following rain, this doesn't put the whitebait off running the river at all. I have had some super catches when the river was discoloured. The only problem is that at such times there will be a lot of sticks, leaves and other debris in the water which tangles in your net!

Whitebaiting is an odd sort of a business. Many whitebaiters attack the job with a sort of religious fervor. Nowhere is this more true than on the South Island's West Coast. But the same can be said for good whitebaiting spots all around New Zealand. For me the whitebait season, which starts in Canterbury on 15 August, heralds the beginning of the upcoming new trout fishing year on 1 October. After that comes the Canterbury High Country Opening (trout and land-locked salmon) on the first Saturday in November. This is followed by more searun trout fishing on long summer evenings. Next is Christmas and the start of the quinnat salmon run. For me the whitebait season is the start of the happy time!

Whitebaiting Around New Zealand's South Island.